Nairobi, Kenya
December 1, 2014
Capacity Building, Knowledge Generation and Technology Dissemination are important contributors towards a food and nutrition secure Africa. This is what came out from the official opening of a 3 day conference that kicked off today at the Kenyatta University in Nairobi, Kenya. The conference is themed: “Bridging the gap between science, society and industry.”
The international conference is a joint initiative between Kenyatta University, AGRA, University of Nairobi, and Horticultural Association of Kenya (HAK) through DAAD. The officially opened conference runs from Monday 1st December, 2014 to Wednesday 3rd December 2014 and a subsequent field excursion for participants on Thursday 4th December, 2014.
In a brief read on his behalf during the opening session, the Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock & Fisheries, Mr. Felix Koskei thanked Kenyatta University and all other stakeholders for holding the conference. He noted that deliberations and submissions during the conference will be a reliable discourse in furthering agricultural capacity development in the country and continent at large. With agriculture being part of the economic pillar of our national vision 2030 blue-print, the Chief Guest observed the need for concerted efforts to address challenges facing agribusiness development in the country. In his remarks various policy interventions by the government were outlined that have been aimed at keeping the Kenyan agricultural sector responsive to global trends such as bio-safety. He urged conference participants to increase their research and dissemination of knowledge in agribusiness and soil science to address challenges hindering exploitation of existing potential.
In her address during the opening ceremony, AGRA president, Dr. Agnes Kalibata emphasized need for concerted efforts to build knowledge in agriculture and agribusiness. Besides outlining key interventions by AGRA in Africa, she reiterated the need for continuous knowledge development and dissemination in agribusiness as well as youth and students’ involvement as part of partnerships for the next generation of agribusiness entrepreneurs. In addition to bridging the research gaps in agriculture, she outlined AGRA’s commitment to supporting government efforts as well as initiatives from other stakeholder groups in building the next generation of agricultural scientists.
In an address read on her behalf during the opening of the international conference, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Olive Mugenda observed that the conference comes at a time when Kenya and Africa at large is going through a phase of rapid development and optimism for growth despite various challenges associated with population growth, food crisis, climate change, soaring energy & food prices, poverty, brain drain, among others. She expressed her confidence that with the new generation of researchers and agri-entrepreneurs, Kenya and Africa will be well prepared to address the challenges holistically and in a sustainable manner. She further highlighted the University’s commitment and role in addressing the challenges through initiatives such as Student Work Induction Programme, Students Training on Entrepreneurial Promotion and Chandaria Business Innovation and Incubation Centre to tap into the youth potential. These equip the young people with skills and experiences to utilize their productive potential as innovators and job creators.
The role of Training Institutions both at tertiary, technical and Universities emerged as key in ensuring the country has enough human resource that can address the existing challenges. “I am proud to join this team here at today’s conference. It is an honour to be here since the matters being discussed here of Capacity Building, Technological Adoption and Knowledge Generation are at the core of our University,” said Prof. Olive Mugendi, Vice Chancellor Kenyatta University. “Our institution is committed not only to produce as many scientists as possible but also to ensuring our graduates are well prepared to tackle challenges out there. We are committed to producing students who are job-ready, ready to take on today’s challenges through rigorous training that is both theoretical and practical,” added Prof. Mugendi.
AGRA has trained over 600 scientists in Africa through partnering with various Universities and training institutions across the continent to help build a cadre of scientists who are able to respond to the needs of Africans farmers. Over 70 % of Agricultural activities in Africa are carried out by smallholder farmers who have access to mostly less than 2 hectares of land and limited resources to produce.
The conference brings together participants from three continents to deliberate on bridging the gap between society, science and industry in building a new generation of agricultural scientists.
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