Agriculture Research Council is among the most popular organizations whose primary aim is the promotion of agricultural research and development. This article covers the following ground, which will help those who are interested in the agricultural domain: understanding the ‘origin and constitution’ of the council, ‘scope of research’ carried out by it, ‘accreditations’ received, its ‘reach,’ and ‘prospective’ for the future.
ARS – Agriculture Research Service
A well-known organization that speeds up and governs the development of the agricultural field is the Agriculture Research Council or ARC. Founded aiming to popularize efficient and sustainable use of agriculture the ARC has been one of the pioneers of agricultural research in the world for many years.
We all know how important agriculture is for many countries as it is the source of food, fiber and many other essentials for the world’s population. As expressed earlier, the ARC acknowledges that agric research plays a central role in meeting emerging challenges in food, agro-input, climate and other productive resources. Through the performance of state-of-the-art research and the promotion of innovative approaches, the Council is capable of improving the productivity, robustness and sustainability of agricultural production around the world.
Brief History and Creation of the Agriculture Research Council
The history of the Agriculture Research Council can be said to have begun in the middle of the 20th century since it became clear more for an organization responsible for leading research and development in agriculture. As the result of post-war reconstruction and the increase in the global human stocking density required the fast food production, the modernization and enhancement of agri-food systems came to be seen as more important.
The Council was officially formed in 1955 to act as a premier institution for conducting agricultural research and as a source of information and advice on agricultural issues. This the founders understood perfectly well knowing that science holds the key to unlocking the agriculture potential and set the foundation for the ARC to become a leading institution in the area.
Organization Structure and Operation of Agriculture Research Council
The Agriculture Research Council is a large and diverse institution; nevertheless, its structure and operating model are quite clear cut. The Council is governed by a board of directors, which includes professional who are well- experienced in agriculture, economic, and public policies. It also guarantees that the Council’s activities and the outlined priorities deliver on the needs observed in the agricultural sector.
The ARC is sub-divided into several research departments, each of which is focused on particular categories of agricultural science and technology. Such departments are those of crops and animals, soils and water, pest and diseases, weather-wise agriculture, and bio-tech respectively. Every department is directed by the competent team of scientist and researchers and also have close teamwork on development.
The funds for financing the Agriculture Research Council activities are received from government budgets and appropriations, private capital, and foreign bilateral and multilateral sponsors. It means that the latter is able to remain financially independent while at the same time concentrating on the production of highly useful research results.
ARC Research Themes and Activities:
Research interest of the Agriculture Research Council captures broad issues and cutting edge, pertinent to the agricultural value chain. Some of the Council’s key research areas and initiatives include:
Agricultural Research
The ARC and its programs for crop and livestock include the improvement of high yielding crop variety which has high resistance against diseases while improving productivity of livestock. Some of those areas are: plant breeding, production of crops and use of appropriate management practices, and controlling the reproduction of animals.
Soil and Water Management
In view of sustainable management of resources, the ARC considers research in conservation of soil fertility, water and methods of irrigation as paramount. This research is to improve the permanent efficiency and the environmental performance of agriculture production systems.
Pest and Disease Control
The ARC’s pest and disease research includes information on the formulation of factors for Integrated Pest Management, biopesticides and disease free varieties. This research is very important in controlling crop losses and at the same time controlling the effects of PSTs that are commonly used in pest control.
Climate-Smart Agriculture
While the agricultural sector has embraced climate smart practices, the ARC’s research on climate smart agriculture looks at new ways on how farming systems can be made to be more climate resilient. These are; Creation of water scarce crops, use of efficient farming methods such as perenda, and the right use of the available piece of land.
Biotechnology and Genetic Improvement
Applied research in biotechnology and genetics constitutes the main research thrust area of ARC to boost up productivity through science and modern technology such as increasing the nutritional standards of crops and disease proof kind of animals. Consequently, this research holds the prospect of radicalizing the exportation model of using locally grown and sourced food to feed families.
The contribution of ARC and accomplishments per country
For the past decades the ARC has been at the forefront providing fundamental and strategic research support in agriculture that has helped transformed the face of agriculture, farmers and society as a whole.
Technological progress in Agriculture
The information collected by the ARC has been used to produce varieties of crops, to improve livestock farming, and to increase yields using better farming methods. Such developments have been primarily significant in enhancing the yield in agricultural production since the world is in dire need of food production.
Enhancing Food Security
With issues like crop diseases, drought and soil depletion the ARC’s research contributes significantly to improved food security especially in the developing world. This has assist in eliminating Hunger and Malnutrition and has enhanced the lives of millions of people globally.
CSA & Sustainable Agriculture Practices
Most recently, through its emphasis on sustainable agriculture, the ARC has initiated measures that decreased the effects of the ecosystem by farming practices such as conservation tillage, integrated pest management, and precision farming. These practices have better benefited in conserving the natural resources, combating emission of green house gases and sustainable farming.
Contributions to Rural Development
From field observations conducted during this study, it was found that ARC research and extension programs have impacted on small scale and subsistence farmers, the most affected by poor access to technology and innovation. Through such farmers, the ARC has played a role of enhancing development and wealth of those farming areas.
Outsourcing Relationships
The ARC acknowledges, therefore, that cooperation and partnerships are key in promoting and funding innovation to address the multifaceted issues facing agriculture. The Council is committed to the stakeholder involvement at the domestic and international level emphasizing the expertise, resources and knowledge among them.
Domestic Partnerships
At the national level, it has partnerships with the Ministry of Agriculture, other Ministries, Departments, Universities, NGOs and parastatals in the country for its researches to be in line with the country’s priorities and for the right solutions suitable to farmers and policy makers to be put in practice.
Access to families of other well established OMCs of different nations for collaboration to supply their goods to local and international markets.
We also keep close relationships with major research universities and development agencies worldwide. They enable information sharing, capacity building, and joint creations of new innovative tools and practices that are adjustable to different agri-food settings.
Vulnerabilities and Outlook
…it is crucial to admit that despite the evident successes reached by the Agriculture Research Council, the organisation has certain prominent difficulties which has to be solved in the future years.
Funding Constraints
The ARC faces major concerns regarding a stable and, more importantly, adequate funding base to the support all its research endeavors and planned projects. Because of growing pressures on government and donor funding and with other demands limiting available funds, the Council needs to find more efficient and less costly measures of funding its operations.
Climate Change Mitigation
- New Stations Construction
- Consultancy Services in station Construction
- Re-doing Old Stations
In the context of climate change agriculture is becoming more sensitive to extreme climate conditions, change in rainfall intensity and distribution, pest and diseases. The ARC needs to urgently step up its efforts to provide policy information on cutting-edge practices to support the changes that climate smart agriculture brings to farmers and communities.
To bridge the research to practice gap
As observed, integrated effective knowledge management and the practical development and use of research outcomes as well as the diffusion of research findings into practices are emergent issues for the ARC. Operationalisation of extent services and support to key knowledge adoption by small scale farmers through the delivery of responsive technology and innovation is important for enhancing the impacts of the Council’s research.
Technologies in operation and innovation
A number of trends including precision farming, robotics and digital farming platforms are emerging at a very fast successions, both offering the ARC potential avenues for growth and posing threatening risks at the same time. The Council has to ensure that it is an active conductor of the development processes in the sphere of advanced technologies necessary for the further development of its research and consultative activities concerning problems of the agricultural industry.
Conclusion
As the leading organisation for facilitating agricultural innovation and outputs from research programs, the Agriculture Research Council is strategic in the advancement of agriculture and in bringing solutions to the emergent issues affecting the sector. Overall, over the years, the ARC has shown progress through its fully fledged research programs, partnership, and embracing of sustainable and innovative measures to realize food security, increased productivity in agriculture as well as the sustainability of farming systems.
Consequently, as the agriculture industry continues to be influenced by population demand, climate change and shrinking land and water resources, the role played by the ARC looms larger. And so, focusing on further development of the industry’s highest priority innovations through investment in outstanding studies and support of farmers, the Council is capable of holding the key to the future of agriculture and global food security.
FAQs
- **What is the Agricultural Research Council and what does it seek to achieve?
The main objective of the ARC is to facilitate the advancement of efficient and sustainable use of agriculture in Kenya by stimulating research, development and extension. - What is the utility of the Council’s research for farmers and the public readership?
As in the previous point, the ARC’s research has a direct positive impact for farmers since it leads to improved crop production through cultivation of improved crop varieties , better stock performance due to better methods of rearing and encouragement of proper farming practices . This way food security is achieved, livelihoods are improved and the general well-being of those affected is boosted. - What are the milestones of the Council?
Among the ARC’s successes is achievement in raising production in agriculture, establishing climate-smart agriculture, and implementing innovations such as biotechnology and genetic develop of crops and animals to increase their tolerant to shocks. - Of what nature is the relationship between individuals or organizations and the Agriculture Research Council?
Stakeholders and the public can engage with the ARC in a number of ways including partnered research studies, funding and supporting the ARC, knowledge exchange and policy promotion for the ARC’s work. - What are the main threats that Council might be facing in the future years?
Some of the major issues of the ARC are financing its operations after the attainment of maturity, managing change resulting from climate change, translating research findings into practice and general difficulty in managing technology transfer associated with new inventions in the agricultural field.
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