The Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA) is the coordinating agency for 17 regional networks, of which RAIN is one. It has programmes and projects throughout eastern and central Africa All ASARECA activities work towards a common goal and a common objective.

Goal

Increase economic growth and improve social welfare in eastern and central Africa, while maintaining environmental quality.

Objective

Enhance productivity and add value and competitiveness to the regional agricultural research system.

History and Background

RAIN began operating in 2003, but its history goes back 10 years. In 1993, the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) began to evaluate agricultural information needs in 11 eastern and central Africa countries. Its objective was to explore the potential for a regional programme on agricultural information.

The evaluation resulted in a series of national case studies and a workshop in Seychelles. Workshop discussions centred on how to collect, process, package, disseminate and store agricultural information, and develop skills in information technology and in information and communication management. As the workshop‘s facilitator, CTA was interested in finding ways to ensure that countries could work together to make agricultural information more available and accessible throughout the region.

In December 1994, CTA and the government of Mauritius organized a meeting to develop these strategies further. Participants identified programmes and mechanisms for exchanging information in the region through organizations like ASARECA and the Indian Ocean Commission. These became the basis for the proposal entitled ‘Integrated agricultural information programme for eastern Africa’.

In December 1995, representatives from participating countries met in Nairobi to discuss and modify this proposal. CTA again took a lead role, operating at the request of several leading regional organizations. The outcome was a final version, published in June 1996, which theCommittee of Directors of ASARECA approved later that year. A first proposal sent to the European Union (EU) for funding was not approved because the budget was too high, but a second proposal did receive EU approval in 1998. This proposal covered the 10 ASARECA member countries.

Meanwhile, the AfricaLink project, now part of RAIN, had started in 1996. The main objective of AfricaLink was to improve access to agricultural information by integrating new Internet technology into the communication management of research networks and systems in the ECA. AfricaLink has had several notable successes.

More than 1600 scientists from eight countries have benefited from the Internet connectivity the project has facilitated. This connectivity has had three main results:

• Communication costs have been reduced. Scientists have begun to depend more on email and less on telephone, fax and courier services.
• Communication volume within the region has increased.
• Access to global scientific and technical information has improved.