National Agricultural Research System Policy

In order to meet the challenges of feeding a growing population, creating wealth, reducing poverty and managing the degradation of natural resources, the government of Kenya has developed a national agricultural research system policy in 2012. It is a sectorial policy which aims to create an enabling environment for a vibrant agricultural research system that contributes effectively to national development.
The policy objectives are: improving agricultural research policy framework, harmonizing and providing direction to national research for sustainable development, strengthening the legal, institutional and regulatory framework, coordinated planning, development and sharing of human resources and physical assets, coordinated planning, development and management of knowledge, information and communication technology, increased focus on outreach and technology dissemination and targeted partnership development framework.
In order to make agriculture, forestry and fisheries more productive and sustainable, in the context of the historical background and rationale, Kenya's Vision 2030 and the ASDS, this NARS policy is designed to achieve the following objectives: (i) establish an integrated national agricultural research system that guides and supports the development of an innovative, commercially oriented, and modern agricultural sector, (ii) harness the best science, technology and indigenous knowledge in accordance with professional ethics and scientific judgment, for implementing the agreed research agenda, (iii) promote an effective delivery system that facilitates prompt application of agricultural research results and services, (iv) institutionalize participatory planning, priority setting, programming, and monitoring and evaluation for an agreed national research agenda, (v) design a novel funding mechanism for agricultural research that ensures adequacy, predictability and sustainability of research, (vi) formulate a comprehensive framework for partnership building and consultation, and collaboration with stakeholders, (vii) access, borrow and adopt knowledge and appropriate technologies that are available worldwide.
To increase the resilience of livelihood to disaster, the policy plans to develop a system-wide risk and risk management strategy, the strategy plans to make provisions for: (i) systematic and periodic review of common risks at all levels, (ii) guidelines for risk prevention, mitigation, and control measures, (iii) guidelines for damage, cost, evaluation and compensation.
In the context of governance, to implement these objectives, the policy proposes the establishment of a body corporate called the Kenya Agricultural Research Organization (KARO) to coordinate and facilitate all aspects of agricultural research development. KARO shall operate as an interactive and interdependent network of autonomous bodies committed to a common vision, mission and goal. The key organs of KARO shall include: a Board, which shall be the key body making policy recommendations to the central government, a Secretariat, which shall be the executive arm of KARO, a Scientific and Technical Committee, which shall be an independent advisory body to the Board, the Secretariat and the various institutions of KARO, an Agricultural Research Fund, which shall operate as the principal funding arm, and implementing institutions that shall carry out the research agenda. Finally, the implementation framework shall stipulate monitorable targets and milestones to be realized over time. This policy document shall be reviewed at least once in five years at the concurrence of key stakeholders as coordinated by the sector ministries.