General approach to networking and sharing

Networking activities by the project will emphasise joint learning and sharing of lessons learnt, and will be closely linked to ongoing innovation processes on the ground. There will be three main circles and intensities for networking: (a) a global outreach circle primarily for overall information sharing and dissemination of information products (lower intensity); (b) an international learning platform circle involving key resource persons engaged in discussion of project findings and lessons learnt (medium intensity); and (c) national-level networking and learning in the three target countries (higher intensity). ETC will play the main facilitative role in ensuring active networking within the two first circles, while the national partners (KARI in Kenya, UAC in Benin and UP in South Africa) will be the main movers in coordinating activities within the third circle, with backstopping and capacity-strengthening support by ETC and others when required.

Exchange and networking will include academics and members of the formal ARD community as well as concerned policymakers at various levels, representatives of the private sector, development practitioners such as NGOs and farmer organisations, and donors, including the EC. The project will build on already existing relevant networks, both formal and informal, seeking synergies and avoiding duplication.

In its implementation, WP4 will be closely related to WPs 1, 2, 3 and 5: conducting case studies implies coordination, networking and exchange of information, not only among the implementing partners but also with other institutions and organisations that deal with the IS approach in ARD.

Task 4.1: Outreach – information sharing and dissemination

This will be the largest and most diverse circle. It will be open to any individuals and institutions with an interest in agricultural/rural innovation and L/TK. Information on the project and related innovation processes and systems integrating L/TK will be shared through a website-based resource centre and annual project newsletters disseminated through a member-based email list (for those who cannot easily access Web-based information). Key activities will include:

1. Making an international inventory of actors (institutions and individuals), networks and programmes working on agricultural/rural innovation and L/TK in Africa and elsewhere.
2. Designing and managing a website on agricultural/rural innovation and L/TK. Besides information resources and project-related outputs, it will also contain a web portal with links to selected key websites, including those of existing relevant networks. For visibility and longer-term sustainability, the website will be hosted by FARA, while its content will be managed jointly by ETC and FARA. All project partners will contribute actively with information and materials to be posted on the website.
3. Compiling & disseminating electronic annual project newsletters, in close interaction with Task 6.3.
4. Strategic participation of project members in key international events where issues of agricultural/rural innovation and L/TK are addressed (e.g. meetings organised by FARA, ASARECA, CORAF, SACCAR, PAEPARD, AGRA, CGIAR centres etc) to share experiences and lessons from the project, learn from others’ experience and contribute to agenda-setting related to ARD and innovation systems.

Task 4.2: International learning platform to promote learning and exchange with other initiatives and resource persons

The project will develop an iterative international learning platform, involving project partners and other key institutions, to allow a dynamic and two-way exchange of information and experiences. To this end, the project will invite self-selected individuals from key institutions across the world to exchange experiences and lessons learnt around issues related to agricultural/rural innovation and L/TK: it is expected that a sub-sample of the same individuals will be invited to become members of the project’s Advisory and Networking Board, which will further motivate them to be active in the international learning platform (see Management Section). Information sharing and discussions among the learning platform members will take place mainly by email. Key activities will include:

1. Initiation of the learning platform by clearly defining its goal, objectives and activities. Invitations will be sent to contacts provided by the various project participants and other potential members identified through the inventory conducted under Task 4.1. The invitation will also be posted on the project outreach website. New members will be able to join anytime.
2. All members will also be included in an open email discussion list that allows members to post messages and questions at any time, and to retrieve earlier messages and discussion threads at will. The project will, however, provide moderation and facilitation as needed, and manage/synthesise the outcomes of these discussions for future reference by project partners and others.
3. Coordination and facilitation of two formal e-discussions. The first e-discussion  (ED1)  will be held for 2–3 weeks around Month 6 as an input to events G1 and N-X1. It will support activities of WP1 and WP2 by discussing the proposed reference framework, the selection of case studies and the approach to case-study development, thus bringing in a wider range of experiences and perceptions, and possibly allowing to draw on a wider resource base. The second e-discussion (ED2) will take place in the period Month 24–28, in relation with events G3 and N-X3, to support activities in WP2 and WP5. It will focus on discussing the findings of the case studies for wider feedback, to help in identifying and formulating lessons learnt and future priorities for research, practice and policy, as a key input for WP5. To ensure that this feedback is effectively taken on board, two of the most active contributors to the international learning platform over the project life will be invited to Event G3.

Task 4.3: In-country networking and learning in Kenya, South Africa and Benin

This is the level at which national convenors in Kenya, South Africa and Benin will be the major driving agents for ensuring effective networking and learning. National-level networking and learning will take place among all participants in project activities, such as those developing the various case studies and taking part in capacity-strengthening and any other project-related activities. It will also build functional relationships with strategically targeted members of already existing networks on agricultural/rural innovation and L/TK, e.g. the Prolinnova networks in Kenya and South Africa and PNISA in Benin (see details below). Each of these networks brings together representatives of universities, agricultural research institutions, extension services, the private sector, farmer organisations and NGOs/CSOs. If several such networks are active within a given country, attempts will be made to build synergies between them. Specific networking and learning activities will be centred on case-study development (see WP2) and capacity-strengthening (see WP3), and will take advantage of the series of national events NX-1 to NX-3 organised in the three target countries.

Kenya

In Kenya , Prolinnova–Kenya will be the major starting point for networking. Through Prolinnova–Kenya, KARI will look to build synergies with important actors such as the Agricultural Sector Coordination Unit (ASCU), which harmonises the operations of various ministries and departments related to the agricultural sector. The National Council for Science and Technology (NCST), which comes under the Ministry of Research and Technology, will also be involved as a major actor in formulating innovation-oriented policies, as will be the Kenya National Federation of Agricultural Producers and the Integrated Agricultural Research for Development (IAR4D), a consultative forum made up of people from universities, research institutes, the Ministry of Agriculture etc. Two universities – Masinde Muliro University, where an agricultural innovation course is being taught, and Kenyatta University, where students are engaged in participatory research as well as community service all over Kenya – will also be included. Interaction with and identification of other key actors such as the Kenya Small-Scale Farmers Forum will take place in the course of implementation. Depending on the sites selected for in-depth case studies, KARI regional centres and other Prolinnova platform members will be asked to provide the necessary support for case-study development.

South Africa

In South Africa , networking will focus on both the national and the provincial level, building on existing dynamics and initiatives, and strengthening existing links with universities, ARC (Agricultural Research Council) institutions, the PELUM (Participatory Ecological Land Use Management) network and NGOs/CSOs. Networking activities will build upon the National Agricultural Research for Development Task Team (NARDTT), a national networking platform that is administered jointly by ICRA and the ARC and involves several provincial departments of agriculture (Northern Cape, Eastern Cape, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal), universities (Fort Hare, Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal, Venda and Free State) and Prolinnova–South Africa. The South African Society for Agriculture and Extension will be an important networking channel. The Prolinnova–South Africa network will play an active role especially at provincial level, in particular in KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo and – to a lesser extent – in Mpumalanga, North-West and Venda Provinces. The UP will coordinate efforts with networks that cover complementary themes to avoid potential overlap and to ensure efficient use of project resources. Also linkages will be made to other NGO initiatives, such as the Conmark programme on Private Standards Innovation Fund supported by the UK Department for International Development (DFID). The UP also has well-established links with regional networks such as FARNPAN (Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network) and the Southern African Confederation of Agricultural Unions (SACAU).

Benin

In Benin,  the main platform will be the Plateforme National d’Innovation dans le Secteur Agricole (PNISA), the newly created national innovation platform for agricultural services. It comprises the Institut National des Recherches Agronomiques  (INRAB), the Faculté des Sciences Agronomiques du Bénin (FSA), the Direction du Conseil Agricole et de la Formation Opérationnelle (DiCAF) of the Ministry of Agriculture, a producer platform, NGOs and private-sector operators. Through PNISA, agricultural actors all over the country are being mobilised on an equal footing around innovation needs. PNISA offers an opportunity to work with both local producer organisations and national-level federation of agricultural producers. Project activities will help strengthen the various stakeholders of PNISA, as they will learn to work in partnership, and outputs of the collaboration will be useful for both sides. Through PNISA, workshops and other meetings will allow different actors to share their experience, to learn from each other, and to influence the training curricula at universities and technical colleges. Capacities will also be strengthened through active exchange among actors about their experiences, innovation needs, policy lobbying based on project findings, and strengthening of public-private partnerships.

Note: To ensure that national-level networking activities as described above operate in close synergy with networking conducted by the project and others at international level (see Tasks 4.1 and 4.2), the members of the Advisory and Networking Board (see WP6) will play an important role. They will be encouraged to foster linkages between the networks to which they individually belong and the project-supported networks.

Deliverables WP4

D4.1  Inventory report on key players and existing networks on multistakeholder innovation processes and L/TK (Month 6)

D4.2  Project website on agricultural/rural innovation and L/TK (v1 operational by Month 8, periodically upgraded thereafter)

D4.3  International email discussion list (Month 6)

D4.4  Two annual project newsletters (Months 6, 18), and a final project report (Month 30) (see also D6.2)

D4.5  Two summaries of two e-discussions in the international learning platform (Months 8 and 28)

D4.6  National-level WebPages on the project website (v1 by Month 8, upgraded periodically thereafter)

D4.7  Six electronic annual newsletters (2 per country) and 3 final national reports developed by national convenors to support networking activities within the country posted on the respective country pages on the project website (Months 8, 20, 30)