Several posters have been created on the occasion of the 5th TAP Partners Assembly (Laos, 20-22 September 2017) to show recent activities and achievements in the eight pilot countries of the CDAIS project.
Esta guía del Proceso de Acompañamiento fue preparada bajo el proyecto Desarrollo de Capacidades para Sistemas de Innovación Agrícola (CDAIS), una asociación global (Agrinatura, FAO y ocho países piloto) que tiene como objetivo fortalecer la capacidad de los países y las partes involucradas para innovar en sistemas agrícolas complejos y así lograr mejores medios de vida en las zonas rurales. CDAIS utiliza un enfoque de ciclo de aprendizaje continuo para apoyar los sistemas nacionales de innovación agrícola en ocho países de África, Asia y América Central.
“When I first heard about the CDAIS project two years ago, I knew immediately that it was just what our group of farmers was looking for” explains Edgar Somacumbi. “We have land, seeds, tractors and all the equipment we want, and a processing plant. But moving from being farmer to agro-entrepreneurs is a complex process and requires new skills. And this is where we needed help.” CDAIS is now supporting a group of farmers to improve how they organise themselves and to help them find solutions to their problems.
Individual farmers often receive low prices for their harvest, and pineapple producers in Bangladesh are no exception. To help them, CDAIS facilitated a series of meetings and coaching. Starting with a capacity needs assessment workshop in April 2017, a coaching plan was developed to meet capacity gaps identified by the partnership of pineapple producers, complete with an action plan. The partnership also participated in a ‘marketplace’ event in Dhaka, a regional policy dialogue and two phases of capacity-building training. The result?
Today, entering Trishal, Mymensingh on the road from Dhaka, one sees rows of fish ponds. One after the other, they show a massive diversification from rice to fish cultivation in recent years, and an intensification of production. The tradeoffs between green crops and silver fish appear to be clear, as ever more farmers see the benefits in terms of profits and returns, and make the move into fish farming.
The CDAIS ‘marketplace’ to promote agricultural innovations in Burkina Faso took place on July 6th 2017 in Ouagadougou. It was a rich event involving more than 80 people who are working directly with, or interested in working with, different partnerships. The marketplace allowed stakeholders in the six selected niches to get to know and develop relationships with suppliers of agricultural support services. It also provided an opportunity for service suppliers and other participants to show their interests in accompanying the niches on their respective journeys…
For many years, rural women have been creating their own agri-food processing companies, that promote local agriculture by bringing to the market original foods in products that are accessible to urban populations. The aim of CDAIS is to support their development by strengthening their capacities to experiment and learn together, as well as to negotiate and make contracts with suppliers and traders. And Dakoupa in Bobo Dioulasso is one of many small family businesses supported by CDAIS through the women-led agri-food processing microenterprise innovation partnership.
“Thanks to the money I earn from producing organic vegetables, this helps with the costs of schooling my children. I also feed my family with healthy food, and don’t buy any vegetables at the market anymore” says Clarisse Ilboudo, a farmer in the Koubri women’s group, Kadiogo province, Burkina Faso. The Koubri women group is supported through ‘Bio SPG’, a national organic agriculture label based on a participatory guarantee system approach, supported by the CDAIS project as one its innovation niche partnership.
Le premier Marché des Innovations Agricoles (MIA) au Burkina Faso a eu lieu le 6 juillet 2017 à l’hôtel Laïco, à Ouagadougou. Il s’est tenu à « guichet fermé » : seuls les fournisseurs de service support à l’innovation et les bailleurs pré-identifiés par l’équipe du projet CDAIS comme étant pertinents pour renforcer les capacités des acteurs des Situations d’Innovation Localisées (SIL) ont été invités à y participer.
“Grâce à mon travail de productrice de légumes biologiques, je peux participer aux dépenses liées à l’éducation des enfants et aussi nourrir ma famille de produits sains. Je n’achète plus aucuns légumes au marché” dit Clarisse Ilboudo, productrice au sein du groupement de femmes de Koubri, province du Kadiogo, Burkina Faso.