“We have changed already since the CDAIS project started working with us” said Mrs Khammone Luanglath. “Because of the project, we have for example divided our responsibilities within the group and our profits have increased.” The CDAIS project is working with a group of organic vegetable growers in Tongmang village in Vientiane province, who produce for local markets.
A conceptual framework that promotes an integrated and comprehensive approach to Capacity Development for Agricultural Innovation Systems (CD4AIS Framework) was developed in Year 1 of the project. It argues that for innovations to emerge, functional capacities are needed. There are 4 functional capacities i.e. capacity to navigate complexity, to collaborate, reflect and learn and engage in strategic and political process. These capacities should be inherent within individuals, organisations, systems level (local and national level including policy systems).
The Newsletter of the Tropical Agriculture Platform (TAP) provides regular updates on global activities by TAP and its partners, on the EU funded CDAIS project (jointly implemented by FAO and Agrinatura) and on upcoming related events. This issue specifically refers to the period from January to May 2018.
These guidelines have been elaborated by the CDAIS project to organize policy consultations at national level. In particular, they can be used by project teams (e.g. project managers, facilitators, policy consultants) for the planning of national policy dialogue events to discuss policy related issues emerged during the local consultations at innovation partnership level and require attention of national policy makers.
These guidelines have been elaborated by the CDAIS project to organize policy consultations at innovation partnership level. They can be used by project teams (e.g. project managers, facilitators, policy consultants) to plan and conduct workshops with representatives of the innovation partnership to discuss policy related issues that hinder the innovation process in a particular partnership.
The second Action plan of the Tropical Agriculture Platform (TAP) covers the period 2018-2021. The draft Plan was presented at the fifth TAP Partners Assembly in Laos in September 2017, at which partners appointed a task force to finalise the Action Plan for review by the TAP Steering Committee and final approval by the TAP Partners’ Assembly. The goal of the second TAP Action Plan is to strengthen agricultural innovation capacities at country level.
From the Maya to modern times, beekeeping has been a much respected rural activity in Guatemala. Then in recent years, production increased and a national association was formed. But internal disagreements soon saw a fall in production and sales. Then thanks to CDAIS, producers across the country asked for and were given, a new space to gather. And there they rediscovered their common interests and goals, and have re-established their original organization, to excellent effect.
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.
Depuis de nombreuses années, des femmes créent leurs propres entreprises de transformation agro-alimentaire en valorisant des produits agricoles locaux et en mettant sur le marché des aliments originaux et accessibles aux populations urbaines. L’objectif du projet CDAIS est d’appuyer leur développement en renforçant leurs capacités à expérimenter et apprendre ensemble, ainsi qu’à négocier et contractualiser avec leurs fournisseurs et distributeurs.
On 5 May 2018, the Association for Integrated Development of the Altiplano became formally established, and avocado farmers celebrated. “Today, we are so happy to have consolidated our consortium of eight producer associations from different municipalities in Sololá” explains Don Andrés, community leader and lifelong farmer. “Farmers from San Andrés Semetabaj and other communities around Lake Atitlán began to talk about growing a new variety of avocado some time ago. But since the CDAIS project came, so many things have changed.