Strengthening partnerships with National Agricultural Systems for more effective livestock research

The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) uses partnerships and collaborative arrangements to ensure that its limited human and financial resources for improving the productivity of animal agriculture are used to best effect. The most important partners for ILRI are national scientists in developing countries, but the capacity for livestock research in many such countries remains weak. ILRI has a programme (SPAN) designed to strengthen national and regional capacities for livestock research. This paper describes the activities and some of the achievements of collaborative research networks, training and information services and products that together make up SPAN; and which help to strengthen partnerships between national researchers in different countries, and between ILRI and national scientists. Examples are given to demonstrate the importance of ILRI's partnerships for effective livestock research.