ET_2012_R&P_Partners_Reflections

= Ethiopian Highlands Annual Review and Planning meeting = Go back to the event agenda
 * 17-18 September 2012 **
 * Info centre break out room, ILRI Ethiopia, Addis Ababa **

Partners reflections about the plans
// External partners were invited to reflect upon what they discussed, saw and heard to give some advice to the Africa RISING project team. //

// **Summary**: //
 * // Africa RISING remains quite unclear. //
 * // What might be missing in the current program: perennials, fruit trees, fodder, soil considerations... //
 * // Involving women has to be emphasized more strongly. //
 * // The project needs a clear definition of what sustainable intensification is. //
 * // The involvement of the Ministry of Agriculture and EIAR is critical - so is the alignment with CAADP, Feed The Future etc. //
 * // Since all projects are CGIAR-led it needs to be clear how budget will be split with partner organizations. //
 * // There are fit partnership opportunities with e.g. the REDEF platform, the Australian Council for Food Security. //
 * // Perhaps Africa RISING could be involved in setting up a national level research platform. //

**Discussion**:
 * I'm not very clear about Africa RISING.
 * I expected more about the results of the quick win project activities - maybe this comes when the framework is finalized.
 * As an external partner, I hope that perennial crops will have more important a place - I'm missing the perennial part.
 * Coffee-based perennials need to be taken into account --> Maybe there hasn't been much focus on this kind of crops because it's focusing on food security, not export crops.
 * Involving women will be important.
 * In cereal-based systems we need support from fruit trees.
 * The impetus of this program is about sustainable intensification - I didn't hear much about the definition for this now.
 * The soil sustains people. What I really hope could come out of this is that through these surveys, research is nested and that we can pull out the agronomic recommendations for the different crops in the regions. Sustainable intensification in the longer term is an issue - how to bring that in to protect natural resources. Perhaps it's a good thing not to know exactly right now, if it's too top-down it doesn't really work.
 * The Ministry of Agriculture feeds grassroots. When we think of improving the whole system including extension, we need to involve the Ministry, regional and woreda and kebele bureaus of agriculture.
 * In terms of conservation agriculture, people use their remains for livestock - we have to strengthen the fodder components to boost the sibling production of fodder species. The crop residues may then have a chance to go back to the soil and the manure...
 * As any initiative coming as a new project, it has to fit the broader spectrum of Feed the Future initiatives, the CAADP, the country research strategy etc. and ATA is supposed to solve strategic problems of this country. We have to work together and align our targets, be transparent, work with research people on the ground for the sustainability (projects come and go)... We need strategic issues from the projects and the implementation is left up to the government. It would be advisable to work with these research people.
 * Africa RISING should work with the USAid mission, we have lots of ideas. We have divided the country in 3: productive, pastoral and hungry Ethiopia. This project focuses on productive Ethiopia. The project has to be demand-driven because it focuses on smallholder farmers.
 * This project is contributing anyway. It's not going to solve all the problems of this country. The contribution should be systematic and we have to learn from the past.
 * What is different about Africa RISING against other sustainable intensification compared with SIMLESA, AGRA etc.? I like the 3-tier research framework approach.
 * Funding: What is the reason of the absence of governmental agencies? Every project in Africa RISING is led by CGIAR centres. It has been very participatory so far but we need to hear how the funds will be distributed. Perhaps we could have a quote about which type of orgs will be receiving funds (CG, NARS, CRSPs)...? In CRSPs we have to use 50% of our funding in cross-country activities - but funding here has been fuzzy.
 * What we discussed this morning relates to integrating learning and how to implement this project. Farmers are doing many things to have better impact. How can we collaborate to make a difference so that people can change their life through their own effort? Sharing responsibilities and duties among partners. Every institution will have its responsibilities. Intervention woredas could also serve this purpose. If you focus on certain areas we can can make a difference.
 * We have development efforts - REDEF platform about food security which 22 donors and Government attend to review the Government's plans and attempts. Similarly, if there is a research platform at national level for all researchers to discuss issues and share experiences among themselves, it would be valuable.
 * The council for Food Security is interested in collaboration with Africa RISING.

You're coming here and now with a big challenge because you didn't have a great deal of information. There were a few loose ends to tie up that we identified today. We're up against the time and we need to get activities started. After today we're in much better shape to establish critical partnerships with existing and new partners. It's always difficult this donor-driven need for results. We're in a good position now. We have a number of concrete results from these early win projects. In the next 3 to 6 weeks are critical. The team here needs to get some better definitions for e.g. sustainable intensification, demand-driven... Once we get to concrete activities, we will see more opportunities and gaps to fill. Now is the time to get concrete activities underway. The national research system engagement is critical.
 * Comments Jerry**:

Partnerships with NARS in the early win projects were good. Finding differences between Africa RISING and other projects: we're taking a different projects with our livelihood lense on household focus (SIMLESA takes a farming system perspective on technical issues around conservation agriculture). The research platform idea could be very useful.

The scope of the project is affected by the relatively small budget of this research project compared with development, health or nutrition projects. We need to make suer our funding is not swamped by other projects. That's why we've been careful in the past 9 months for scoping, consultation. We're in a good spot, we have our niche. Thanks to Peter and national programmes.

I'm very grateful for your views. We didn't get round to giving more information on the quick win projects. You can find more information on the wiki about it. What is the unique selling point of Africa RISING is the system-wide approach. We want to inform our research by systems analysis. All projects led by CGIAR - that's true but we're looking at this Ethiopian Highland project as one project led by ILRI but with strong involvement of important organizations. For some research components there might be different agencies in charge, depending on skills. That's how I'd like to see it work, however challenging it is. (Jerry: The more traditional way of funding CGIAR would not have required the same level of engagement. We want to guarantee multi-donor involvement). Ideas about activities fitting broader initiatives etc. need to be identified.
 * Comments Peter**:

We want to do research that contributes to development outcomes. We have some ideas as scientists but when coming across people with more development experience we get a reality check. We want to build strong partnerships with your organizations as part of this project and need to clarify the status of our relationships with national partners. Over the next week or so we have to finalize the research process, move forward on the site selection and all of that done in close consultation with national partners. We're looking forward to comments and feedback from all of you, this is only the beginning.

Q: When will you launch the full-fledged project? A: In Ethiopia, it will start over 3-4 weeks.