Partners in technology generation and transfer : linkages between research and farmers" organizations in three selected African countries

This study assesses these linkages in three countries in sub-Saharan Africa: Burkina Faso; Ghana; and Kenya. There are differences among the three countries of the study, but the five major types of farmers" organizations/groups were found in each of them (traditional associations, informal contact groups, multipurpose associations/groups, cooperatives, and national farmers" organizations). Only a few of the organizations in these countries have explicit policies to link with research and of these only one is fully implementing its policies. The others, for various reasons, use informal mechanisms to gain access to agricultural technologies, which they disseminate through publications and seminars. Most of the organizations/groups do not have explicit policies because they are not aware that they can link with research, or because they think that the transaction costs are too high. The research institutions in the three countries also lack explicit linkage policies, because of their research strategies, a lack of awareness, and/or perceived transaction costs. In practice, however, they do have linkages with farmers" organizations/groups, but these linkages are not effective either because of the mechanism used, the context, or the way the linkages are managed. Enhancing the power of farmers" organizations through institutional changes, clearly defining explicit linkage policies, and putting in place sounder linkage strategies are all necessary to improve these linkages. This will, however, require managers the agricultural knowledge and information systems to become more sensitive to the importance of linkages between research and farmers" organizations. (Author abstract, modified)