The roles for agricultural research systems, advisory services, capacity development and knowledge transfer

Abstract

The success registered in South and East Asian economies has been directly attributed to the Green Revolution, starting in the 1960s, which heralded agricultural productivity gains and rural poverty alleviation on a mass scale (Dietz, et al., 2014). About 63 percent of the population in SSA live in the rural areas where their livelihoods depend predominantly on agriculture. Thus, it would seem appropriate to benchmark development strategies in SSA to the Asian experiences. According to the agriculture-based development paradigm, growth in agriculture as a primary sector is imperative for rural development, positive structural transformation, and broad-based economic growth (Bellu, 2011). Indeed, CAADP, as a transformative framework and blueprint for Africa’s agro-renaissance, is predicated on this precept