ABSTRACT
The important role of technological change and innovation in increasing agricultural productivity, economic growth and poverty reduction in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has been widely acknowledged and documented (World Bank 2007). The majority of the populace in SSA live in rural areas and rely on agriculture for their livelihood. Agricultural research, the main source of technological innovation, is therefore critical in the improvement of productivity with high potentials for poverty reduction and for meeting food security needs without irreversible degradation of the natural resource base. Many interventions to improve the productivity of agricultural systems have been promoted in the Great Lakes region of Africa through technological change.
