In the past, the activities of UNU-INRA are anchored in the following five planks:
1. Strengthen partnership with African scientists and research institutions through networking with African universities and research institutes (the College of Research Associates) and through strategic partnerships with like-minded organizations (such as FAO and the Institutes of the CGIAR).
If extreme poverty is to be eradicated in Africa, technological innovations that improve agricultural production and add value to Africa's raw materials must be generated. Technological innovations are the product of effective research and Africa's universities must take the lead in the conduct of effective research. It is on this basis that, in 1999, UNU-INRA established a network, the College of Research Associates (CRA). Members of the College have become UNU-INRA's main vehicle for implementing research and training activities with collaborating African Universities and research institutions.
Through a Memorandum of Understanding with the Rome-based International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI), UNU-INRA conducts research and knowledge sharing to improve the management of genetic resources of Africa so as to help eradicate poverty, increase food security and protect the environment. Similar arrangements are being finalized with the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) based in Washington DC. The Regional Office of the FAO collaborates with UNU-INRA in the training of African scientists and farmers on ways to reduce land degradation.
2. Develop/strengthen relevant post-graduate programmes in African universities including the establishment of UNU-INRA Operating Units (OU).
UNU-INRA continues to play a pivotal role in developing prototype post-graduate modules of courses and curriculum for adaptation in African Universities. One such module of courses is on environmental management and policy studies (EMPS) designed to complement science-based post-graduate degree programmes on the management of the environment. On October 16, 2003, the first MSc. (Environment) programme in an African university that incorporates the mastery of the science with a better understanding of policy issues related to the management of the environment was inaugurated at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana.
In addition to long-term courses, UNU-INRA undertakes short-term training programmes. To-date, 42 technologists and scientists have been trained on plant tissue culture technology while 39 scientists have been trained on the application of computer technology to the management of natural resources. UNU-INRA collaborates with the International Foundation for Science (IFS) to award sixteen grants annually (since 1998) to deserving young African scientists. Currently, 60 young scientists from 19 African countries are being supported with research grants managed by the IFS.
In order to broaden its operational base, UNU-INRA is in the process of setting up Operating Units (OU) at the University of Cocody in Cote d'Ivoire and at the University of Yaounde 1 in Cameroon. These Operating Units will be in addition to the existing Unit on Mineral Resources at the University of Zambia. The Unit in Cote d'Ivoire will concentrate on the Socio-economic aspects of the management of natural resources while the Unit in Cameroon will coordinate UNU-INRA's research and training programmes on the application of computer technology to the management of both natural and human resources.
3. Focus studies on the role of African women in natural resources management to inform policy.
African women, particularly those in rural areas, are the main custodians of indigenous knowledge in natural resource conservation, management and food preparation. In spite of efforts to link African women to activities that promote sustainable development, these women have continued to face problems in almost all sectoral development activities dealing with natural resources management. UNU-INRA's approach is to undertake studies that emphasize the critical role played by African women in the conservation and management of natural resources as well as highlight policies and interventions that minimize gender inequalities. In pursuit of this objective, UNU-INRA has:
i. Set up an on-line directory of professional African women in natural resource management
ii. Developed case studies of successful African women who have been engaged in natural resources management enterprises in the different regions of sub-Saharan Africa to serve as role models
iii. Developed a Policy Brief that would inform policymakers on how to improve credit policies and delivery systems for women in natural resources management enterprises.
4. Engage the African Diaspora in the activities of UNU-INRA
UNU-INRA's African Millennium Initiative for Science and Technology (AMIST) is a networking mechanism that is helping to bridge the knowledge gap between African scientists, technologists and academicians in the Diaspora with their home-based counterparts. The "Diaspora project" is strongly linked to both the College of Research Associates and the establishment of new Operating Units for UNU-INRA. Using these avenues, UNU-INRA is providing opportunities for the African scientists and technologists in the Diaspora to:
* Establish linkages between African universities and reputable centres of learning in the developed world. This confidence-building exercise is the first process in trying to alleviate the intellectual isolation afflicting the African scientists at home.
* Procure resources that can be used to strengthen the "cells of excellence" that have been identified by UNU-INRA as its Operating Units.
5. Make timely and relevant information available to African policymakers through the UNU-INRA Annual Lectures.
Since 1998, UNU-INRA has become the focal institution for attracting renowned scholars worldwide to share data and provide policy guidance to African natural resources and environment policymakers and/or their advisors. The UNU-INRA Annual Lectures, done in collaboration with the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) has attracted such distinguished scholars as Prof. Calestous Juma (Harvard University), Prof. Samuel Makinda (Murdoch University, Australia), Prof. Maurice Iwu, (President of the International Society of Ethnobiology and Executive Director of Bioresources Development and Conservation Programme), Dr. John Mugabe (NEPAD Secretariat) and Prof. Robert Evenson (Yale University).
Today, UNU-INRA's projects and activities are categorized under the following programme areas:
