Improving access to knowledge and technologies

Improving access to knowledge and technologies:

NSF2 Strategy for 2010–2014 Revised and endorsed by the FARA Board in October 2009

Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) 12 Anmeda Street, Roman Ridge PMB CT 173, Cantonments, Accra, Ghana 2010

FARA_NSF2_BK_PAP.indd 1

6/4/2010 11:17:44 AM

© Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) 2010

Fair use of this material is encouraged. Proper citation is requested: FARA (Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa). 2010. Improving access to knowledge and technologies: NSF2 Strategy for 2010-2014. Accra, Ghana. 20 pp.

Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) 12 Anmeda Street, Roman Ridge PMB CT 173, Cantonments, Accra, Ghana Telephone: +233 302 772823 / 779421 Fax: +233 302 773676 Email: info@fara-africa.org Web site: www.fara-africa.org ISBN 978-9988-1-3635-0 (print) ISBN 978-9988-1-3636-2 (pdf)

Printed at Pragati Offset Pvt. Ltd., Hyderabad, India • www.pragati.com

FARA_NSF2_BK_PAP.indd 2

6/4/2010 11:17:44 AM

Networking Support Function 2 Strategy 2010–2014

Rationale In most African countries, government policy is still driven by a linear view of innovation that perceives creation of innovation in four consecutive stages.

• Research and development: finding solutions to specific technical problems by developing new technologies for potential end-users.

• Demonstration: testing and fine-tuning the new technologies for large-scale adoption and real- world application.

• Deployment: once fundamental technical barriers have been resolved, developing the commercial potential of a technology.

• Diffusion: making the technology competitive in the market.

Experience shows that the process of innovation is far more complex. To begin with, the majority of innovations fail at one stage or another.

Effective policy makers understand that innovation is but one of the tools – albeit a key one – in the development process. Equally important are identifying market gaps, forging partnerships along value chains, sharing through the exchange of agricultural products and technologies, learning through imitation and analysing the forces that drive diffusion. Moreover, before

FARA’s key strategic statements FARA’s Vision: Reduce poverty in Africa through sustainable broad-based agricultural growth and improved livelihoods, particularly of smallholder and pastoral enterprises.

FARA’s Mission: Create broad-based improvements in agricultural productivity, competitiveness and markets by supporting Africa’s sub-regional organizations (SROs) in strengthening capacity for agricultural innovation.

FARA’s Value Proposition: Provide a strategic platform to foster continental and global networking that reinforces the capacities of Africa’s national agricultural research systems and SROs.

1

FARA_NSF2_BK_PAP.indd 1

6/4/2010 11:17:44 AM

implementing any new innovation, it is critical to consider the compatibility, the perceived benefits and the costs of adopting it.

Strengthening national capacity for innovation and technology development is a powerful catalyst for economic development and mitigation of emerging issues, such as the need to adapt to climate change in Africa. While new innovations and technologies continue to be developed and deployed, proven technologies and innovations must be diffused rapidly. Public and private investments need to be increased while protecting the interest of smallholder farmers and pastoral enterprises. ‘Technology-push’ policies based merely on increased R&D investment by African governments is insufficient. A balance with ‘market-pull’ policies must be sought in order to create incentives for entrepreneurship and to find innovative solutions in unlikely places.

In short, diffusing agricultural technology requires much more than shipping ready-to-use equipment to Africa. It requires building absorptive capacity and enhancing the ability to identify, adapt and employ the most appropriate technologies.

Investments in research, development, demonstration and deployment have suffered from years of neglect. In many areas critical research mass does not exist at country or even regional level. Mobilising agricultural technologies and knowledge and fostering innovation on an adequate scale requires that Most African countries, particularly the low-income ones, have small markets that, taken individually, are unattractive to entrepreneurs with the capacity to introduce new ideas and technologies. But by pooling their efforts, contiguous countries can achieve critical mass through economic integration.

The international donor community, rather than simply focusing on research, should be encouraged to formulate policies that stimulate demand for agricultural innovation. Although research is critical to agricultural innovation, it is not necessarily at the centre of the innovation process.

2

FARA_NSF2_BK_PAP.indd 2

6/4/2010 11:17:44 AM

Networking Support Function 2 Strategy 2010–2014

FARA’s Networking Support Functions FARA’s NSFs NSF1

Advocacy and resource mobilisation

NSF2

Access to knowledge and technologies

NSF3

Policies and markets

NSF4

Capacity building

NSF5

Partnerships and strategic alliances

FARA recognises the complex challenges described above. From our inception, we have attempted to stimulate agricultural innovation by providing better access to knowledge and technologies in Africa. We know that knowledge can be acquired using tools ranging from expert knowledge and policy briefs to systems modeling and geographic information systems (GIS). But regardless of how these data are acquired, the trick is to make them available to a wide array of end users. Access to knowledge and technology by all is absolutely critical to Africa’s development.

FARA strives to reduce poverty in Africa through its 5 NSFs.

When we revisited the FARA strategy in 2007, access to knowledge and technology was recognised as an important function in providing networking support to stakeholders, and its continued status as one of the five NSFs was unequivocally endorsed by our Board of Directors.

3

FARA_NSF2_BK_PAP.indd 3

6/4/2010 11:17:44 AM

Networking Support Function 2 Strategy 2010–2014

NSF2: Improving access to knowledge and technologies

RAILS-DONATA stakeholder meeting in Abidjan, February 2010.

NSF2 responds to the five interventions identified at the continental level by FARA: 1. Appropriate institutional and organisational arrangements for regional agricultural R&D 2. Broad-based access to knowledge and technologies needed for innovation 3. Strategic decision-making options for policy, institutions and markets 4. Human and institutional capacity for innovation 5. Platforms for agricultural innovation Since 2004, two major projects have been implemented through NSF2: •

Regional Agricultural Information and Learning Systems project (RAILS), which responds to the need for intervention 5

•

Dissemination of New/Proven Technologies in Africa (DONATA), which responds to the need for intervention 2

4

FARA_NSF2_BK_PAP.indd 4

6/4/2010 11:17:44 AM

Regional Agricultural and Learning Systems (RAILS) This six-year (2007–2012) project is funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB). It is designed to fill current gaps in the information chain. It is guided by an assessment of agricultural information systems in Africa and consultations with stakeholders, including SROs and international information service providers. It takes full advantage of the infrastructural adjustments advocated by the African Union, regional economic communities and national governments to improve the utility of web-based information and the use of traditional communications tools.

FARA's website will be enhanced to become a first-choice portal for African agricultural information. As such it will provide links to other relevant portals and act as a strong communication and public relations tool. ives • To encourage increased investment in agricultural information systems by African governments • To improve access to information and the ability of African stakeholders to contribute to global agricultural knowledge • To facilitate synergies by linking African information centres to global providers of agricultural information • To develop an African platform for agricultural information and learning systems The need for organisation and infrastructure provided by RAILS will remain a priority for the foreseeable future. Its facilitating role in the exchange of information and learning across the region will remain a priority and an added value to our partners. This is critical if FARA is to be the voice of African agricultural R&D. However, the Secretariat will periodically review the state of Africa’s ICT industry and infrastructure with a view to finding the most effective and efficient mechanisms to serve its stakeholders.

RAILS is an outcome of stakeholder demand for an African platform that can facilitate access to knowledge and technologies by African stakeholders. It is a product of intensive consultations and assessments facilitated by the Global Forum for Agricultural Research (GFAR) in 2004 and 2005. Box 2 provides more information on RAILS. DONATA emerged from a demand formulated by the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) of the African Union to establish a platform to facilitate dissemination of promising agricultural technologies across the continent. In 2004, NEPAD asked FARA to mobilise research and stimulate agricultural production and investment to reduce food insecurity. DONATA is seen as a platform capable of disseminating African success stories, building the capacity of national agricultural research systems (NARS) and institutionalising partnerships between research, extension and civil societies.

Box 3 provides more information on DONATA. 5

FARA_NSF2_BK_PAP.indd 5

6/4/2010 11:17:44 AM

The concepts and interventions described in this strategy are based on lessons learnt from these two projects and feedback from stakeholder consultations.

These consultations, which featured workshops in Accra in May 2009, were attended by 45 participants from 20 countries. The participants represented a wide range of stakeholders across Africa’s main agricultural sectors.

Dissemination of New and Proven Technologies in Africa (DONATA) Agricultural technologies in Africa are most often taken up locally. An urgent need therefore exists to accelerate adoption and widen dissemination by facilitating learning among different actors in the value chains. FARA has a comparative advantage in advancing the development of innovation platforms supported not just by end users but by potential investors in innovations that extend beyond sub-regional boundaries. The Secretariat is coordinating the six-year (2007-2012) AfDB-funded DONATA project to accelerate the dissemination of agricultural technologies across the region.

DONATA’s purpose is to capture relevant lessons and develop effective transboundary partnerships and investments for the dissemination of high-potential technologies. The success of DONATA is critical to restore and maintain confidence in agricultural research. DONATA's initial portfolio is made up of products of formal research. However, technologies selected from a growing numbers of innovations by African farmers will also be included. Presently, the implementation of the project is coordinated from both the FARA Secretariat and the SROs. As the SROs fully internalise field implementation and effective data/knowledge sharing involving such a continental project, the coordination responsibility will be gradually devolved to the SROs as they develop the capacity to gather, analyse and share data through digital knowledge management systems.

It is anticipated that during the life of the current AfDB funding, the SROs will develop the necessary capacity to coordinate DONATA, retrieving, storing and sharing data with participants through the FARA secretariat. Accordingly, the Secretariat will devolve the coordinating responsibility for future phases of DONATA to the SROs but use its digital knowledge management system, especially the RAILS platform, to retrieve, process and share information and lessons learnt with the larger forum members and international development audience.

6

FARA_NSF2_BK_PAP.indd 6

6/4/2010 11:17:44 AM

Challenges While it may be more cost-effective to adapt technologies from abroad to African conditions rather than to re-invent them, in many cases technological solutions for local problems simply do not exist. It is often essential to develop locationspecific responses to the multiple challenges of food security and quality, income generation, safeguarding natural resources and climate change in Africa.

Valuable research outputs and farmer innovations are seen in isolated cases across the continent, but it remains a big challenge to enable more people to profit from them because of the diversity and complexity of the African social, economic and biophysical landscape. This diversity and complexity requires different approaches and coalitions to facilitate access to knowledge and to stimulate technology development and diffusion based on local knowledge.

The two major constraints of agriculture stakeholders in accessing knowledge and technologies are: • their ability to access and contribute to the co-creation of knowledge and innovation; • the availability of sources of knowledge and technologies; and • their awareness of sources of knowledge and technologies.

Ability includes the skills, institutional support, tools and infrastructure.

Availability of knowledge and technologies in the right format, at the right time with the right content is still a major constraint across Africa.

Awareness is knowing about the sources of knowledge and technologies and being able to provide feedback to the whole cycle of co-learning and cocreation of knowledge and innovation.

It is essential to identify the most effective learning coalitions and technology development and dissemination pathways/cycles that can respond to these

DONATA-supported scientist in the lab.

7

FARA_NSF2_BK_PAP.indd 7

6/4/2010 11:17:44 AM

multiple challenges. The capacity of agents from both governmental and nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) to out-scale localised technologies that have proven successful must be strengthened. That will often require in-depth knowledge of why a technology is successful and how it can be adapted to new circumstances.

Recognising that these challenges are complex and changing rapidly across the continent, we used the outcome mapping approach to formulate our interventions and strategy. This approach is unique. While in traditional approaches interventions are geared towards achieving objectives, in outcome mapping the emphasis is on contribution to behaviour change in partners.

Development is about people – for them and by them. Behaviour change occurs as a result of the influence of the project on its partners. The process has been initiated, and it will continue to evolve. The NSF2 strategy is a living document that allows co-learning and co-creation of knowledge and innovation in the implementation of our initiatives and activities.

Opportunities Demand for sustained and reliable data and information on trends, unusual events, and long-range predictions has never been greater than it is today.

Building a comprehensive and integrated system to monitor environmental changes across Africa is beyond the means of any single country, as is analysing the wealth of data it would generate.

The growing awareness of networking amongst actors in agriculture cannot be underestimated. It requires institutional mechanisms to ensure the coordination, strengthening and synergies of existing agricultural information systems.

With networking, people will demand more information and faster responses from partners. Similarly, statistical data and overview of various categories of stakeholders and geographical focus will increase.

Important opportunities to be seized include: • Enhancing linkages and stimulating co-learning and co-innovation between different knowledge resources from diverse disciplines • Strengthening stakeholders’ capacity to develop their knowledge and adapt and adopt technologies • Encouraging research and advisory services to become more effective in facilitating co-learning and co-innovation • Facilitating identification of the most effective technology dissemination and access pathways/cycles 8

FARA_NSF2_BK_PAP.indd 8

6/4/2010 11:17:44 AM

Through developing and disseminating new agricultural technologies, African farmers stand a better chance of avoiding devastating pests and diseases.

Agricultural innovation means facilitating back-and-forth information flows, know-how, experiences and technologies to farmers, value chain stakeholders, private companies, non-profit organisations, research and educational institutions and governments. The absorption of new technologies depends on much more than just financing physical equipment and licenses. It requires building local capacity to identify, understand, use and replicate useful technology. Many international organisations dealing with agricultural information intervene at local, national and regional levels but are mainly mission-focused. These entities need to be encouraged to collectively enhance the adequacy and coherence of the existing national institutions for addressing agricultural innovation.

The process of co-learning and co-innovation can be integrated along agricultural commodity chains in which all stakeholders become aware of opportunities to enhance efficiency and productivity and to add value. Options for improvement can be formulated by both the users and the sources of knowledge and technologies. The sources of knowledge can come from outside but also from within the community. Any technology or knowledge identified as a viable option can then be tested through a participatory learning and action research mechanism, carefully documenting the process to be used as a basis for further improvement of the technology or out-scaling.

By becoming more open to learning and change, advisory and research services and investors may also become more efficient and effective in their contributions to agricultural development.

9

FARA_NSF2_BK_PAP.indd 9

6/4/2010 11:17:48 AM

Networking Support Function 2 Strategy 2010–2014

The NSF2 Strategy Vision statement of NSF2

Mission statement of NSF2

All across Africa, widespread adoption and sharing of technologies and knowledge exists among farmers and agricultural service providers. Human and institutional support and policies strengthen the agricultural value chain.

Each stakeholder values innovation platforms, co-learning and co-creation of knowledge. The community interacts through the platforms, enhancing economic development.

To be a vibrant component of FARA by facilitating access to knowledge and technology for stakeholders so they can improve their livelihoods through the establishment of learning and innovation platforms along commodity value chains; by emphasising capacity building and the use of relevant tools and support for enabling policies; and by establishing functional gendersensitive partnerships.

Key results NSF2 has identified five main objectives or key results that will be targeted over the next five years of this strategic plan (2010–2015).

1. Identify and disseminate guidelines for developing gender-sensitive national strategies aimed at enhancing access to knowledge and technologies.

2. Identify and disseminate appropriate gender-sensitive tools to facilitate access to knowledge and dissemination of technologies.

3. Support increased access to channels for communicating policy outcomes and market information.

4. Support mainstreaming of gender-sensitive knowledge management in African agricultural R&D institutions.

5. Establish and support an African platform to facilitate genderequitable access to knowledge and technologies.

10

FARA_NSF2_BK_PAP.indd 10

6/4/2010 11:17:48 AM

These key results are inter-related and inter-dependent and synergies between activities to obtain these results will be actively sought. The lessons learnt will be shared to catalyse co-learning and co-creation of knowledge and innovation.

Boundary partners These are individuals, groups or organisations with whom NSF2 interacts directly and with whom it anticipates opportunities to obtain change. NSF2 does not, however, exert any control over their activities. The power to influence development must rest with our partners. NSF2 will remain on the boundary of their world, providing networking support and remaining responsible to them, but the partners themselves are not responsible to NSF2 or to FARA. NSF2 has many potential boundary partners that can be grouped into four broad categories: • Users of knowledge and technology • Providers of knowledge and technology • Disseminators of knowledge and technology • Policy and market institutions The users can be farmers, scientists, policy and decision makers, private companies, agriculture advisory service providers and others, all seeking various kinds of information, knowledge and technology using different types of tools or media to access them. The providers can be agricultural research institutions from around the world, private sector firms or local farmer innovators. The disseminators are information intermediaries (‘infomediaries’) who facilitate the access to and exchange of knowledge and technologies by users. They can be people or dedicated institutions providing services to farmers, private sector, scientists or policy makers. The policy and market institutions are formal or informal institutions or organisations responsible for maintaining an enabling environment for the users and disseminators of knowledge and technologies. They can be government ministries or agencies, civil society organisations or development agencies.

NSF2 will interact with these boundary partners in various forms and capacities, varying its responses to reflect the five results shown above.

Strategy of involvement Over the 5-year period of this strategic plan, NSF2 will intervene using different strategies of involvement.

• Causal strategy of involvement, where NSF2 has direct responsibility and produces an output, although interventions are still directed to its boundary partners.

11

FARA_NSF2_BK_PAP.indd 11

6/4/2010 11:17:48 AM

The NSF2 strategy calls for intimate involvement with NGOs, farmer organisations and all those with a stake in the improvement of agricultural research in Africa.

• Persuasive strategy of involvement, where NSF2 aims to arouse new thinking and/or build skills, with a clear single purpose such as capacity building activities, skill enhancement, methodological workshops and training. Activities are the boundary partner’s responsibility.

• Supportive strategy of involvement, where NSF2 aims to build a supporting network with a facilitator or mentor guiding change over time (this could be a person or a group of people). Involvement is frequent and sustained. The NSF2 boundary partner has responsibility with support from the NSF2 team.

Activities that will be pursued following each strategy of involvement for the five key results are listed in Annex 1.

Limits to NSF2 involvement FARA will not be able to implement activities directly at the community or national level: it will rely on collaboration with national and sub-regional organisations (SROs) from research, farmers or civil society groups to coordinate activities within groups of countries.

12

FARA_NSF2_BK_PAP.indd 12

6/4/2010 11:17:48 AM

FARA will not compete with its stakeholders in mobilising resources from development partners. Instead, we will advocate for more support at the national, regional and continental level using the Framework for African Agricultural Productivity (FAAP) principles and the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) objectives.

Implementing the strategy Ongoing and anticipated projects and activities. Activities to implement the strategies are grouped into two parts: essential continuing functions and timebound activities. Essential continuing functions are core activities supporting continental platforms and linkages within and outside Africa. It catalyses synergies, including those with international initiatives to achieve economies of scale in enhancing access to knowledge and technologies. Time-bound activities are projects with specific funding from development agencies. The current projects managed by NSF2 are RAILS and DONATA (2007-2013), AfricaAdapt (2008-2010) and Agricultural Information for Dryland Africa (2008-2009).

The rationale and objectives of RAILS are delineated in Box 2. Funding from the African Development Bank (USD 8.6 million) allows interventions in 36 countries: • Eight member countries of the Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA): Burundi, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda • Twenty-one member countries of the Conseil Ouest et Centre Africain pour la Recherche et le Développement Agricoles / West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF/ WECARD): Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Republic of Congo, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo • Seven member countries of the Southern African Development Community – Food, Agriculture and Natural Resource Directorate (SADC-FANR): Angola, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique and Zambia The partners involved are the SROs, national agencies, NGOs and farmer organisations in each of the countries. Backstopping is provided on a needs basis by international partners such as the Technical Centre for Agricultural 13

FARA_NSF2_BK_PAP.indd 13

6/4/2010 11:17:48 AM

and Rural Cooperation (CTA), CAB International, Wageningen International, the Global Fund for Agricultural Research (GFAR) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

DONATA’s rationale and objectives are stated in Box 3. The funding for DONATA from the African Development Bank of around USD 17 million is earmarked for the 36 countries where RAILS is operational. But due to coordination limitation, the DONATA core team (FARA, the SROs, the national agencies, farmers’ organisations and NGOs) is assisting an initial 17 countries: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Senegal, Uganda and Zambia. Backstopping is provided

by FAO, African universities and the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), Wageningen University, Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (CIRAD).

Research into use. New projects will be initiated based on opportunities and gaps of existing FARA initiatives as well as potential synergies with international initiatives. An example is AfricaAdapt, which is managed by a consortium of partners, including FARA (Box 4). The other consortium partners are Environment and Development in the Third World (ENDA) in Senegal, the IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC) in Kenya and Institute of Development Studies (IDS) in the United Kingdom.

All of FARA’s projects include components that specifically address and prioritise the needs of women, who provide the vast majority of agricultural labour.

14

FARA_NSF2_BK_PAP.indd 14

6/4/2010 11:17:52 AM

Resource mobilisation. The core funding is from the FARA Multi-donor Trust Fund. Resources will continue to be mobilised by developing proposals based on the demands of stakeholders, which are then submitted to development partners with similar interests. Current funding is from the African Development Bank, which has agreed to support the RAILS and DONATA projects until 2013. Small projects are received if they are aligned to NSF2 objectives such as AfricaAdapt and AIDA. Human resources. NSF2 is headed by a Director, supported by a Communication and Public Awareness Specialist, a manager of Promotion of Science and Technology of Agricultural Development in Africa (PSTAD), two officers responsible for RAILS and AfricaAdapt and three support staff for AfricaAdapt Mission: Promote and facilitate knowledge sharing around climate change adaptation in Africa.

Vision: Vulnerable groups can make informed decisions to adapt to climate change effectively by accessing and using knowledge generated by research partners, policymakers, civil society organisations and other vulnerable groups.

Objectives •

Build alliances and partnerships with organisations and participatory research projects to learn and share knowledge on climate change adaptation.

•

Translate and disseminate information that meets the demands of stakeholders (communities, policy makers, researchers and civil societies).

•

Identify and address the capacity constraints to accessing, sharing and using knowledge by different stakeholders.

•

Demonstrating the added value of a culture of knowledge sharing

NSF2 uses various techniques to reach different audiences. Left: An AfricaAdapt workshop using drama to convey environmental messages. Right: A radio interview with a progressive farmer.

15

FARA_NSF2_BK_PAP.indd 15

6/4/2010 11:17:52 AM

general administration. The current staffing is based on available resources. If additional resources become available, a data manager would be beneficial to the team. All projects undertaken must include the required human resources for effective and efficient implementation.

Partnerships and collaboration with other institutions and organisations strengthens NSF2 capacity to implement continental programs. We have focal persons for each project (RAILS and DONATA) within the SROs (ASARECA, CORAF/WECARD and SADC-FANR) and key institutions such as the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM) and the sub-Saharan Africa non-Governmental Organisation Consortium (SSA NGOC) and international institutions like FAO, CABI, CTA and the CGIAR). Currently, focal persons also serve on the RAILS Taskforce and the DONATA core team.

16

FARA_NSF2_BK_PAP.indd 16

6/4/2010 11:17:52 AM

Annex 1: NSF2 Strategic Map FARA results framework: NSF2 output

Causal strategy

Persuasive strategy

Supportive strategy

Output 1: Guidelines for developing gender-sensitive national strategies aimed at enhancing access to knowledge and technologies identified and disseminated

Analyse country status on access to knowledge and technology for interventions.

Exchange of best practices and success stories in use will be facilitated through the creation of a platform such as the African Federation for Agricultural Information Management.

Facilitate online discussions on lessons learnt among partners of NARS. Design capacity building to improve the analytical skills of relevant government agencies on knowledge exchange management.

Develop learning mechanisms where national agricultural info-mediaries can share their experiences and knowledge with counterparts from other countries.

Output 2: Appropriate gender-sensitive tools to facilitate access to knowledge and dissemination of technologies identified and disseminated

Facilitate the development of agricultural information and learning systems and dissemination pathways in line with FARA’s information and communication strategy.

Provide training on content management and use of dissemination pathways.

Use the RAILS and DONATA as learning/ action networks where the boundary partners can collectively support each other on a regular basis. Develop an advocacy strategy that includes public awareness materials like case studies and policy papers targeted at development partners and policy makers.

Output 3: Increased access to channels for communicating policy outcomes and market information supported

Identify and validate knowledge exchange platforms that can be used for public discussions/ dialogue on agricultural policies. Put mechanisms in place to regularly assess and monitor innovative farmer advisory services using ICT. Obtain evidence and validation.

Facilitate exchange of opinions and knowledge on emerging issues relevant to agricultural R&D in Africa.

Produce policy briefs on emerging issues for policy makers based on research findings.

17

FARA_NSF2_BK_PAP.indd 17

6/4/2010 11:17:52 AM

FARA results framework: NSF2 output

Causal strategy

Persuasive strategy

Supportive strategy

Output 4: Mainstreaming of gender-sensitive knowledge management in African ARD institutions (including women’s organisations) supported

Mentor infomediaries to facilitate online discussions.

Facilitate knowledge management strategies among CSOs. Engage in strategic debates and discussions on knowledge management.

Improve staff recognition on progress made on knowledge sharing and incorporate it into human resource performance evaluation. Develop knowledge management skills training for selected partners.

Document lessons learnt on use of improved knowledge management skills. Mainstream knowledge sharing in all research activities and budget strategies.

Output 5: African platform to facilitate access to knowledge and technologies established and supported

Establish regional agricultural information and learning systems platforms for promoting the use of innovation in technology dissemination.

Identify partners and national focal points for RAILS, DONATA and AfricaAdapt. Develop terms of reference for RAILS learning teams, DONATA-Innovation Platform for Technology Adoption (IPTA) and AfricaAdapt functions and operations.

Facilitate training on demand-driven themes and skills development and communicate climate change adaptation.

Document lessons learnt on training and establishment of platforms.

Establish platforms for agricultural information and learning systems, technology dissemination and responses to emerging issues.

Facilitate online and face-to-face debates on knowledge acquired in establishing platforms for knowledge exchange.

Annex 2: NSF2 Staff List (as of 31 May 2010) Myra Wopereis-Pura

Director

Philippines

Dady Demby

RAILS Program Officer

Republic of Congo

Ifidon Ohiomoba

DONATA Program Officer

Nigeria

Eric McGaw

Communication and Public Awareness Specialist

USA

Jackie Nnam

Knowledge Sharing Officer

Uganda

Joelene Anom

Bilingual Secretary

Ghana

Hylante Tabiou Malkaye

Senior ICT Assistant

Togo

Francis Kpodo

Intern

Ghana

Sara David

Volunteer, ICT

Belgium

18

FARA_NSF2_BK_PAP.indd 18

6/4/2010 11:17:53 AM