STRATEGY

The goals of AARINENA are:

To contribute to the development of effective and well-endowed agricultural research systems capable of responding to the needs of agricultural and rural development;

To assist in the creation of a conducive environment for collaboration and cooperation among agricultural research and related systems within and outside the Region; and

To facilitate bringing the views, aspirations and agricultural research priorities of the region to the attention of the Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR), of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) and of relevant international and regional research, development and financial organizations and interested bilateral donor agencies.

AARINENA's PRIORITIES

The main priorities for the AARINENA Region are grouped under two major categories, namely the technical and the institutional research priorities.

The technical research priorities include:

Water management and increasing water use efficiency;

Land degradation and measures for its control, including soil conservation;

Rangeland rehabilitation and management;

Crop improvement for wide adaptability and/or tolerance to biotic and non-biotic stresses;

Animal breeding and management;

Livestock nutrition;

Management and sustainable use of salt-affected soils;

Use of saline and poor quality water for crop production;

Sustainable use and management of dryland areas;

Minimizing the inputs of chemical fertilizers and pesticides;

Farming system research;

Agroforestry research;

Aquaculture research;

Natural resource management;

Biotechnology.

The institutional research priorities include:

Formulating agricultural research strategies at national and sub-regional levels;

Improving all components of research management;

Enhancing information systems at all levels;

Strengthening collaboration among research institutions;

Establishing formal mechanisms for linking research institutions with extension agencies and end users.