Summary

"Biometric skills in developing countries are inadequate to support the changing priorities of agricultural research with the consequence that the quality of research aimed at increasing food security and alleviating poverty is often deficient because it lacks good statistical design" (CTA, 1997). It was on this basis that the workshop was planned, realising that not only do national scientists and statisticians (biometricians) need training in applied biometrics but they also need to be exposed to the range of problems and complexity of agricultural study design necessary for the developing world. Few courses in applied biometrics exist in universities in East and southern Africa. Training in biometrics provided hitherto by overseas institutions has been beneficial, but lecturers do not often have a full appreciation, or practical hands-on experience, of the special features of agricultural research and development in Africa. The subjects of experimental design, statistical analysis, interpretation and presentation of results are still recognised to be among the top priorities for training by national agricultural research system (NARS) scientists participating in collaborative networks co-ordinated by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and the International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF). There is thus a major need to establish strong training programmes in the region itself with links to existing programmes abroad.

The focus of the workshop was thus to seek ways that African institutions can work together to improve their capacity in applied biometry. Participation was restricted to 36 persons representing national agricultural research institutes (NARIs), university faculties of agriculture and university statistics departments in Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe, the International Agricultural Research Centres (IARCs) of ILRI, ICRAF and the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) and research/academic institutions from England, Belgium and South Africa. The workshop reviewed initiatives and progress to date in enhancing capacity in applied biometry in Kenya through links between the University of Nairobi and ILRI and through the activities of the Forum organised by The Rockefeller Foundation in the region of East and southern Africa. It went on to assess both the needs for training in biometrics and its application in the region and the opportunities for developing a framework of linkages between institutions to help to strengthen institutional capacity in applied biometry.

The three goals of the workshop were:

1. assessment of the priority needs for training in biometrics and its application in agricultural research and development in East and southern Africa
2. agreement on the specific activities needed to address these priority needs and the partnerships that need to be developed to achieve them
3. agreement on a future plan of action and a time frame for achieving the necessary outputs.

The workshop began with a review of the current status of biometrics in NARIs and universities as described by participants from each of the five countries. Their papers are included in this proceedings. Following these presentations participants were divided into four groups to undertake a strength/weaknesses/opportunities/threats analysis of the current status of biometrics. Predictably, the shortage of trained applied biometricians and poor availability of hardware, software and training material were identified as major weaknesses. It was also acknowledged that there is a general lack of appreciation by institutions of the potential value of biometrics in ensuring high quality research, and this has led to poor career developments for biometricians. The need to sensitise policy makers and other stakeholders into the importance of biometrics was emphasised. It was also felt that opportunities should be made for sharing resources, including the licensing of statistical software, and for closer collaboration between NARIs and universities. It was agreed that there were many opportunities for local initiatives that are not dependent on major donor support. Where wider donor support may be enlisted it was important to appreciate that most donors are looking for opportunities to solve development problems, and it is up to biometricians, therefore, to ensure that they are part of these solutions. In achieving these goals it was recognised that

there is a parallel need to strengthen the level of training in applied biometrics at university level. The existence of international organisations with experienced applied biometricians and of SUSAN (Sub-Saharan African network of the International Biometric Society) were important assets. Nevertheless, it was recognised that biometricians have been slow to respond to the changing agricultural research focus in the Region and they are in danger of being marginalised with the consequential misuse of statistical methods by scientists.

The prioritisation of the important needs for training in application of biometrics in universities and NARIs was then considered by a number of speakers, both within and outside the Region. Working groups identified the following six themes as key factors required to improve the situation: improving the professionalism of biometricians, training scientists in biometric and database management techniques, developing university curricula to meet the research demand of the countries within the Region, sensitising policy makers into the importance of biometrics, developing improved training materials in applied biometrics and arranging for improved linkages between institutions. Six recommendations are described overleaf. On the third day four working groups each tackled one of these themes to develop activities that might be put together in possible future funding proposals.

Recommendations

1. A steering group should be formed comprising a member from each country, a representative from an IARC institute and a representative from South Africa to oversee any initiatives arising from the workshop.
2. A demand-driven curriculum for a regional MSc degree programme in applied biometrics should be developed at a university in the region. The University of Nairobi was recommended since the Department of Mathematics was already in the process of developing outline curricula for new courses in applied biometrics at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Two members of the department had also spent periods of attachment at ILRI to expose them to the real world of applied biometrics and links had also been established with Limburgs Universtair Centrum, Belgium.
3. A programme for sensitising policy makers in the importance of biometrics should be initiated. Activities proposed for such a programme comprised the production of a brochure highlighting the important contributions that biometrics can make in agricultural and medical research and preparing material to support seminars at different institutions. Both forms of publicity will illustrate by case study example the contribution made by careful statistical design and analysis to the success of a research project.
4. A survey of the needs of practising applied biometricians to improve the professionalism of their service to scientists was required. It was decided that SUSAN was well placed to undertake this survey, including the design of the questionnaire, its distribution, collection and analysis. The results of this study could then be used to identify the priority training needs.
5. Training courses in biometrics and data handling techniques for both agricultural and medical scientists were urgently needed.
6. Following a needs assessment of the various institutions in one of the five countries a training programme should be designed for scientists in that country that could subsequently be adopted by other countries.
7. Training resources that provide biometrics knowledge and information in interactive electronic form to teachers and researchers as discussed during the workshop were strongly supported. It was recommended that ILRI in collaboration with partners prepares a proposal for such biometrics training resources.

At the end of the workshop a steering group was formed from those present. Individuals also agreed to coordinate working groups to plan and develop, in liaison with the steering group, activities to support each of the recommendations.

Steering group	J. Jonazi, Malawi (Chairman)
	B. Chasekwa, Zimbabwe
	H. Mwambi, Kenya
	M. Nabasirye, Uganda
	C. Rweyemamu, Tanzania
	P. Njuho, South Africa
	J. Rowlands, ILRI (Secretary)
Coordinators of working groups
Demand-driven curriculum	J. Odhiambo, Kenya
Sensitisation of policy makers	H. Mwambi, Kenya
Survey of biometricians' needs	A. Odulaja, ICIPE
Training courses for scientists	E. Keogh, Zimbabwe
Training resources	H. Ibrahim, ILRI.

Reference

CTA. 1997. Strengthening biometry and statistics in agricultural research. Summary report and recommendations of a CTA/University of Hohenhein workshop, 1996. CTA(Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation), Wageningen, The Netherlands, 1-20.