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II. AGRICULTPRAL. ŁIYESTOCK AND FORESTRY RESEARCH

A* 2*01 Prior to independence in 1960, the planning and administration of agricultural reaearch was perforued by French researchers and research administratora with the results being analysed and retained in France. Research prograas tended to be coomodlty-oriented, dealing largely with the genetic improvement of ezport crops. Two of the stations belonging to the former regional research network were established in Niger (namely at Kolo and Tarna). In 1975, the Government of Niger created the National Agricultural Research Institute (INRAN) as the single successor to seyeral branches of French research institutess IRAT, the Institute of Tropical Agronomie Research; IEKYT, the Institute of Anlmal Husbandry and Yeterinary Medicine; IRHO, the Institute of Oil Plant Research; CTFT, the Center for Tropical Forestry, etc. INRAN⁹8 overall mandate is to provide technical and scientific Solutions to rural development problems by conducting research in ecology, agriculture, forestry, anlmal husbandry and rural economics. INRAN is also charged with coordinating applied agronomie research activities in Niger.

2.02 Several bilateral and multilateral donors have been interested in helping the country solve the most immediate and pressing problems in the agricultural sector. Relatively little attention was paid, however, to developing a national agricultural research capacity. In addition, most of the research programs were supported by a multiplicity of institutions and donor-funded projects, each planning its program in relative isolation, and usually on a regional rather than national basis. National and International programs oyerlapped, leading to duplication of efforts, geographic and sub-sectoral imbalance in research programs, and neglect of the essential links between research and eztenslon. To datę, research ha8 failed to deal adeąuately with the constraints faced by most subsistence farmers, <t has insufficiently worked on the fundamental issue of environmental degradation, and has largely ignored the need to improve farming Systems through a closer integration of crops, liyestock and trees.

B. The Organlzation of Agricultural Research

2.03    Research in agriculture and natural resources is carried out by

many organizations in Niger. The National Agricultural Research Institute (INRAN) manages research programs on rainfed and irrigated crops, livestock, forestry and farming systems with a concentration on rainfed cereal and legume crops. Many deyelopment project8 (22) in the natural resources sector include a research component of adaptive on-farm/on-project research (cf. Annez 3). The teaching Staff of the faculties of Agronomy and Science in the Pniyersity of Niamey carry out research in natural resources in addition to their teaching duties. The distribution of nigerien professional research personnel ist INRAN 42Z, deyelopment projects 48Z, and the University of Niamey 10Z. In addition ICRISAT⁹s Sahellan Center located in south-western Niger, directs a regional research program coyering pearl millet, groundnuts, and management of natural resources.