NEW APPROACH IN RESEARCH EDUCATION TO SOLVE PROBLEMS OF DRYLAND FARMING IN AFRICA

For quite some time now, Africa has faced food shortages that are larg ely due to deterioration of agricultural environments and high populat ion growth rates, leading to a combination of production pressures. Th e agricultural problems are particularly pronounced in dryland farming , and the means to mitigate them have to be mainly of a low external i nput nature. A case study from Kenya of an integrated research educati on approach holds much promise for contributions to solve such food pr oduction problems in the drylands of Africa and other low external inp ut sustainable agriculture (LEISA). The approach emphasizes interdisci plinary research education of local scientists by problem-oriented res earch in tackling environmental hazards facing the farmers. Six primar y sequential steps, from problem identification via field quantificati on to the contributions to solutions, are distinguished as essential. In the Kenyan example, it was possible to give a ''weather advisory,'' that is, an extension message with strong agroclimatological componen ts, on the biophysical and economic limits of alley cropping Cassia si amea with maize in a semiarid environment. Adaptation requirements of some commercial instruments under tropical conditions were also covere d. Such a range of subjects is essential if research education is to c ontribute to protection from environmental hazards in dryland farming.