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| August 2010 | AgriForum newsletter boosts communication
The first issue of the ASARECA newsletter, the AgriForum is out. The newsletter is easy to read and provides exciting and informative articles on efforts by ASARECA and partners to fight poverty, eradicate hunger and enhance sustainable use of resources in Eastern and Central Africa.
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| Fighting Striga: Researchers deploy resistance genes to boost sorghum productivity in eastern Africa
Scientists in eastern and central Africa have embarked on identifying sources of resistance to striga, a parasitic weed through a project on molecular dissection of traits using genomic platforms and quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis. Supported by the Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA), the researchers from Sudan, Kenya, Eritrea and ICRISAT are using biotechnological tools in locating and identifying Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) that confers resistance to striga.
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| The story of seed variety evaluation, release and registration in ASARECA sub-region
The commercial seed industry requires huge investment in research and development to create new varieties, and in processing and packaging. These investments have to be recouped through the sale of seed, which is still a low value, high volume product. Under these circumstances, seed companies require a critical volume of sales to break even or to make profits.
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| Controlling Napier smut and stunt diseases in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania
Also called elephant grass, Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum) is a tall fast growing specie averaging 3.5metres. In the savannas of Africa, it grows along lake beds and rivers where the soil is rich. In East Africa it is planted on farms as a source of feed for dairy cows constituting between 40 to 80% of forages used by smallholder dairy farmers. In Kenya alone, about half a million smallholder dairy producers rely on Napier grass as a major source of feed and in Uganda, 90% of the farmers rely entirely on Napier grass as a source of fodder for improved dairy cattle.
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| ASARECA's regional partners renew commitment to fight poverty
Promoting partnerships and identifying mechanisms to use regional resources to generate technologies for a common good have been identified as crucial elements to transform livelihoods of agricultural communities in Eastern and Central Africa.
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| Improving capacity for agricultural research in the ASARECA sub-region through the SCARDA project
The Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA) is a leading sub-regional research organisation, established in 1994 to serve the sub-region. It has a ten country membership, namely Burundi, DR Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Rwanda, Sudan,l Tanzania and Uganda.
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| Commemorating the International Year of Biodiversity 2010
Biological resources are vital to humanity's economic and social development, health, nutrition and livelihoods. As a result; there is a growing recognition that biological diversity is a global asset of enormous value to the present and future generations. At the same time, the threat to species and ecosystems has never been so immense as it is today. Species extinction caused by human activities continues at an alarming rate. As a result many plants and animals are at risk as well as essential natural processes such as pollination by insects and the regeneration of soils by microorganisms.
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| ASARECA facilitates development of East African Community standards for cassava and potato products
The Policy Analysis and Advocacy Programme of ASARECA in partnership with the East African Community (EAC), the bureaus of standards for the five EAC partner states - Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda and other stakeholders in the root crop sectors convened in Kigali, Rwanda on 22nd to 24th March 2010 for a consultative dialogue on regional standards for cassava and potato products.
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| The promise of high value non-staple crops in Eastern and Central Africa
High value non-staple crops have a huge potential to impact the economies of Eastern and Central Africa, according to a study, Strategic Priorities for Agricultural Development in Eastern and Central Africa, commissioned by ASARECA in 2005.
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| Agrobiodiversity is key to Africa's climate change solutions
This month (December) is crucial to all people of the world because political leaders, activists, scientists, researchers and leaders of civil society organistaions from all over the globe will converge at Copenhagen, Denmark for the UN Climate Change Conference. Starting from December 7 to 18 the leaders will be seeking to reach an agreement on how to respond to the challenges posed by climate change.
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| Roadmap for ASARECA partnerships, capacity development and CAADP agenda takes shape
Offering support to the AU/NEPAD's Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP) has been identified as one of the priorities that ASARECA's Partnerships and Capacity Development unit will act upon in the coming years.
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| ASARECA Annual Report 2008
The year 2008 was a successful year in terms of consolidating the positive changes being made in ASARECA towards realizing the vision of making ASARECA a "regional leader in agricultural research and development for improved livelihoods in eastern and central Africa."
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| KAINet - opening up research outputs from Kenya
The Kenya Agricultural Information Network (KAINet) was launched on 14th May 2008 in Nairobi by the Minister of Agriculture, Hon. William Ruto.
KAINet is a national initiative that was initiated in April 2006 in response to demand from the national and international community to promote information exchange and access among stakeholders in the agricultural sector.
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| Memorandum of Understanding With Development Partners Officially Launched
On 6th April, ASARECA officially launched the signing of the memorandum of understanding with Development Partners as well as the establishment of its Multi Donor Trust Fund (MDTF).
The occasion took place at its 6th Board of Directors meeting held in April 2009 in Entebbe, Uganda...
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| Kenya gets Biosafety Law
The Kenya Biosafety Bill was signed into Law by President Mwai Kibaki on 12th February 2009. The law will ensure that biotechnology activities in Kenya are regulated in a safe and responsible manner. It will facilitate regulatory approvals of potentially beneficial products such as insect resistant varieties of cotton and maize (Bt) to proceed to the next level of commercialization.
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| Agrobiodiversity is key to Africa's climate change solutions
This month (December) is crucial to all people of the world because political leaders, activists, scientists, researchers and leaders of civil society organistaions from all over the globe will converge at Copenhagen, Denmark for the UN Climate Change Conference. Starting from December 7 to 18 the leaders will be seeking to reach an agreement on how to respond to the challenges posed by climate change.
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| Restart of Competitive Grants Scheme (CGS) Projects
ASARECA is starting the process of re-activating projects halted about a year ago under the Competitive Grants Scheme (CGS). Each project is reactivated by bringing the project team together in a project review workshop.
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| East Africa Agricultural Productivity Program (EAAPP)
A programme has been initiated to support strengthening and scaling up of Centres of Excellence (CoE) in agricultural research in four ASARECA countries.
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| ASARECA Website Gets New Look and Functionality
ASARECA has redesigned its website to reflect its commitment to an aggressive agenda of communication and knowledge management as stipulated in its new strategic plan and operational plan. The year 2007 marked the beginning of change in ASARECA - changes were made in governance, management and research structures and systems.
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| ASARECA Marks Launch of Grants from Several Donors
At its 5th Board of Directors meeting held in September 2008 in Nairobi Kenya, ASARECA launched grants from several international bilateral and multilateral organizations
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| Communication from ASARECA: "Capacity building workshop on the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture"
International cooperation and open exchange of genetic resources are essential for food security as much as the fair sharing of benefits arising from the use of these resources. These objectives have for the first time been practically implemented at the international level through the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.
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