Agricultural Research Corporation (ARC) – Sudan
Main Website: www.arcsudan.sd
History:
Agricultural research in the Sudan started in 1902 to explore the possibility of producing cotton under irrigation. It expanded rapidly to encompass research activities in different crops and various ecological zones in the country. In 1967, the agricultural Research, which was a Division within the Ministry of Agriculture, became the semi-autonomous, Agricultural Research Corporation (ARC), affiliated to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. In 2001, the ARC, www.arcsudan.sd became part of the newly formed Ministry of Science and Technology, which was established by a Presidential Decree in 2001, by amalgamating several research institutions that existed within several Government Ministries. In 2010, ARC returned to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.
Vision:
The vision of the ARC is to become a centre of excellence in agricultural research by developing skilled manpower and conducting quality research to generate and disseminate technologies that would ensure sustainable crop production.
Mission:
The mission of the ARC is to plan, develop and implement research designed to produce technologies and systems that are required to ensure high and sustainable crop productivity and food security.
Mandate:
ARC is entrusted with applied agricultural research on staple and non staple food crops, forestry and natural resources, with ecological and regional responsibilities to develop sustainable production systems in the Sudan.
Goals:
ARC’s main goals are to contribute to the achievement of food security, alleviation of poverty, generation of incomes, promotion of agricultural export and conservation of natural resources.
Objectives:
The ARC works in cooperation with other national, regional and international institutions:
- To generate, develop and adapt agricultural technologies that focus on the needs of the over all agricultural development and its beneficiaries;
- To manage and conserve the soil and water resources in the country for sustainable and productive agriculture.
- To build up a research capacity and establish a system that will make agricultural research efficient, effective and based on development needs;
- To popularize agricultural research results.
Research Establishments:
The ARC functions through a network of 26 research stations, 14 research centers and two research units as follows:
Research stations:
| Gezira | Hamdab | Kadugli | Sennar | Abu Naama | Soba |
| Shambat | Marawi | El Fashir | El Rahad | Damzin | Elginanai |
| Hudeiba | Dongula | Nyala | Gadarif | Kosti | Toker |
| Shendi | Maatug | El Obeid | El Suki | Kassala | Zalingi |
| Al foola | Halfa | ||||
Research Centers:
- Cereals
- Oil Crops
- Cotton and Fiber Crops
- Horticulture
- Legumes and Promising crops
- Forestry and Arabic Gum
- Dry Areas and Animal Production
- Agriculture Engineering, Irrigation Systems and Water Harvesting
- Land, Water and Plant Nutrition
- Integrated Crop Management
- Biotechnology and Biosafety
- Conservation of Agricultural Plant Genetic Resources
- Socioeconomics and Agricultural Policy
- Variety maintenance and Early Generation Seed Production
Research units:
- Tissue Culture
- Gum Arabic
Research Programs:
Research programs are commodity or discipline oriented. Twenty-four national research programs have been identified to generate, develop and adapt agricultural technologies that focus on the needs of the over all
agricultural development and its beneficiaries. These include:
| Cotton | Groundnuts | Vegetables | biotechnology |
| Wheat | Sesame | Fruits | Socio-economics |
| Sorghum | Sunflower | Gum Arabic | Water Harvesting |
| Millets | Soybean | Forestry | Genetic Resources |
| Maize | Forages | Land and Water | Agric. Engineering |
| Rice | Legumes | Crop Protection | Sugar – beet |
International Cooperation:
The ARC has a wide network of linkages with many bilateral and multilateral development agencies and regional and international research institutions, important among which are given as follows:
- CGIAR centers: e.g. ICARDA, ICRISAT, IRRI, CIAT, IITA, CIP and ILRI. CIMMYT.
- Regional agricultural research associations e.g. ASARECA, AARINENA and FARA.
- Intergovernmental organizations e.g. FAO, AOAD and IAEA, IGAD, GEF, UNEP, UNDP.
- Financing institutions such as World Bank, IDAD, EU, IDRC, Islamic Development Bank, USAID.
- Organization for Technical cooperation: JICA, SIDA, GTZ, DFID, Bilateral relations with foreign universities and agro-industrial firms.
For furthering the partnership with international research centers, the Sudan has decided to join the CGIAR fund in 2014 by signing two-year agreement and contributing 1.0$ million to the CGIAR s multi-donor trust fund in 2015-2014. As a donor to the CGIAR fund, Sudan will benefit from world’s largest Agricultural Research Partnership in the fields of development and dissemination of improved crop varieties, sustainable agro-forestry and integrated crop-livestock systems.
Human Resources:
The ARC staff early in the year 2016 consists of 585 researcher, 319 Technicians, 887 Administrate staff 1761 Laborers, so the total number is 3552.
For more information please visit ARC main website: www.arcsudan.sd