PCT6

= Program coordination team meeting #6 = 10 November 2014 Venue: Ngurdoto Mountain Lodge, Arusha,Tanzania

PCT page

=Agenda= Ken D - IITA Peter T - ILRI Boni M - ILRI Wubalem D - ILRI Carlo A - IFPRI Irmgard H-Z - IITA Peter B - ILRI Jerry G - USAID

Ken Intro - reminder of the TOR of the PCT

= Overall action points =
 * Overall action points
 * USAID Update
 * Africa RISING Project update
 * Eastern and southern Africa and West Africa
 * Research update
 * Staff update
 * Work plans and priorities
 * The Ethiopian highlands
 * Research update
 * Staff update
 * Work plans and priorities
 * M & E update
 * Communication update
 * Scientific Advisory Committee
 * Learning Event
 * Next PCT meeting ,Date


 * || **Action** || **Status** || **Notes** ||
 * 1 || Finalise the regional logframes || WA Project document with logframe prepared but needs revision (IHZ). Ethiopia in preparation.

Once we have them; review annually. Use them into the annual/multi-annual planning cycles; use them to inform scientists. Good basis for any next phase proposals, any external evaluations (eg - the march 2015 external evaluation).

Need to make sure that this and other key documents are easy to access/listed thru website. || ESA - done WA - in progress (target: end Dec) ET - in progress (target: end Dec) ||
 * 2 || Update online events lists || See events list. Send updates to Simret

indicators meeting in san jose (11-13 Feb) 26 jan - feb 6; csisa site tours SI program area meeting (USAID-CIMMYT) India, BD. (Jerry) external evaluation of the program - target JUNE 2015 (jerry action) the HT march event - Ibadan Learning and M&E events - same as this year (roughly)

?late sep 2015 or later? - AR - 'scientific symposium' program event (not the regular review and planning) - link to preparing next phase. Combine with 'learning' and M&E events?

usual review and planning meetings

do we need something program wide engaging farmers??

2nd phase planning usaid external review regular review and planning science symposium learning and M&E events csisa / san jose / HT event project external review ESA project external review ET program 'reviews' stocktake

is there a way that training activities can include people from other countries, sometimes? ||  ||
 * 3 || Science Advisory Group || Second meeting to be held on 14 November 2014 following a field trip to Babati research sites (on 12th), Tanzania (IHZ)

1. maybe we better change the rules so SAG members go economy and get an honorarium (instead of the reverse at present). PT to follow up.

2. Make sure that each SAG meeting has closed and joint components. || First meeting 17-18 July || Ethiopia has person and implementation plan WA and ESA going to have a person (march 2015) ... then a plan; maybe desirable to share approach and learning ||  || We needs to be focused -Before USAID commission an external evaluators
 * 4 || Gender strategy || We already decided to use HT gender strategy for AR
 * 5 || SI framework and indicators || -We need few specific indicators for research projects, indicators that we could measure in the short project time

ESA and WA came up with suggestions for sustainability indicators to kick off discussion of appropriateness, measurability, etc. Discussion included MSU, USAID, and WU but did not yield agreement.

Powerpoint summary available for further diuscussion

AAAS Symposium (San Jose, CA, February 2015; Peter Thorne, Cheryl Palm, Sieg Snapp, Gordon Conway?). Possibility of an add on meeting (c. 15 - 20 participants to come up with a core list of indicators for cross project application). We submit candidates beforehand.

Added, and two separate session on Monday10/11 and Friday 14/11 (IHZ)

San Jose session and working group the main vehicle to take this agenda forward - leading to a draft framework in March/April 2015 ... ||  ||
 * 6 || Project and program reviews || It was suggested to have internally-commissioned project evaluations Before the USAID-commissioned external program evaluation (planned June 2015)

WA project evaluation took place September to October 2014. Ch. Okali was part of the review team. ToR were discussed with PCT and SAG.

ESA project evaluation is planned for February-March 2015.

Ethiopia project evaluation: Early 2015 (March?) For discussion.

after the project reviews are done, we would organize an internal stocktake/prep phase across the program

Action Jerry: try and get the external evaluation set for June 2015.

Action: Peter and Irmgard to decide dates of external reviews and team compositions. Desirable is some program-wide cross-over. Consider having a SAG member in each review team.

Undertake an internal examining/self-reflection of our program-wide activities (comms, M&E, governance, coordination, framework ...). Make a plan at the PCT of Feb 2015. Retreat after April? ||  ||
 * 9 || New fund allocation || IITA received notification for fiscal year October 2014-September 2015 (IHZ)

CONGRATS / spend spend spend ||  || For now, use the ILRI CKAN platform.Data sharing policy needs to be discussed. Need to make binding for researchers on the ground; also for partners.
 * 10 || Data management and sharing || Carlo 'just' shared latest version. To be discussed on Wednesday.

we need to comply with usaid (and cgiar) guidelines issue about partner data need to work through the access and sharing permissions and workflows, within AR, to the world. distinguish between metadata and actual data

Action: discuss and review second draft, here, more widely. Action: Each center to investigate their project contracts and policies for compliance with OA requirements of CGIAR and USAID ... Action: have each center's legal office check our AR draft guidelines ||  || =USAID Update= Enter MAJOR ongoing/planned and completed tasks
 * **Task** || **Status** || **Notes for PCT review** ||
 * Possible links with BMGF || Jerry in contact with various Gates staff to explore potential activities.

SI program identified as high priority for joint activities discussing links with CRP HT/DFID Ground up maybe more feasible than top down ||  || TZ project a great example / need to work more on other countries, eg Ghana (need to work with/thru eg IFDC maybe) Need to find ways to frame and present specific deliverables ... maybe potential with the Australians ... simlesa/simleza ... All the involved country usaid missions, except maybe ghana, good contacts Innovation platforms important with local partners ||  || =ESA Update= Enter MAJOR ongoing/planned and completed tasks
 * Funding for scaling up || Various opportunities via missions that we are exploring on a continuing basis.
 * SI Innovation Laboratory || KSU selected - Vara Prasad (vara@ksu.edu) ||  ||
 * **Task** || **Status** || **Notes for PCT review** ||
 * 2013 -2014 workplan and budget || implementation completed ||  ||
 * 2014-2016 workplans and budget || Workplans and budget are with Steering Committee for approval ||  ||
 * Technical report to USAID || Report for the period April to September 2014 is with Steering Committee for revision and suggestions. Will be submitted to USAID before end of November. ||  ||
 * Project document || Will be prepared before review in February (IHZ) ||  ||
 * IP establishment || R4D platforms in several locations ||  ||
 * New partnerships || USAID Africa Bureau has provided US$ 350k to IITA for contracting MSU to carry out a desk study with Zambian national partners to provide the scientific evidence base for the links between field and farm level SI interventions and climate change mitigation and biodiversity conservation. This is a 12-months project until March 2015. Follow up on-ground research is expected after evaluation of the study report. Project is implemented, inception workshops held. System Dynamics Model developed and introduced to partners during a workshop for feedback. Currently revised.

Concept note to the USAID mission in Tanzania is under preparation for scaling technologies for rice, maize, beans, vegetables, soil fertility (fertilizer), strengthening seed systems, post harvest handling (4.5-5m for 3 years).

Project approved ($2,000,000 for year 1), inception workshop and first management team meeting held end of October. Two staff positions advertised. Workplans currently finalized (IHZ) ||  || =WA Update= Enter MAJOR ongoing/planned and completed tasks
 * **Task** || **Status** || **Notes for PCT review** ||
 * Scientist visits to other countries || Did not take place due to lengthy preparation of new workplan; Visit of Mali scientists to Ghana planned for August has to be postponed

Visit of Mali scientists to Ghana cancelled. People felt exhausted after the project review. Now crops are mostly harvested.(IHZ) ||  || Prepared but needs revision - end of December 2014 ||  || Draft report received. ||  ||
 * Project document || under preparation, will be ready for the project evaluation
 * 2013-2014 Workplan implementation || ongoing (IHZ) ||  ||
 * Technical report to USAID || Currently under preparation for submission to Steering Committee. Will be sent to USAID before end of November (IHZ) ||  ||
 * IP establishment || Several R4D platforms set up / being set up ||  ||
 * External review || Took place during September and October, included field visits in Ghana and Mali and interviews with all relevant project staff and USAID missions,

=Ethiopia Update= Enter MAJOR ongoing/planned and completed tasks
 * **ask** ||< **Status** || **Notes for PCT review** ||
 * Value chain studies ||< Complete. Some reports available. Others currently being finalised. ||  ||
 * Meher season action research ||< c. 30 research protocols implemented across all sites after participant selection meetings. ||  ||
 * Other initiatives || Fertilizer project initial concept note approved, finalising proposal with mission (Ethiopia mission, led by ILRI)

Follow up with BMGF?

Good initial meetings with GAIN around nutrition (dairy and household nutrition; biofortification) ||  ||
 * Technical reports

October 2013 - March 2014 report

April-Sept 2014 report || In preparation ||  ||
 * IP establishment || Training of local facilitators in IP maintenance and comms tools; IPs established at different levels

IPs as potential locus for 'research on scaling'? ||  || =M&E Update= Enter MAJOR ongoing/planned and completed tasks Finalize data management plan by November (for PCT meeting)
 * Planning meeting ||< Early December 2014. Major focus on Meher season activities leading into an initial broad plan for scaling ||
 * **Task** || **Status** || **Notes for PCT review** ||
 * AR data management protocol

Actions: PMMT training in all countries/sites PMMT 2.0 and associated FTF indicators' aggregation (deadline met: October 31) PMMT update || ** 2nd draft done **
 * Prepared for discussion**

Data sharing
 * Done**
 * Completed**
 * Ongoing** ||  ||
 * AR baseline surveys (Implementation)

Data cleaning and documentation for Malawi, Tanzania, Mali, Ghana, and Ethiopia

Actions: Follow up with Zambia and Wageningen team (for SIMLEZA data access); with Thom Jayne (MSU) (for RALS data access) || **Completed**
 * Ongoing**


 * Data cleaning done**
 * Draft reports ongoing**

Wageningen team FAO: Memorandum of Understanding signed Vital Signs VS shared documentation on indicators, data use policy, shapefiles for TZ and Ghana
 * Ongoing, analysis in 2015 ** ||  ||
 * Collaborations:
 * Chief scientist to review VS agricultural intensification thread and select key indicators
 * IFPRI aligned AR control sites with Vital Signs sites in northern Ghana
 * But access to VS's household-level data can become a problem

Biosight/IAMM (water, land, ecosystem integration) || ** Done/ongoing **
 * Done**
 * Done **


 * Ongoing **
 * Done, data on 278 plots **
 * completed **

Talks b/n IFPRI Finance and IITA/IWMI for WA and ESA M&E coordinators (positions) SRA/Data Manager position advertised, applications being received || **ESA position offered to candidate ; **
 * Ongoing ** ||  ||
 * Update
 * WA canceled for lack of funds ** ||  ||   ||
 * Annual M&E meeting preparation and organization in Arusha || **Completed** ||  ||   ||
 * Paper on targeting and expected impact in Malawi submitted to ICAE and CSAE; abstract accepted for Humidtropics conference, paper in preparation || **Done** ||  ||   ||

=Comms Update= Enter MAJOR ongoing/planned and completed tasks Suggest regular review and update as part of each annual learning event (living document) || ELB: This is supposed to be addressed early this year again but is not strictly a 'Comms' item ||
 * **Task** || **Status** || **Notes for PCT review** ||
 * WA poster || under preparation ||  ||
 * Wiki usage guidelines || Not yet started || ELB: What is this? Clarify and I'm happy to help. The wiki structure and content have been majorly overhauled over the turn of the year ||
 * Briefs preparation and publication || **5 briefs have been prepared and shared for the different diagnostic approached used in the ETH highlands . another 5 brief on the research highlights are being finalized** ||  ||
 * Program framework || Version 1 published
 * IITA comms person for ARISING || Full time person now based in Ibadan ||  ||
 * **Virtual comms catchups** || Irregular || **there needs to be a discussion among the comms people during the learning event - it has been difficult to get most of the people for the monthly catch up** ||
 * **Half-yearly comms metrics/stats** ||  || http://africa-rising.wikispaces.com/webstats ||
 * || ongoing || Need regular stories from all regions. ELB: However for 2013 very balanced inputs from all regions (granted, thanks to the 3 posts about Ghana, otherwise WA would be lagging behind): 8 from ESA, 10 from Ethiopia, 10 from West Africa, 10 from program level. ||
 * Wiki gardening/management || regular || (ELB) Major update done on the wiki over the turn of the year. Data management and M&E pages have to follow (ELB in touch with M&E team about this shortly) and regional project pages need to be updated by respective comms officer with regional management's help. ||
 * Documents to CGSPACE || regularly updated || IITA to join cgspace training late october (tbc) ||
 * Use of yammer for internal updating || initiated || Needs wider promotion and buy-in. (ELB) This would be a useful topic to discuss properly in a PCT at some stage - we need a good platform to share information on a regular basis, it's not a 'nice to have' it's a 'non-negotiable' for a program which has to show strong integration across components, teams and regions... ||
 * Photo sharing on flickr || regularly updated || Simret to follow with Catherine and Katy - to inform partners to send four-five pictures with captions ||
 * Presentations shared on slideshare || regularly updated ||  ||
 * ARISING calendar updating || regularly updated ||  ||
 * Website revision || the website now has a new look, still open for comments ||  ||
 * wiki revision || we have revised the wiki || See above ||
 * **photo reports** || **this is a new format we use for the ETH project where reports of field trips are reported as photo reports (PPTs)- so far 4 has been prepared and shared through slide share - other projects could also adopt this format** ||  ||
 * **short video** || **a short video is under preparation for ETH on the changes being brought by our project -will be shared once this is final** ||  ||
 * **poster preparation** || **a poster on IP is prepared for ETH** ||  ||
 * **Photojournalist work Ethiopia** || **the photojournalist has started the work and completed the his first trip in Tigray region** ||  ||
 * **Learning Event 2014** || **organized in Tanzania, September** ||  ||
 * Next learning event || Virtual, discuss date and time ||  ||