Module 2 - India: Revitalizing Institutional Capacity in Forestry Research

The Indian Council of Forest Research and Extension (ICFRE) has been conducting forestry research in India since the colonial era. ICFRE’s activities lacked scientific and institutional mechanisms for ensuring scientific rigor, setting research priorities, ensuring a client orientation, and using research results. Management systems for staff, research activities, finances, reference libraries, and other facilities needed significant upgrading. For research, systems were needed to ensure that research addressed specific technical concerns, provided multidisciplinary perspectives, and reflected national priorities and regional needs.

 

Project Objectives and Description

The main objective of the Forestry Research Education and Extension Project (FREEP) was to improve forestry research capacity and quality. Other components included biodiversity conservation and government forest policy analysis and development. Specific objectives related to:

 

• Strengthening the capacity of national, regional, and state institutions to conduct priority forestry research, including planting stock improvement programs, through improvements to institutional management and administration programs.
  
  
• Improving the system of forestry education in research and academic institutions.
  
  
• Improving the dissemination of research findings to users of the information.

 

FREEP represented a successful departure from past forestry projects in that it did not focus on research as one component within a broader forestry operation, or on forestry research within a broader research operation. FREEP specifically focused on improving institutional capacity to conduct forestry research, education, and extension and to build this capacity in the national research system.

 

Benefits and Impacts

The project achieved its targets by improving the capacity of ICFRE to plan, prioritize, and carry out forest research. Specific targets achieved included:

 

• After extensive consultation with stakeholders to identify priorities, ICFRE developed and is now implementing a National Forest Research Plan. 
  
  
• Research Advisory Groups, comprising multidisciplinary experts and clients and chief scientific advisors, review research projects to ensure their scientific quality and their relevance to user needs. Increased computer literacy and improved facilities (library, modern nurseries, research equipment) help modernize research.