ARD Approaches

The ARD approach as described here is not a unique approach, nor ICRA’s “intellectual property”. Rather, we regard ARD as an “umbrella”, under which are found a number of approaches with the characteristics described on the What is ARD pages. Among these approaches are:

Integrated Natural Resources Management (INRM)

INRM was developed by The International Agricultural Research Centres of the CGIAR, as it became clear that solving the complex problems of agricultural communities required strategies that enhance natural and social resources to gain the benefits of improved crop varieties and animal breeds. INRM has been defined as “...an approach that integrates research on different types of natural resources into stakeholder-driven processes of adaptive management and innovation to improve livelihoods, agro-ecosystem resilience, agricultural productivity and environmental services at community, eco-regional and global scales of intervention and impact”. More information can be gained at from The INRM Website.

Integrated Agricultural Research for Development (IAR4D)

The Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), in the context of their Sub-Saharan Africa Challenge Programme, uses the term “Integrated Agricultural Research for Development”, or “IAR4D”. By this, they mean: “A new integrated approach… in which researchers (national, regional and international) work together with smallholders, extension agencies and civil society so that their products can be upscaled nationally and regionally, and outscaled from participating communities to their neighbours. An essential component of such a paradigm shift is an institutional innovation process in which more integrative research for development would be undertaken simultaneously with implementing action-oriented and participatory methods to solve current problems”.

CIAT's Agroenterprise Development Approach

The "Agroenterprise Development Approach" has been developed by the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT, in Spanish) and its partners "to link small farmers to expanding markets so they can develop sustainable livelihoods in the rural sector". This approach places "fresh emphasis on the issues of social organisation and the policies affecting market access and trade opportunities for developing countries" through identifying markets, analysis and improvement of marketing chains, and strengthening of business support services. More information can be obtained from the Rural Agro-enterprise Development website.

Competitive Agricultural Systems and Enterprises (CASE)

The CASE approach, as developed by the International Fertilizer Development Centre (IFDC) and its partner institutions, is grounded in experiential learning theories, and fosters agricultural intensification and market development by using a commodity chain approach. The central principle behind the CASE approach is that the competitive advantages of particular regions can be greatly increased through a three-fold strategy: (1) Focusing on well-targeted “industry” clusters (e.g., groups of enterprises and facilitating services involved in particular commodity value chains – located within the region); (2) Strengthening technical, managerial and organizational capacities of the major stakeholders involved in input supply, crop and livestock production, post-harvest handling and marketing, and in related business development services; and (3) Facilitating efficient linkages among them. More information can be gained from the website of the Network for Agricultural Intensification in Sub-Saharan Africa (AISSA).

The Client-Oriented Research Management Approach (CORMA).

The Client-Oriented Research Management Approach (CORMA) has been developed by the IER (L’Institut d’Economie Rurale) in Mali and the DRD (Department for Research and Development of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security) in Tanzania, in collaboration with KIT (Royal Tropical Institute) in the Netherlands. The rationale for this approach was the recognition that participatory approaches practised by agricultural research centres are often not institutionalised, leading to the recognition of the need for a more comprehensive research management approach in order to achieve the necessary organisational change for enhanced client-orientation. More information can be gained from the Guide to demand-driven agricultural research published by KIT, as well as the Farming systems approaches training manuals Volume 1 and Volume 2.

top of page

Download these pages as a printable document: ARD - An Introduction (pdf, 185K)