esa_wa_strategic_planning

= Africa RISING ESA & WA projects joint strategic planning meeting =
 * 24 - 25 April 2018 **
 * Livingstone, Zambia **

Improved implementation of Africa RISING ESA and WA projects given the new donor context and requirements
 * Goal ** :


 * Objectives ** :
 * To reflect on the research agenda
 * To review the implementation strategy
 * To identify critical technical and operational issues
 * To develop solutions to overcome the issues

1. Phase 2 proposal stock-taking
 * Agenda **
 * Reflections on farming systems research in Africa RISING.
 * Are we addressing the right research questions with the right activities? WAS NOT DISCUSSED.
 * What relevant research-in-development gaps do we still have and how can we close them?
 * What steps can we take to have more overt youth involvement in Africa RISING R-in-D activities?

2. Relevance of research outputs
 * How can we make ESA & WA research outputs regionally relevant?
 * How do we provide evidence of the project’s beneficiaries and the impact of our technologies?

3. ESA & WA project structure
 * Is the current project structure working for us? What are the existing gaps/challenges?
 * How can we strengthen it and make it more responsive to what we need to deliver?

4. Scaling
 * Are the approaches we have taken so far going to guarantee us reaching our target numbers? What other efforts do we have to make?
 * Do we have a sufficiently robust screening process in place to give us confidence that our technologies are scalable and have no negative impact? Do we need a checklist for assessing scalability of technologies?
 * How can we mitigate potential negative consequences of our technologies?

5. Cross learning
 * What opportunities exist for cross-learning between the ESA & WA research projects?
 * Prioritize the opportunities for cross-learning.

6. Effective partnerships
 * What are the leadership and management challenges in our geographic teams and how can we address them?
 * Partner reporting quality and timeliness. What long term mechanisms can we put in place to improve this?

7. Reflections & any other business


 * Background materials **
 * Africa RISING phase 2 umbrella proposal
 * Africa RISING East and Southern Africa project phase 2 proposal
 * Africa RISING West Africa project phase 2 proposal
 * Africa RISING East and Southern Africa phase 2 project log frame
 * Africa RISING West Africa phase 2 project log frame


 * Participants: **Asamoah Larbi, Mateete Bekunda, Gundula Fischer, Irmgard Hoeschle-Zeledon, Lieven Claessens, Francis Muthoni, Haroon Sseguya, Christopher Mutungi, Jonathan Odhong’, Bekele Kotu.

NOTES

Morning [start 8:30] // Agenda 1: Phase 2 proposal stock-taking // //__ Process: __//
 * __Day 1__** [24 April]
 * //__Bullet point 1:__ A 15-minute presentation by// //Lieven// //Claessens to stimulate discussion about Farming Systems Research in Africa RISING, followed by some discussions and brainstorming [in plenary] about the ideas from his presentation.//
 * // __Bullet point 2 & 3:__ A diluted world Café process. 2 tables (without table leaders) to focus on bullet point 2 and 3 //// (topical area). 2 revolving teams. 2 stops for each group. Structured debrief at the end of the rotations //// about each topical area - discussion & prioritization by the whole group of the ideas generated. //
 * // __Bullet point 4:__ 1-2-3 for all reflection about bullet point 4, points from each group of 3 noted down on flip charts and then reflected on by the collective group. //

Mid-morning [10:30] // Agenda 1 cont’d //

Afternoon [14:30] // Agenda 2: Relevance of research outputs // //__ Process: __ Idea storm exercise. Two flip charts hanging on the wall. Packs of card’s (different colors) on the table for people to write down their ideas on and post to the flip charts where everybody can see them. No censoring of ideas. // //Crazy ideas are welcome.// //No discussion or comment on others' ideas during the brainstorming part of this session. End the exercise by doing some structured thinking and organizing the ideas.//

Late afternoon [15:30] // Agenda 3: ESA & WA project structure // //__ Process: __ Open discussion around the table of the first bullet point item. Start with a structured go-around for everybody to raise issues/challenges/gaps with current AR WA/ESA structure. End the exercise with general discussion and consensus building about how to address each of the issues raised [what is within our control]. Have someone taking notes on the flip chart to note issues raised and how to handle them. //

End of day [17:30]

Morning [start 8:30] // Agenda 4: Scaling // //__ Process: __// //A roving ideastorm excercise. 3 flipchart stands. Participants to rove the room freely, list ideas on any of the topics for discussion, they can also avoid those they wouldn’t like to contribute to/have nothing to say on. General discussion by the whole group on the topics raised and agreements on way forward.//
 * __Day 2__** [25 April]

Mid-morning [10:30] // Agenda 5: Cross learning // //__ Process: __// //Paired listening exercise. Participants go into pairs and discuss individual views about inter-regional cross-learning, identify potential areas for cross-learning and list them (1-2 top ideas) on cards and then pin them up on flip chart at the end of the exercise. Do a prioritization by the whole group – immediate, mid-term and log-term.//

Afternoon [14:30] // Agenda 6: Effective partnerships // //__ Process: __ Open discussion around the table of the first bullet point item. Start with a structured go-around for everybody to raise issues/challenges/gaps with leadership and management within the regional teams. End the exercise with general discussion and consensus building about how to address each of the issues raised [what is within our control]. Have someone taking notes on the flip chart to note issues raised and how to handle them. Repeat process for the second bullet point. //

Late afternoon [15:30] // Agenda 7: Any other business // //__ Process: __ Structured-go around for all participants to raise AoB. //

End of day [17:30]

__**Day 3**__ [26 April] Team building - a separate agenda will be shared.

__**Day 4**__ [27 April] Team building - a separate agenda will be shared.