Towards Achieving Agricultural Development in Africa: The Case of AGRA’s Capacity Building in Soil Sciences and Agronomy.

Africa’s agriculture is now receiving tremendous attention after decades of neglect.  Governments and their development partners are making investments not seen before. One area that requires considerable investment is capacity building for research in soil science and agronomy.  The capacity needs in most countries are woefully below what is required to develop and disseminate appropriate integrated soil fertility management technologies for adoption by smallholder farmers. The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), established in 2006, has invested in the training of 170 MSc and PhD students in soil science in 11 universities across 10 countries in Africa. Half of the students are women. The training programs include reforms in training curricula, improving soil laboratories, and training technicians to run them well.  The training program forges strong partnerships with agricultural universities and advanced research organizations within and outside Africa. In the USA, AGRA has developed strong partnerships with the University of Maryland, Baltimore and Columbia University in New York. In Europe, there is strong partnership with Wageningen University in the Netherlands. These partnerships have helped improve the quality of teaching, research and graduate training provided. However, much more is needed: one option we are exploring is the support of ‘retired but not tired’ faculty staff and technicians in soils and agronomy; another is sabbaticals for faculty staff and scientists from the agricultural research centres in the US and elsewhere to provide technical support. This is the purpose of this special session that AGRA, with the assistance of the Tri-Societies (ASA, CSA, and SSSA), is organizing at this year’s annual meeting. It aims at attracting individuals and institutions that want to partner with the universities in Africa and support the delivery of quality graduate training programs in soil science and agronomy.  The session will bring on board keynote speakers from several countries with considerable knowledge and expertise on Africa’s agriculture and its training needs in soils and agronomy.  It will also provide opportunity for one-on-one interactions with those interested in this program during and after the session.