Changing agricultural education from within

The changing nature of African agriculture in the face of myriad global, regional and local challenges demands change in agricultural capacity development. Universities are well placed to spearhead this change, but to effectively do so they need to update courses’ content and change the way they are delivered. In particular, changes at an institutional level are required to transform the long-held negative image of universities as backwaters populated by egotistical academics and bureaucratic administrators. The African university must become better positioned to be a facilitator of agricultural innovation, technology, institutions and development.