African Forum for AgriculturalAdvisory Services

Presentation to AEAS stakeholders- Madagascar

Charles Masangano (PhD)

&

Max olupot ( Mr)

23 October 2014- Antananarivo

www.afaas-africa.org

OVERVIEW OF AFAAS & Country Forum

Setting the context

• Nwaze, 2013, …“But we must recognize that technology is only a tool. It is not an end in itself. As a scientist, I understand the excitement of new discoveries. But as a development practitioner I have seen the miracles that take place when we give farmers the tools to enhance existing – and sometimes quite traditional technologies.”

• The need for Extension and Advisory Services

to bridge the missing link, albeit being constrained!!!

Funding

approaches

Farmers empowerment

Widening scope of AEAS

Targeting poverty

and gender B

uilding

demand

for AE

AS

Environmental

degradation and climate

change

Market Orientation

?!

Appropriate Policies and institutional

arrangements

Appropriate methods,

approaches and tools (e.g ICT)

Increased

Capacities

( Org, Inst &

Indiv)

Supporting pluralism

and Partnership

Evid

ence

ba

sed

lear

ning

and

im

pact

Managing devolved systems and services

Building Social capital

Networ

king

at

all

leve

ls

AEAS Demands- Pillars

PRODUCT INNOVATION PROCESS INNOVATION

Technology transfer,

especially for the staple food

crops

Training farmers how to

intensify & diversify their

farming systems

Training farmers how to organize

into producer and self-help

groups

Training farmers how to use sustainable NRM practices

Improving Rural LivelihoodsMaintaining National Food Security

PRODUCT INNOVATIONPROCESS INNOVATION

AIS- Comprehensive Agricultural Extension System

Why AFAAS?

• Support sharing of experiences, information and knowledge on AEAS

• Support to the country AEAS to ensure that FAAP principles are applied within the CAADP process

• Mobilize a pool of experts from within Africa and strengthen their capacity to respond to the specific demand of AEAS at different levels

• Backstop country-level AEAS to organize themselves to focus on AEAS issues

• Advocacy and lobbying - policy, investment etc

• Represent AEAS at continental and international fora …AUC, GCARD, FARA

AFAAS VISION AND MISSION

• Vision: AAS that effectively & efficiently contribute to sustained productivity, profitability & growth of African agric for poverty reduction

•  Mission: Promote lesson learning & add value to initiatives in AAS thru sharing of information & increased professional interaction

5. A continental African

Organisation that can sustainably

support national

1. AEAS are integral part

of CAADP

2. Information and knowledge management

system

3. Country level multi-

stakeholder fora

4. Partnerships between AASP

and other relevant partners

Results/Outputs

AAS providers have sufficient capacity to effectively support value chain actors towards increasing agricultural productivity and food security in a

sustainable manner

Purpose/Outcome

Enhanced utilization of improved knowledge and technologies by agricultural value chain actors for improving productivity oriented towards

their individual and national development objectives

Goal

AFAAS engagement in CAADP agenda

Engagement in Science Agenda for African Agriculture;

Capacity Strengthening in AEAS Guidelines for integrating AEAS in CAADP Supporting national AEAS Systems Pool of experts

Knowledge Management Three Symposia organised ( 2004, 2016 & 2011);

One Africa Agricultural Extension Week in 2013 in Botswana; Second planed for 5-10 October 2015 in Addis Ababa in partnership with AUC and MoARD Ethiopia;

A website & a virtual social networking platform;

A conceptual framework for lesson learning developed;

A guide for Piloting Market Oriented AEAS;

Study on targeting Women Advisory Service Providers & Capacity Development Programmes;

Study on how issues of Climate Change are being addressed in AEAS

Country Fora Guidelines on how to engage with AAS

Stakeholder in a country to bring about the emergence of CF that are aligned with CAADP

AFAAS membership 40 African Countries by 2013 - General Assembly

Country Fora established in a number of countries e.g., Benin, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda etc

Six countries in the process of developing their own Strategic and operational Plans aligned with that of AFAAS

Linkages with other ARD actors at national level

Research Systems and Institutions

Farmer Organisation

Agricultural Training

Institutions

Agri-businessFinancial Services

Social ServicesPublic sector at

all levels

Building Strong Partnerships

AEAS

Who are the AFAAS Strategic partners?

Partnerships and Collaborations contd...• GFRAS- Global Forum for Rural Advisory Services• FARA, Multiple with focus on continental ARD agenda • ASARECA; MoU signed • CORAF ; Concept being developed• NRI- Climate change• CABI- Plantwise ( Plant Clinics) scaling up and out • Helvetas , FANRPAN, Agridea International – Post

Harvest Management Project for SSA( Mozambique and Benin) – on going

• INNODEV- Knowledge Management component• COMPACI- capacity development for AAS providers• KIT- Royal Tropical Institute on MOAAS• icipe - capacity, scaling out innovations -

Sustainability • Recognition by AUC• Integration into national (including donor

funded) programmes • Maintaining anchorage in to the broader

R&D agenda including S3A• Support from the national ARD systems• Catalyse and Facilitate establishment /

Strengthening of CF

AFAAS Thrusts • Championing Knowledge Management in

AEAS in the Continent• Strengthening Country Fora for national

level engagement • Partnerships and collaboration with all

ARD actors for scaling up and out innovations

• Capacity Strengthening for AEAS• Policy and advocacy for AEAS• Conducting strategic studies

Why CF?• Brings together AEAS actors• Supports/ Leads AEAS development at

national level • Strong linkages of AEAS stakeholders with

CAADP process• Exchange of information and Knowledge • Shares lessons• Identifies opportunities for providing

services to each other- learning process• Innovation on AEAS• Capacity and professionalism • Identifies areas of joint studies in AEAS

Process of establishment of CFApproach

• Aligning to FAAP principles• Analysis on a need for the

forum• Facilitating the identification of

existing structures for networking

• Identifying champions

CF establishment Process..... • Interest expressed from AEAS

stakeholders in the country to engage with AFAAS

• Sensitisation and awareness raising

• Assessment of status of organisational and institutional status of AEAS

CF establishment Process

• Identification of existing entity for country forum or setting up a new entity if this does not exist• Facilitation of the process of establishing a country forum• Facilitation of a CF to develop a strategic and operational plan

FAAP Principles 1. Empowerment of end-users

2. Planned subsidiarity

3. Pluralism in the delivery of AEAS

4. Evidence based approaches to AEAS

5. Integration of AEAS with research, the private sector,

training, capacity building and education programmes

6. Explicit incorporation of sustainability criteria

7. Systematic utilisation of improved management information

systems

8. Introduction of cost sharing with end-users

9. Integration of gender considerations at all levels

Registration The level of legal recognition required

depends on the functions that the CF is expected to perform Independent entity Hosted by a legal organisation

Partnerships and alliances

• For the CF to be effective, it is important that it is appropriately connected to other networks and initiatives with overlapping or side-lined objectives that can strengthen the national efforts in providing effective AEAS

Leadership and hosting

• It is important that the entity has a clear and effective leadership:– for example as an Executive

Committee, and that this is recognised and accepted among all the stakeholders in such a way that all have confidence in the Forum serving their interest

– Political support– Strong membership – constituency

Facilitation of the Process

• National workshop for AEAS stakeholders

• Establishing or launching meeting• Resource mobilisation

Research Systems and Institutions

Professional Associations

Agricultural Training

Institutions

Agri-business

Financial Services

Social ServicesPublic sector

AAS stakeholders……..

AEAS

Farmer Organisation

Establishment Meeting• scoping meeting/workshop:– Establish leadership (for example an

Executive Committee), roles and responsibilities

– Operational guidelines for functions and communication

– Discuss the establishment of a charter

• Make a plan for the next steps: Strategic and operational planning

Champions Supportive environment

Host institution

Knowledge Base

Focal point

Country Forum

Constituency

Experience on successful CFs

For more information contact :

email: secretariat @afaas-africa.org/ molupot@afaas-africa.org

www.afaas-africa.org&

www.g-fras.org

Thank you for Listening

http://www.afaas-africa.orghttp://networking.afaas-africa.org