CASE STUDY ON INSTITUTIONAL CHANGE OF THE NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH SYSTEM IN LESOTHO

This paper examines the design and implementation of a package of capacity strengthening interventions undertaken between March 2007 and March 2011, which aimed to enhance the performance of the national agricultural research system (NARS) in Lesotho. It also identifies some initial outcomes from these interventions and makes recommendations to sustain the process of organisational and institutional change and build on the results that have been achieved. The paper is the first of three case studies which investigate the application of a holistic approach to capacity strengthening developed through the project ‘Strengthening Capacity for Agricultural Research and Development (SCARDA)’ which was coordinated by the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa.

SCARDA activities in southern Africa were implemented by the Food and Natural Resources Directorate of the Southern African Development Community Secretariat. The National University of Lesotho (NUL) was designated as the ‘focal institution’ in Lesotho because of the key strategic role it plays within the NARS as a research and a capacity building institute. SCARDA provided an opportunity for NUL to enhance its research management capacities and to upgrade the professional skills of its research staff, whilst at the same time strengthening its links with its partner organisations in the NARS.

The findings of this case study show that, in spite of certain limitations, the institutional analysis and change management processes used in the project in Lesotho were effective in developing a strong awareness of the need for changes in the way research is managed in the NARS. The project has also played a catalytic role in the development of new research structures; notably, the Lesotho Centre for the Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development. Agricultural research and development organisations in Lesotho have begun to use farmer participatory research approaches and are beginning to incorporate innovation systems thinking into their research planning through involvement of key stakeholders from both the supply and demand sides of agricultural research for development. However, the findings also suggest that these gains may be short-lived unless further support is provided to consolidate and institutionalise them, as the approaches introduced by the project are new to the NARS.