Africa RISING updateIrmgard Hoeschle-Zeledon

IITA

Africa RISING East and Southern Africa Review and Planning Meeting, Malawi, 14-16 July 2015

Towards scaling up and outUSAID Tanzania funded project Enhancing partnerships among Africa RISING, NAFAKA and TUBORESHE CHAKULA for fast-tracking delivery and scaling of agricultural technologies in Tanzania started in October 2014. three year project in Manyara, Dodoma and Morogoro

Regions, expansion to Mbeya and Iringa Regions focussing on dissemination of maize, rice, legume and

vegetable varieties and agronomic practices, NRM and post harvest technologies

Collaboration with Innovation Labs• Appropriate Scale Mechanization Consortium for the Sustainable Intensification of Small-

Holder Farming Systems in Africa and South Asia under the SI Innovation Lab(i) Georgia Institute of Technology: Ethiopia, Tanzania, Burkina Faso, Bangladesh;

CIMMYT, ILRI, ICRISAT, IITA are consortium members(ii) Iowa State University: Development of a grain dryer and seed processing equipment appropriated to smallholder and quality declared seed farmers in Tanzania (statement of work from IITA on behalf of Africa RISING)Tanzania, Burkina Faso, Bangladesh; ICRISAT is consortium member

• Meeting with IPM Innovation Lab (Virginia Tech), call for CN launched, AVRDC submitted CN building on Africa RISING activities in Tanzania

• ILRI is representing Africa RISING in consortium of US institutions that applied to USAIDto lead the SI Lab on Livestock Systems

• IITA, on behalf of Africa RISING: MoU with the Innovation Lab on Reduction of post-harvest losses at KSU (Ghana)

• Through AVRDC, planned collaboration in Tanzania between the Small-ScaleIrrigation Lab and Africa RISING; plans for Ghana still under discussion

Other potential collaborators DFID Sustainable Agricultural Intensification Research

and Learning in Africa (SAIRLA) Program led by NRI together with Wyg International. 2 elements:

(i) managing a competitive research call (ii) developing a Learning Alliance to identify and manage

pathways to inform policy Currently on scoping visits to Malawi, Zambia, Tanzania, Ghana

Taking Maize Agronomy to Scale in Africa (TAMASA), funded by BMGF, implemented in Tanzania, Ethiopia, Nigeria4 work streams: yields maps (adding to AfSIS), modeling tools and applications, scaling out with extension and NARS, NARS capacity building to support GIS data

Program retreat 2-5 June Objectives:

• Draft an initial phase 2 program CN with purpose, outcomes, activities, hypotheses, geo focus; plus initial 'delivery' framework

• Take stock of current project and program strengths, weaknesses and external review comments to feed into objective 1

• Presentation at USAID and interaction with staff• Discuss issues and plans for the remaining phase 1• Agree scope of the ‘science symposium’ planned

for October 2015http://africa-rising.wikispaces.com/review2015

Remaining phase 1 Document and capitalize on our system-level perspectives Define AR identity and unique selling points –

roles, beneficiaries, value added ... Document and contextualize impact/adoption/early change

through robust data Strengthen national partners Data manager for each regional project; farm/farmer data;

queryable database of AR farmers

Remaining phase 1 Boosting cross-project science learning Identify and document technology packages linked to

typologies Carry out socioeconomic and risk analysis Revise program framework – hypotheses Develop and use system-wide SI indicators Clarify R4D platform roles, objectives and approach Agree, test, validate approach to typologies; start to

operationalize it

Visit to USAID• Presentation about Africa RISING program with following

discussion http://www.slideshare.net/africa-rising/ssar-usaid-jun2015

• Afternoon session with various USAID staff

• Discussion around the new CGIAR CRP portfolio suggested that Africa RISING will need to

1) very clearly articulate its specific ‘systems’ approach (with a focus on livelihood systems rather than farming systems

2) set numeric targets to achieve through the wider scaling approach of the Program

Project/Program Evaluations• ESA Project Review Feb/March 2015

yesterday: meeting on implementation of recommendations

• USAID commissioned evaluation:September/October in Ghana, Ethiopia, MaliMarch 2016 in Tanzania and MalawiDocumentation to be prepared by beginning of August; requests sent out

CSISA Learning tour Jan/Feb 2015• Systems in eastern India more intensified than those of Africa RISING areas regarding

inputs, strongly driven by government subsidies –sustainability???• CSISA has a longer history• CSISA aiming at mechanization combined with short duration crops in order to allow

an additional crop per year (narrow number of innovations, narrow number of implementers)

CSISA Learning tour Jan/Feb 2015• Africa RISING is taking a more holistic approach to intensification, stronger participation of communities

• CSISA has a much larger on-station research component than Africa RISING; most activities under researcher control

• CSISA has worked very effectively to stimulate and support local service providers; progressive farmers who are able to deliver specific to other farmers

• Very interesting and encouraging activities operating through NGO-supported self-help groups for women

Learning trip to Ethiopia

Runoff assessment plots at the model watershed

Trench structures for soil and water conservation and water retention

Farmer uses a shallow well with a pulley system to irrigate vegetables and avocado trees

Visiting a weather station

Landless youth planted tree Lucerne on abandoned land to fatten sheep and keep bees

SI indicators and metrics• longer process, started >1 year ago, involves many

partners beyond Africa RISING, meeting at last ESA review and planning event in Arusha

• meeting in USA in February with Africa RISING participation, draft framework developed

• SIIL chairing the process, P. Thorne and S. Snapp strongly involved

• literature review done, 2 post-docs hired (MSU, Columbia) to validate the framework, funded by SIIL

• update at Africa RISING strategy workshop in October

For next phaseChanging environment:

• Systems CRPs wrapped into other CRPs is a concern at USAID; is systems research seen as a failure?

• There might be changes in USAID after the next presidential elections and under new administrator

• Funding within USAID more competitive; buy-in from USAID missions in all countries important to strengthen our position

• Seizing other donors’ opportunities (e.g. DFID-SAIRLA)

• Proposal to be submitted April 2016

Requirements:• Vision 2021,ToC, unique selling points, Africa RISING

identity• Case studies of our systems research - evidence of the

benefits (also for missions)• Documenting scaling approaches - numeric targets

(also for missions)• Clear idea which technologies to scale; documentation

of validated technologies: impact on 5+2 domains (production, economics, human, social, environment, trade-offs, equity) - data base, fact sheets (also for missions)

• Clarity on farm typologies and how to use them• Revised research hypotheses• Roles of R4D platforms, farmer engagement guidelines• Validated SI indicators framework

Next Steps:• Monthly PCT meetings to monitor process of program

evaluation and proposal preparation• Scientific symposium postponed to next year• Program strategy workshop in October, Bamako• Typology meeting end August in Wageningen• Program design writeshop early September in Wageningen

Africa Research in Sustainable Intensification for the Next Generation

africa-rising.net

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