Multinational - CGIAR Project - Support to Agricultural Research for Development of Strategic Crops in Africa (SARD-SC)

The Multinational Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR)–Support to Agricultural Research for Development on Strategic Commodities in Africa (SARD-SC) is a research, science and technology development project targeted at cassava, maize, rice and wheat. These are four of the six commodities that African Heads of States have, via the Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP), defined as strategic crops for Africa. The project has four components: Agricultural Technologies and Innovations Generation; Agricultural Technologies and Innovations Dissemination; Capacity Building; and Project Management. It will be implemented by three Africa-Based CGIAR Centers, namely AfricaRice, International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), and International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA). The key project outcomes are: (i) 20% yield increase in cassava, maize, rice and wheat; (ii) average annual household cash income of $600 ($370 presently); and (iii) 20% increase in food security (84% from present 73%) at end of project. It will be implemented within a period of five years (2012 - 2016) with a total cost of UA 53.80 million (US$ 86.94 million) out of which UA 39.90 million comes from ADF (regional operation envelope) and an estimated UA 13.90 million from the countries through their NARES as in kind contributions.