A Training Workshop for Trainers in Results-Based Monitoring & Evaluation (RBM&E) was held at Adama from 02 to 05 July of 2012. This Workshop was jointly organized by the Oromia Bureau of Agriculture (OBoA) and Improving Productivity and Market Success (IPMS) project upon the request from OBoA. This is the 6th training workshop and it is part of the capacity building program that IPMS provided for the four regions where the project was operating and for federal MoA. Twenty two trainees (19 males and 3 females) have been trained with full attendance.

Upon a request from Jimma University, IPMS conducted four days Training of Trainers Workshop on Results-Based Monitoring & Evaluation to the University staff. The training workshop was organized jointly by the University and ILRI-IPMS from January 16-19, 2012 at the College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine campus, Jimma. Thirty one participants drawn from different departments (Animal Science, Economics, Accounting, Information Science, Statistics, Epidemiology, Management, Rural development & Agricultural extension etc.) have attended.

The evidence base on agri-food systems is growing exponentially. The CoSAI-commissioned study, Mining the Gaps, applied artificial intelligence to mine more than 1.2 million publications for data, creating a clearer picture of what research has been conducted on small-scale farming and post-production systems from 2000 to the present, and where evidence gaps exist.

A range of approaches and financial instruments have been used to stimulate and support innovation in agriculture and resolve interlocking constraints for uptake at scale. These include innovation platforms, results-based payments, value chain approaches, grants and prizes, incubators, participatory work with farmer networks, and many more.

Innovation for sustainable agricultural intensification (SAI) is challenging. Changing agricultural systems at scale normally means working with partners at different levels to make changes in policies and social institutions, along with technical practices. This study extracts lessons for practitioners and investors in innovation in SAI, based on concrete examples, to guide future investment.

A huge increase in investment in innovation for agricultural systems is critical to meet the Sustainable Development Goals and Paris Climate Agreement. Most of this increase needs to come from reorienting existing funding for innovation. However, understanding whether an investment will fully promote environmentally sustainable and equitable agri-food systems can be difficult.

Finance is a key lever for turning agriculture from a potential source of environmental harm and social inequity to a driver of conservation and social inclusiveness. Private and public sector funding for farmers to combat climate change and protect and restore nature (‘Paying for Nature’) is rapidly increasing. Yet this new funding may not reach its aims without drastically improving farm-level reward mechanisms.

By 2050, it is projected that nearly 70% of the global population will live in urban areas – up from 55% today. How can towns and cities be fed sustainably? And what does this urban growth mean for innovation priorities? A study of urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA), commissioned by CoSAI, addressed these questions.