Dirty Hands, Fine Minds: The Story of an Agricultural Research and Training Network in African Universities

From the Foreword by HE Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, African Union Commission Chair: "The RUFORUM programme described in this book draws on solid international experience, which illustrates how universities are central to achieving successful agricultural transformation. RUFORUM aims to build quality institutions closely linked to the agricultural spectrum – farmers, suppliers, processors and consumers. This book shows how the RUFORUM member universities are building strong ties to business enterprises to provide role models, case studies and attachment opportunities. Collaboration among universities gives students, staff and – most importantly – farmers access to the knowledge and facilities held within the ambit of those universities. By pooling their efforts through networking, RUFORUM members have greater abilities to achieve their strategic goals in terms of training and impact-oriented research. The outputs are graduates well versed in their chosen disciplines, and increased capacity at the less well-endowed universities."