Scientists leading Research and Development (R&D) sub-projects under the Agricultural Productivity Programme for Southern Africa (APPSA) in the Republic of Angola are hosting their counterparts from the Kingdom of Lesotho on a one-week (27 February to 3 March 2023) exchange visit aimed at facilitating collaborations between Scientists from the two countries.
Six (6) APPSA Scientists from Lesotho are visiting Chianga Research Station in Huambo Province, the headquarters of the Instituto de Investigação Agronómica (IIA). IIA is the main public agricultural research institution in Angola with strong research portfolio on different commodities of interest. Under APPSA, Scientists from IIA are jointly implementing 18 R&D sub-projects with Lesotho.
At Chianga Research Station, Lesotho Scientists are expected to visit the research trials under APPSA on commodities such as horticulture, cassava, legumes and maize. This is an opportunity for these Scientists to be exposed to what their counterparts are doing on the ground as well as to build a strong knowledge sharing environment amongst themselves. More exchange visits have been planned for this year, building on what started in late 2021 soon after Southern African countries lifted COVID-19 related travel restrictions. In 2021, Angola played host while Lesotho hosted their Angolan counterparts in 2022.
APPSA is a six-year World Bank funded initiative based on collaborative implementation of R&D sub-projects. APPSA is currently being implemented by Angola and Lesotho and regionally overseen by the Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA). Angola is establishing a Regional Centre of Leadership on Cassava and Cassava-based farming systems whereas Lesotho is focusing on Horticulture and Horticulture-based farming systems.
