Harnessing partnerships for integrated research:

The Africa RISING – ESA Project Experience

Mateete Bekunda

Dar es Salaam

June 22, 2015

2012 2014

Presentation Structure

- Introduction: Africa RISING – ESA Project

- Defining “Partnerships” - Identifying opportunities for partnerships

- Courting partners

- Building trust for integration

- Opening to emerging challenges & Opportunities

- Tracking progress and looking to the future

- Acknowledgements

Africa RISING: A Program of the USA Govt. Feed the Future Initiative

Goal:

Through action research and development partnerships, AR will create opportunities for smallholder farm HHs to move out of hunger and poverty through sustainably intensified farming systems

Three Research Themes:

• Advance the production frontier

• Improve nutrition and food safety

• Transform key production systems

Sudano-Sahelian

Systems in WA

(Ghana, Mali)

Ethiopian

Highlands

Maize & Livestock

mixed Systems in

ESA (Tanzania

Malawi, Zambia)

“Partnerships”in Africa RISING Partnership is an

arrangement where

partners agree to pool

skills to advance their

mutual interests.

w.r.t. integrated research,

it is a move from basic

understanding of:

system components

to generating

aggregate practical

solutions

and how to

scale them!

Partnership Types

Type I: Partner with individuals; form alliance with

institutions = “Africa RISING”

Type II: Form alliance with institutions; partner

with individuals

Type III: Partners seeking Africa RISING “branding”

Type I Partners: Conduct

farmer-driven research

(CGIAR centers, NARS,

Universities, Farmers)

Africa RISING

(1000s of farmers)

(10,000s – 100,000s of farmers)

Public sector: • Extension Program Areas • School programs • Media

Private Sector • Inputs (e.g., seeds)

• Markets (e.g., Export

Trade Group) • Media

USAID/TZ: NAFAKA USAID/MW: INVC

Type II Partners:

Scaling and delivery

Identifying opportunities for partnerships

Objective: “…seek collaboration of different

disciplines to forge partnerships so as to

integrate their research findings into best

practices for sustainable intensification of

farming systems, and enhance their scaling

and delivery”

1. Crops/Shrubs/Trees

1. Crops

2. Soil/Water

3. Livestock

4. Crop Soil √

5. Crop Livestock √

6. Soil Livestock √

7. Crop Soil Livestock √

4 5

6

7

markets/institutions, gender, policies,…

√= Program Research Niche: ESA Review & Planning Meet.: Oct 2012

…opportunities

Courting Research Partners Identify and select;

start from the:

• 64 scientists

• from 36 research

institutions

• that participated in10

Jumpstart projects, and

• invite them to write 3

Team (integration)

proposals for 2012/13

Rule of thumb:

• Attract expertise and

experience

• Integrate ideas and

activities

• Empower individuals,

teams and

organisations to

change for the better

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON CLIMATE CHANGE AND MULTI-

DIMENSIONAL SUSTAINABILITY IN AFRICAN AGRICULTURE

Current Practice

Innovation sequencing along the SI pathway(s):

Not an orderly “Performance Model”

P=G*E*M*L*M SI

System

Innovation sequencing

2012/13 Innovations – Babati Team:

•System characterization

•Crops- new varieties & management

•Fertilizer management

•Livestock fodders & land management

•Vegetable integration

•Mycotoxins management

•Post-harvest handling

•Poultry husbandry

•Linking farmers to markets

Teams: Babati

Kongwa & Kiteto Malawi

Zambia - later

Tanzania Malawi Zambia

R4D Platforms

Research Coordinator ICRAF CIAT LUANAR

DAES Dedza Ncheu

25 Communities

Development partners USAID projects, public & private sectors

MSU-Malawi

Not Shown

IITA-Project Coordinator

IITA-Chief Scientist

R&D Platforms

DAICOs Babati Kongwa Kiteto

11 communities

Babati Res. Coordinator

Development partners USAID projects, public & private sector

AVRDC ILRI CIMMYT CIAT ICRAF

UDOM ARI-H

IITA-Babati ICRISAT-K & K

TALIRI ARI-S SUA

Tanzania 2 Not Shown

ESA Project Management Structure

WP Linking farmers to markets

RO1 Characterization and synthesis

WP Crop management

WP Livestock and land management

WP Mycotoxin management

WP Post-harvest handling

WP Vegetable integration

WP Poultry husbandry

RO3 Scaling

Development partners, R4D

platforms, farmer groups

Landscape (erosion, watershed, grazing land,

forests

Markets

Building trust for integration: Babati Team 2013/14

Farm

Team integration discussions

RCTs

IITA, CIAT, ILRI, CIMMYT, AVRDC, MAFSCO, SARI, NM-AIST, SUA, TFNC, ARI-Naliendele, ARI-Selian, ARI-Mbeya, TALIRI, DAICOs, Malmo Univ, Univ. Tuskegee, BOKU-Tulln

Rationalized integration of activities…to increase within theme integration (Babati 2014/15)

Four research themes formed out of 8 WPs 1.Crop Management Efficiency that is addressing better management of nutrients and water.

2.Improved Livestock Feed that is addressing increasing quality and quantity of livestock feed (including poultry).

3.Vegetable Integration for improved household nutrition. 4. Food storage, Value addition and Mycotoxin management that is addressing reduced food waste and spoilage. Socio-economic realities embedded; calculations and modeling will be used to add physically disintegrated activities

Between theme integration – evidence from comms… Request:

I am writing to you to find out whether we (IITA mycotoxin team -Theme 4) can follow-up your fertilizer and maize variety trials in Babati (CIAT-Theme 1) to collect samples at harvest for mycotoxin analyses so that we can complement our data obtained from your similar trials of last season…. Reply: Your team sampled from the WP1 trials during the last season and you are very welcome to do the same this year…

International Conference on Climate Change and Multi-dimensional Sustainability in African Agriculture

June 3 – 5, 2015

Sustainable intensification in Mixed Crop-Livestock Agro-Ecosystems in the face of Climate Change: The Case for Tanzania

AFRICA RISING TEAM TANZANIA

JUNE 3-6, 2015

HILUX HOTEL, MOROGORO, TANZANIA

Open to emerging challenges & opportunities

Challenge(s):

Committed to addressing

unforeseen emerging agricultural

production challenges, e.g. MLND

Opportunities:

•Agreement with SIMLEZA

(CIMMYT/IITA) for strategic

collaboration in Eastern Province of

Zambia (2013).

•Host to a project on “Modelling the

impact of farm/field SI interventions on

landscapes and livelihoods...”;

implemented by MSU (2014).

•In the pipeline – host to or partner with

USAID supported Innovation Lab

Projects.

MLND damage at Mara Farm, Babati, and at

Ngaramtoni, Arusha (2013/14 Season –

Photo credit – B. Jumbo)

Tracking progress…

2012 2022

IITA Strategy map

Tracking progress…

2012 2022

IITA Strategy map

Africa RISING Yrs 1-2

•Site selection

•Characterization

•Partner building

•Design of research trials

•Implementation

•Partner MOUs

Tracking progress…

2012 2022

IITA Strategy map

Africa RISING Yrs 3-5

•Research refinement &

expansion

• Attractive technologies

• R4D & I Platforms

•Transfer research

outputs

…and planning for the future

2012 2022

IITA Strategy map

Africa RISING – Phase 2

Critical: Type II Partners

Motivating experiences

Observations:

1. Our research is with farmers

2. Farmers identify “choice”

innovations

3. Farmers come in large numbers on

field days

Questions:

1. Why do farmers host and/or

participate in field days in numbers?

2. What happens after that (adapt,

adopt)?

3. How may we scale the “choice”

technologies

During 2014-17, we shall (a) increase maize and rice yields by 50% per unit area, (b)

extend area under improved rice production innovations by 58,000ha, and (c) benefit

47,000 HHs with diversified innovations for improving food supply, income and land

quality

Africa RISING

Public sector: • ARIs – Mikocheni, KATRIN, Uyole,

Cholima, Ilonga, Hombolo, HORTI Tengeru

• CAMARTEC • Kilimanjaro Agric Training Centre • DAICOS

Private Sector: Intermech, Aminata Seeds, Mero Agrotech, ASA, NGOs , Farmers (ToTs)

USAID-Dev. Partner Program: NAFAKA &

sub-contractors: RUDI, FIPS, MVIWATA

AR Baby Project: Enhancing partnership among Africa RISING, NAFAKA and

TUBOCHA Programs for fast-tracking delivery and scaling of agricultural technologies in

Tanzania

Walking the impact pathway: Disseminating Africa RISING Outputs

Some lessons learned 1. Cultivate a good working relationship with the donor (USAID); (a) guide on

the boundaries of the partnership, (b) advocate for new resources and other

sources of support

2. Identify core team(s) of experienced individuals who are committed to

the project; they will help guide planning and implementing partnership

activities

3. Lead: be open to innovative ideas – listen, learn, seek advice.

4. Lead: be transparent but firm on direction

5. Minimize staff turnover; build trust and harmony

6. Regularize team meetings; e-meetings can work too.

7. Leverage support from the mother institution

8. Network with other organizations and programs for potential synergies

9. Communicate developments and achievements

10. Show appreciation

Acknowledgements

USAID IITA Project

Admin

The Researchers

PP Partners

The Farmers

Thank you