Universities for development : lessons for enhancing the role of agricultural universities in developing countries

This study examines six problems pertinent to this changing focus and draws related lessons for A.I.D. (1) Agricultural universities traditionally define themselves as sources of the science and technology needed to increase agricultural production. They need to surmount this narrow perspective by defining their mission more dynamically and addressing the dominant technical, institutional, and policy issues of the rural sector. (2) Many agricultural universities have only tenuous linkages to public and private constituencies and policymakers. This isolation deprives universities of important research and outreach resources and hinders them from attaining political and developmental relevance. Universities need to promote strategic planning as a tool for agenda setting, management, and linkage development. (3) Program development depends inordinately on organizational structures. As a result, the university programs become aggregates of courses and research projects lacking focus and direction. Flexible and integrative structures fostering multidisciplinary research and problemsolving approaches are needed. (4) University efforts to address the rural sector's systemic resource and institutional problems have had limited success due to reductionist or didactic learning models. Major emphasis needs to be placed on active, participatory, and problemsolving approaches. (5) University innovation is hindered by conservative, overly centralized government policies. Governments need to shift emphasis from regulating to facilitating university innovation. (6) University leaders are isolated from international developments in higher education. Mechanisms are needed to link universities to outside sources in a way which provides the university with access to advanced innovations in education and research.