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  • Learning in innovation systems in South Africa

    In South Africa (SA), the Prolinnova network is linked with the EU-funded JOLISAA (Joint Learning in Innovation Systems in African Agriculture) project through Brigid Letty, Institute of Natural Resources, coordinator of Prolinnova–SA and member of the JOLISAA–SA team. At a JOLISAA-SA workshop in late January 2012, extension agents and researchers involved in three cases of innovation

  • Strengthening local resilience to climate change: the role of grassroots adaptation and PID

    Prolinnova contribution to study day on strengthen local resilience to climate change

    On 25 January 2012, Laurens van Veldhuizen from the Prolinnova International Secretariat attended a study day on community-based adaptation to climate change organised  by Germany-based Misereor. In his presentation, he shared the findings of the initial work on local innovation and climate-change adaptation undertaken by partners in Nepal, Niger and Ethiopia and outlined how a participatory innovation development (PID) approach can help strengthen local adaptive capacities. His PowerPoint presentation - incorporating some of the comments and findings from the discussions during the study day - can be found here.

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  • Learning in innovation systems in Kenya

    In Kenya, the Prolinnova network and the EU-funded JOLISAA (Joint Learning in Innovation Systems in African Agriculture) project are jointly coordinated by Teresiah Ng'ang'a, based in KARI (Kenya Agricultural Research Institute). At a JOLISAA-Kenya workshop in November 2011, farmers, extension agents and researchers involved in 2 cases of innovation in Baringo District – controlling the invasive weed Prosopis and producing soap from Aloe – learned how to explore jointly the innovation processes and the linkages between all actors. In the next months, the workshop participants will involve still more local actors and university students to assess the cases more deeply and draw lessons about innovation for practice and policy. The workshop report brings initial findings about the 2 cases and about the joint learning during the workshop.

  • Mapping CSOs in agricultural research in Africa

    Some Kenyan and international members of the Prolinnova network attended the INSARD (Including Smallholders in Agricultural Research for Development) workshop held on 19 November 2011 in Nairobi, Kenya. INSARD is an EU-funded project seeking to increase the voice of smallholders in decision-making about ARD, including funding, in Africa. The participants reflected on outcomes of a study by Mutizwa Mukute and Tafadzwa Marange of Zimbabwe, who inventorised African and European NGOs and farmer organisations involved in ARD. They also identified ARD agenda-setting bodies and donors, and opportunities for civil-society organisations (CSOs) to influence their decisions. The mapping study and the workshop report in English and French can be found on the INSARD website.

  • Assessing impact of grassroots innovation: Prolinnova–SA paper at GLOBELICS

  • Prolinnova at CTA conference: innovation in agricultural extension

    The experience of Prolinnova partners in piloting Local Innovation Support Funds (LISFs) was presented at a session on “Learning networks” at the international conference "Innovations in Extension and Advisory Services" held in Nairobi, Kenya, on 15-18 November 2011. The conference was organised by CTA (Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU) and GFRAS (Global Forum on Rural Advisory Services) to review current policies, thinking and practice in agricultural advisory services and to build a coalition of farmers, development practitioners and policymakers to meet the needs of smallholder farmers.

  • Farmer Innovation matinees at international days in Cameroon

    In mid-October 2011 in Yaoundé, Prolinnova–Cameroon celebrated farmers' innovativeness during three international days: the Rural Women’s Day (15 October), the World Food Day (16 October) and the International Day for Eradication of Poverty (17 October). As part of their process of identifying and giving recognition to local innovations and innovators, Prolinnova–Cameroon facilitated “Farmer Innovation Matinees”, where farmer innovators presented their work. Also GLEN (Global Education Network) interns from France and Germany presented local innovations that they had recorded.

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  • Farmer-managed research funds highlighted at farmer organisation meeting

    The Prolinnova International Secretariat presented experiences with piloting Local Innovation Support Funds (LISFs) to representatives of African farmer organisations, European civil society organisations, research and the private sector at a workshop in Brussels, Belgium, on 27 September 2011. The workshop was organised by the Belgian NGO Collectif Stratégies Alimentaires (CSA) in the framework of PAEPARD (Platform for African-European Partnership in Agricultural Research for Development). During this meeting, participants explored the roles and complementarities of farmer organisations and other stakeholders in ARD in Africa. CSA invited Prolinnova to bring in the LISF as an example of a mechanism through which smallholder farmers can influence funding, governance and choice of topics in ARD. The PPT presentation “Farmers call the tune: toward a farmer-governed approach to ARD through LISFs” is available as a PDF file.

  • Training for farmer-led participatory innovation in Cameroon

    Prolinnova-Cameroon – the most recently established Country Platform (CP) to promote farmer-led participatory innovation development (PID) – organised a PID training workshop on 21-23 July 2011 in Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon. A total of 18 people (14 men and 4 women) from five local NGOs and professional associations took part. The workshop was facilitated by Professor Paul Tchawa of Yaoundé University I, who had coordinated an earlier programme in Cameroon with a similar purpose: to promote participatory technology development that builds on Indigenous Soil and Water Conservation (ISWC) practices.

    The participants were trained in participatory research and development techniques according to the following programme: identification of farmer innovations and innovators, analysis and prioritisation of local innovations, PID in theory, experience in PID in practice (the night paddock), main Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) tools needed for PID, visit to the farmer innovator Léonard Enama, and developing an action plan for PID in Cameroon.

  • Prolinnova–Tanzania hosted IPW in March 2011

    Prolinnova–Tanzania hosted IPW in March 2011The annual International Partners Workshop (IPW) was hosted on 21–25 March 2011 by the Prolinnova–Tanzania National Steering Committee and the coordinating NGO PELUM–Tanzania (www.prolinnova.net/tanzania). About 30 people from Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe took part. It was preceded by a “writeshop” on experiences made by eight of the Prolinnova Country Platforms (CPs), including the one in Tanzania, in piloting Local Innovation Supports Funds (www.prolinnova.net/lisf). 

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