Although it is not always acknowledged, power differences between partners fundamentally affect Agricultural Research for Development (ARD) partnerships. In referring to its African-European ARD partnerships, PAEPARD has often alluded to aspects of power without naming them as such. The project was established to create “equitable and balanced partnerships” between: a) researchers and research users, and b) African and European partners.
Inclusion is a key issue for Agricultural Research for Development (ARD). Development goals in and of themselves call for better livelihoods and opportunities for the less privileged actors working in agriculture. They also call for greater equity and balanced representation of the population at an institutional level. This brief focuses on how ARD processes can more sensitively address gender relations and youth issues. Women and young people have distinctive needs and interests which can be less visible within broader “Producer Organizations”, for example.
Chickpea is an important crop in Ethiopia, but yields and grain quality remain poor. To help unlock the full potential, CDAIS has supported the value chain around the northern city of Gondar since 2016, in partnership with the N2Africa project. As a result of new platforms, experience sharing and developing a combination of new organisational skills and behavioural change, research and extension support services stopped telling and started listening, and joined forces in innovating together with farmers.
Centred on a reservoir and irrigation scheme for livestock keepers and crop producers, the core objective of CDAIS Rwangingo catchment was to promote fair, effective and efficient use of water, as well asconflict management through collaboration among users. It stimulated a partnership framework among water users, service providers (including extensionists, input suppliers and water users organisations ) and supporters (Agri projects, enablers).
This tool helps the design of comprehensive capacity development interventions aimed at strengthening mainly functional capacities. The purpose of this tool is to provide an overview of the different options in terms of capacity development modalities that an innovation partnership can consider while developing the action plan.
This tool is designed for reviewing the partnership to assess whether it is achieving the goals of the individual actors or partner organisations. It is essentially a ‘health check’ of the innovation partnership. This tool can offer an opportunity to the partners to reflect on the value of the partnership from their own organization’s perspective. It also helps to assess what-if any- changes would improve the effectiveness of the partnership and to agree as a group to any revisions to the partnership agreement taking into account the findings of the review process.
A complex systems approach to innovation provides rich insights into the drivers, barriers, and key elements for innovation in rural systems. Through a case study of dry direct seeding (DDS) in smallholder systems in Laos, this article reveals a “perfect storm” of challenges and opportunities resulting in rapid adoption. Labour shortage, climate variability, and machinery availability are key factors.
Entre 2016 y 2017, la Dirección Nacional de Extensión Agropecuaria (DNEA) de Costa Rica coordinó un proceso de diálogo y consulta dentro de la institución y con otras entidades relacionadas con la extensión y la innovación agropecuaria, con el acompañamiento de la FAO, la CEPAL y consultores asociados a la Red Latinoamericana de Servicios de Extensión Rural (RELASER), para desarrollar un nuevo enfoque de los procesos de acompañamiento técnico y fortalecimiento de capacidades de los productores agropecuarios, con el fin de crear sistemas intensivos en información y conocimiento.
En el primer capítulo de este documento se describe el contexto económico, la producción y los rendimientos históricos, la producción, el comercio mundial del café y los precios. El segundo capítulo analiza la producción de café en la República Dominicana, e incluye secciones sobre la fenología de la planta de café, enfermedades, las características de la producción en la República Dominicana, los sistemas de producción, el sector industrial, el contexto social y ambiental de la producción de café y las políticas regionales y nacionales.