In 2012, the Food Systems Innovation (FSI) initiative was set up between four Australian organisations working to improve the impact of agriculture and food security programs in the Indo-Pacific region. The author was assigned to facilitate a stream of work in the partnership, working as an internal partnership broker in one of the four partner organisations, the Commonwealth Science and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).
Partnership brokering is needed to work out new ways of organising food systems that treat agricultural smallholders as a resource and opportunity rather than a problem or distraction. This is because food systems are demanding innovation in the way they are organised. This is a matter of transforming stakeholders into partners in order to reconfigure food systems to operate differently, rather than just operate more efficiently. Fundamental systemic changes are needed as our contemporary food system is failing to deliver the food we increasingly demand.
This assessment has been conducted over December 2015 to May 2016 under the Powering Agriculture Support Task Order (PASTO). PASTO is funded by USAID and implemented by Tetra Tech ES, Inc. PASTO provides support services to the Powering Agriculture: An Energy Grand Challenge for Development (PAEGC) and its Founding Partners to enable their effective management, monitoring and evaluation of the program.
The European Innovation Partnership for agricultural productivity and sustainability (EIP-AGRI), which can be perceived as a platform based on interaction among farmers, researchers, and advisors/extensionists, represents a useful tool for a better understanding of applied innovation processes.
In an effort to raise incomes and increase resilience of smallholder farmers and their families in Feed the Future1 (FTF) countries, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funded the Developing Local Extension Capacity (DLEC) project. This project is led by Digital Green in partnership with the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), CARE International (CARE) and multiple resource partners.
The Women’s Leadership Program in Paraguay is a three-year (2012-2015) higher education partnership between the National University of Asuncion’s School of Agricultural Sciences in Paraguay and the University of Florida (UF) in the United States.The program supports national and local development goals in Paraguay that promote gender equality and female empowerment in the agricultural sector.
The Agriculture Innovation Partnership (AIP) project, a Feed the Future (FTF) project implemented through partnerships between United States (US) land grant and Indian universities, was to improve the livelihoods of rural populations through several education-related activities to create technical innovations, teaching capacity, and develop extension links within Indian higher educational institutions. These innovations were intended to diversify agricultural productivity and strengthen rural development to be more responsive to local market demands
USAID’s Bureau for Food Security (BFS) commissioned this literature review to identify evidence or evidence gaps on innovation diffusion and the related field of market strategy for scaling up new technologies, particularly in the context of agriculture markets in relevant developing countries. The review is expected to inform the design of future BFS programming related to the scaling of agricultural innovations.
CBCMP II is aimed at strengthening the human and institutional capacity of Afghanistan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL). It also includes strengthening the linkages between MAIL, Provincial Directorates of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock and District Agriculture Offices.The primary objective is focused on improving the ministry’s institutional capacity by providing formal trainings and on the job training (coaching and mentoring) to civil servants in the target locations.
USAID’s Agribusiness and Trade Expansion Program (USAID-ATEP) aims to improve productivity and sales for farmers, processors, traders, and exporters in Ethiopia by improving agronomic practices, introducing value-added and productivity-enhancing technologies, promoting investment, establishing grades and standards, improving access to inputs, and upgrading infrastructure.
This quarterly report covers January to March 2010 (second quarter of PY 2010). Major achievements this quarter include: