Training for innovation: Capacity-building in agricultural research in post-war Sierra Leone

This paper examines how the Sierra Leone Agricultural Research Institute (SLARI) used training and development to build capacity for innovation in agricultural research following the country's civil war which ended in 2002. The Institute's training for innovation addressed different agricultural product value chains (APVCs) within the framework of the Integrated Agricultural Research for Development approach, which recognizes the need for collective action by involving a broad range of stakeholders and multiple knowledge sources that can be used to address complex development challenges along the value chains. In this context, the SLARI conducted a diagnostic audit, which concluded with recommendations for capacity building of staff in both the short and long term. Over the 5 years of implementation of its capacity building plan, the Institute has trained staff at all levels including research scientists, senior support staff, lab technicians, field supervisors and farmers for various responsibilities along the APVCs within the Institute's mandate.