This document is about a session of the Second Global Conference on Agricultural Research for Development (GCARD2), which was held in Punta del Este, Uruguay, in 2012. The session focused on how to strengthen institutional capacities as well as multi-disciplinary and multi-organizational networking, including through improved policies, management practices, structures and incentives, so that institutions become more adaptive and responsive, as well as more effective in linking farmers, research, education, extension and development actors.
The design of capacity development interventions is a crucial phase in the capacity development (CD) for agricultural innovation systems (AIS) cycle of the TAP Common Framework. Intervention planning follows from and builds on the visioning exercises and needs assessments carried out beforehand. Options for CD interventions will depend on the country context, ongoing programmes and funding opportunities. Prioritization should also include identification of activities that can take off immediately.
Smallholder banana farmers are beginning to understand that their old farming methods are contributing to the planet's drying up or suffocating in fields of garbage. They are convinced that they have to change their ways for the good of their farms, their communities, and their children. But what really drives them to adopt new and sustainable practices? What will ensure they continue to do so?
Communication is a crucial part of facilitating the process of innovation within an innovation platform. It comprises a broad range of practices and approaches which include information management, publishing, use of information and communication technologies, communication for development, knowledge sharing and knowledge management. Its goal is not just to produce or disseminate more information, but rather to use communication processes to power changes identified by the platform.
Vertical linkages occur among innovation platforms organized at different levels: community, district and national. Horizontal linkages occur among platforms situated at the same level (e.g. in multiple districts) to strengthen their bargaining position or for learning. This brief discusses ways to facilitate learning and problem solving across innovation platforms at different levels (vertical linkages) and between initiatives located at the same level (horizontal linkages). It is available in Chinese, English, Hindi, Thai and Vietnamese.
The International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) implements participatory monitoring and evaluation (PM&E) systems as a means of strengthening learning, self-reflection and facilitating institutional learning and change (ILAC) processes within Research and Development (R&D) institutions and local communities in Africa.
Following their first formation in Indonesia over 25 years ago, Farmer Field Schools (FFS) have served as a “proof of concept” of how transformative learning can help governments, donors and development stakeholders achieve development objectives. The FFS approach, which has now been used in more than 90 countries by more than 12 million small farmers (FAO, 2016), not only creates a space in which the practical needs of smallholders to solve production-related issues can be addressed but also fosters personal and community-level transformation through empowerment.
El Programa Territorios Productivos (PTP) se diseñó para potenciar la productividad, la producción y los ingresos de los hogares en condición de pobreza, que habitan en municipios y localidades en donde los pequeños productores y campesinos tienen un peso social y económico preponderante. La estrategia consiste en fortalecer la organización de los participantes a nivel local y territorial, para que a través de ella puedan realizar un conjunto de inversiones dirigidas a resolver cuellos de botella de los principales ejes de la economía del territorio en que ellos participan.
En los últimos años, han surgido nuevas oportunidades que permiten que las organizaciones de investigación adopten prácticas innovadoras que fomentan la gestión y el intercambio del conocimiento, tanto a nivel interno como entre sus respectivas redes.
Este documento contiene una descripción resumida de la participación de Catholic Relief Services en la Alianza de Aprendizaje de Centroamérica, el proceso que se desarrolló en esta primera fase de funcionamiento y los principales resultados alcanzados, así como las lecciones aprendidas, las limitantes y las dificultades enfrentadas