Central Agricultural Research Institute Strategic Plan (2023-2030).

The Strategic Plan, developed by the Central Agriculture Research Institute (CARI), is a comprehensive sectoral document designed to offer strategic guidance in addressing challenges identified during the implementation of the initial plan created by the Institute in 2015. The Strategic Plan delineates three distinct objectives for CARI, encompassing (i) the enhancement of institutional and managerial capacity for Research and Development (R&D); (ii) the creation of contextually relevant technologies and innovations; (iii) the communication and dissemination of demand-driven research results to value chain actors. Additionally, the Plan highlights the importance of establishing good governance, ensuring an ample provision of resources (human capital, physical, and financial), and fostering robust relationships with other research organizations and agriculture stakeholders. The utilization of participatory methods in the research process is identified as crucial for the success of CARI's mission. The Board anticipates that the implementation of this strategic plan will result in the widespread availability, accessibility, and adoption of sound agricultural practices among value chain actors. This, in turn, is expected to support the government in achieving the objectives outlined in its market-led agriculture development policy. The underlying vision of the Strategic Plan is for CARI to evolve into a Center of Excellence for Agricultural Research, Innovation, and Capacity Building for Development. The mission is to contribute to the increased productivity, commercialization, and competitiveness of the agricultural sector. This contribution will be achieved through the development, promotion, and dissemination of demand-driven knowledge, information, technologies, and innovations, coupled with capacity building for sustainable food and agro-industrial commodities productivity and profitability to enhance livelihoods. This includes showcasing success stories, organizing conferences, hosting open days, and publishing research outcomes in peer, reviewed journals.
Established in 2016, CARI is mandated to conduct extensive agricultural research covering crops, livestock, fisheries, and the agricultural environment. CARI's key functions involve generating and adapting agricultural technologies to meet the needs of value chain actors, promoting applied and adaptive research, advocating for sustainable agricultural practices, and providing technical services to enhance productivity, income, and food security. Additionally, CARI focuses on improving the output and quality of agricultural products, preserving genetic resources, updating soil resource inventories, providing information services to value chain actors, actively contributing to national agricultural research policies, and establishing partnerships with other research organizations and higher learning institutions for collaborative research and training.
The implementation steps involve creating awareness of the Strategic Plan among policy decision-makers, facilitating dialogue to establish and inaugurate the CARI Board, engaging in discussions with the Ministry of Finance to secure funding for agricultural research, establishing a research committee chaired by the Deputy Director-General of CARI for oversight, forming a research-extension-farmer/stakeholder committee to ensure effective participation, and developing an operational plan and Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) plan.