Kenya Agricultural Research Institute Annual Report 1992

Abstract

Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) was established by an amendment Act of parliament 1979, to carry out research in agricultural and veterinary sciences. The functional analysis envisages: protecting, conserving and upgrading basic resources upon which Kenya depends for agricultural development; improving the quality of food and other farm products and in so doing increase the demand for Kenyan products; protecting crops and livestock from pests and other production hazards and also protect consumers from health hazards that may arise through the use of pesticides and other agro-chemicals; helping to raise the income base and quality of life in rural areas through improved farming technologies; developing a Kenyan scientific capacity for generating and disseminating new knowledge and technology for the solution of present and future problems and to cooperate with other research bodies within and outside Kenya that are carrying out similar research. It is also KARI's responsibility to determine agricultural research priorities within the strategic and programme guidelines provided by national and institutional level plans. In doing so, KARI draws upon its strengths (including human resource and infrastructure) and learns from its weaknesses (inadequate funding) and opportunities. In this context, increased agricultural productivity means more output per unit of input, resulting in increased rural income and a lower cost of food in real terms for a growing urban population. KARI, therefore, needs to establish mechanisms to link and/or integrate research and technology diffusion with producers. Adaptive research is already in place and its main objective, is oriented towards resolving the most important problems facing the producers. This calls for mechanisms for the participation of producers in the diagnosis, planning and prioritization of research activities. Linkages have been strengthened in view of increased emphasis on on- farm verification trials and farming systems approach to research and extension.