Oregon State University/Washington State University/Michigan State University/Pennsylvania State University/Tennessee State University/University of Pretoria/University of Malawi, Bunda College of Agriculture/University of Zambia
Country:
Regional Southern Africa
Award Date:
2005
Award Amount:
$1,450,000.00
Cost Share:
$643,616.00
Other Partners:
International agriculture research center (IARC) partners include: ICRAF, IITA/SARRNET and Banana Research. NGO partners include: Total Land Care (Malawi), and International Development Enterprises
The Rural Livelihoods Consortium created a network of U.S. and African universities, international agriculture research centers (IARCs), NGOs, and private sector partners to improve rural livelihoods in sub-Saharan Africa through applied agricultural research and appropriate technology development and transfer. The consortium members developed a strategic framework to strengthen long-term linkages between universities and research institutions, NGOs, and the end users of applied research. The consortium's strategic framework addressed major technical and social constraints to improve rural livelihoods in sub-Saharan Africa and incorporate cross-cutting themes into the technical and social sciences clusters, including the impact of HIV/AIDS on farming systems and food security, gender roles as a constraint to improved rural livelihoods, environmental conservation as a key element of improved rural livelihoods, and the role of information communication technologies in improving opportunities for rural livelihoods. The consortium was organized around two technical clusters-- Irrigation Low-Input and Conservation Farming, and Crop Diversification and Intercropping. Training, demonstration and evaluation are woven into individual clusters and provide access for the partners to address gaps in knowledge or skills. Each cluster will developed market-led strategies to improve rural livelihoods. The partners worked in Angola, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, and Zambia.