The Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in East and Central Africa (ASARECA) is a non-political organization of the national agricultural research systems (NARS) of ten countries: Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. SWMnet aims at supporting the generation of wealth by coordinating efforts of ASARECA to support effective utilization of land and water resources in profitable crop, livestock and other natural based enterprises.

The NRM research strategy of ASARECA focuses on Research and Development of Technologies for Management of Soil, Water, Vegetative, and Livestock Resources for Economic Growth and Sustainability of the Agricultural Base. The NRM strategy identifies eight main themes which are linked to the CCF Intermediate Results (IRs).

SWMnet Strategy 2015:  Generating Wealth from Land and Water Resources. The strategy of the Soil and Water Management Research Network (SWMnet) for East and Central Africa described in this document creates a platform through which investments can be made to respond to three of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs): 1) eradicate extreme poverty and hunger; 7) ensure environmental sustainability; and 8) develop a global partnership for development. These are given particular attention in both the ASARECA-NRM strategy and this SWMnet Strategy. Specifically, SWMnet is well placed to facilitate the quick-win actions recommended in the reports of Millennium Project published in early 2005. These concern assisting smallholder farmers to: i) replenish soil nutrients, and ii) gain access and effectively utilize technologies to increase soil-water available for plant growth. Similar level of importance has been accorded to these kinds of actions by other recent development reports, notably by NEPAD under its Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP).

One of the pillars of CAADP, is extending the area under sustainable land management and reliable water control systems, which also give priority to the management of soils and water. To this end, ASARECA is a key player in the the implementation of CAADP. Among the actions identified for eastern and central Africa (ECA), SWMnet is well positioned to provide sub-regional networking platform for the projects on: private sector in small-scale land and water management systems; policy advocacy and investments; creating innovations in INRM through south-south partnerships; and increased investments in rain-fed systems. Furthermore, SWMnet can provide a premier knowledge platform for development initiatives in ECA, such as the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI).

At national level, the strategies for poverty reduction of the countries in ECA have identified agriculture as the leading sector in poverty reduction. Most pay priority attention to increasing productivity and increasing reliability of production, through improved water management and soil fertility re-capitalization. Regional networking is crucial in this process, because individual NARS tied to national boundaries can only be constraining in relation to the huge task ahead. At the same time, if we pool together the extensive knowledge and experiences held by the stakeholders in the region, then the tasks ahead can be accomplished with increased efficiency and effectiveness. Therefore, this strategy is an investment opportunity for those involved in land and water management for agriculture in the ECA sub-region and indeed the whole of sub-Saharan Africa. Now is the time for action and through this document we invite you to join in and support high levels of collaboration, partnership and knowledge sharing, which will increase efficiency and effectiveness of land and water management programmes in eastern and central Africa