Final Report - IITA / ESARRN End of Project Review
Abstract
Food production in East and Southern Africa has not been keeping pace with the region's
high rates of population growth for several years. As a result food imports have increased
throughout the region, malnutrition and poverty are widespread, and several countries have
experienced famine. Root crops, particularly cassava and sweet potatoes, are important
staple foods in most countries in the region. Many of the locally grown varieties are
severely affected by diseases and pests and are relatively unproductive.
Therefore USAID and IDRC have provided support for the East and Southern Africa
Rootcrop Research Network (ESARRN) since 1986/87. This network of national root
crop research programs links together 11 countries in the region to assist them to develop
the capacity to increase sustainable root crop productivity and production. Since USAID's
and IDRC's support is channeled through IITA as the implementing agency of the network,
it is IITA's support for the network that is being evaluated.
The initial proposal to create ESARRN came from the national root crop researchers'
discussions at a workshop in Uganda in 1984. The network started with an UTA
coordinator supported by IDRC in 1986. USAID supported the network from 1987. At
that time the national root crop programs in most of the countries were relatively
underdeveloped. Therefore the network had to work with the national programs to develop
the beginnings of root crop research. This was done in five main ways; training,
information exchange, collaborative research, germplasm exchange and biocontrol.
The review team has made a careful examination of network activities and national root
crop research programs in Malawi, Zambia and Uganda, has had consultations with national
researchers from Tanzania and has analyzed network and national program documents from
other network countries.
Description
Final Report conducted by a team of internal and external evaluators
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IDRC Final Report
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Keywords
FOOD PRODUCTION, ROOT CROPS, CASSAVA, SWEET POTATOES, AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH, GERMPLASM, NUTRITION SECURITY, FOOD SECURITY, PROGRAMME EVALUATION, PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL, RESEARCH NEEDS, MALAWI, ZAMBIA, UGANDA