The challenge of HIV/AIDS: Where does agroforestry fit in? - World ...

148World Agroforestry into the Futureand evaluation) and integrate traditionalknowledge (Olsson 1996; Thulstrup 1996).This contributes to building capacity for theapplication of research findings.Capacity building has three major components:• strengthening institutions (legal andpolicy framework, support mechanisms,conducive environment);• creating individual competence andstrengthening a critical mass of humanresources that is capable of planningand implementing agroforestry researchprojects to address the national agenda;and• developing infrastructure (researchequipment, buildings, facilities).Temu (2003 unpublished) gives a rich illustrationof the key components of capacitybuilding. These include enabling policies,credible strategies and programmes, physicalinfrastructure, human resource capacity,financial resources, institutional power andvoice, and networks or links with peers,clients and stakeholders (Figure 1).Mechanisms for capacity buildingThe pooling of resources through networkingis an essential element of anyresearch capacity building project (Owino1994). Networking can reduce the feelingof isolation and build critical massesof scientists within specialty groups in avirtual environment. Networking can takeCrediblestrategyandprogrammesEnablingpoliciesPhysicalresourcesFinancialresourcesHuman resources capacityLinks with clients,peers, stakeholdersInstitutional power/voiceFigure 1. Key components of institutional capacity.Source: Temu (2003 unpublished).