Prolinnova–Kenya has provided an update on its activities in 2016. These include:

i) implementation of two projects – Combining Local Innovative Capacity with Scientific Research (CLIC–SR) and Promoting local innovation in Food and Nutrition Security (Proli-FaNS);

ii) presentation of a paper at the Africa Symposium on Climate Change Adaptation in Ethiopia;

iii) various sharing, learning and planning meetings of the multi-stakeholder National Steering Committee (NSC) and Local Steering Committees in the action-learning sites;

iv) taking part in the Prolinnova International Partners Workshop in Senegal;

v) participation in selecting farmer innovations for the Program on Accompanying Research for Agricultural Innovation of the University of Bonn, Germany;

vi) partnership with the American NGO AGC (A Growing Culture) in developing a farmers’ library for food sovereignty, including a meeting in Uganda;

vii) award from the National Environment Trust Fund to farmer innovator Joe Ouku from the farmer self-help group Nyando District Dairy Goats Association.

The Quakers United Nations Office (QUNO) invited Prolinnova to participate in a global consultation on the role of the public sector in supporting small-scale farmers and agricultural biological diversity. This is the first in a series called “Dialogue to Action “ (DtA) that QUNO is organising with the goals of: a) Raising awareness amongst national and international policymakers that small-scale farmers and the agricultural biodiversity they develop and maintain are a foundational component of resilient, sustainable food systems both locally and globally, and, b) Creating tools and other inputs to support intergovernmental institutions and national policymakers to assist them in developing and advancing policies in support of small-scale farmers and agricultural biodiversity.

In order to stimulate policymakers and practitioners to recognise farmer innovation in agricultural research and development (ARD), partners in the Prolinnova network have been developing and using various methods and tools for advocacy and lobbying. One of these is the Farmer Innovation Fair. These guidelines reflect the network’s experiences in organising and hosting such fairs, with a focus on the experiences gained from the West African Farmer Innovation Fair held in Ouagadougou in May 2015, hosted by INADES-Formation Burkina and the PROFEIS (Promoting Farmer Experimentation and Innovation in the Sahel) multistakeholder platform in Burkina Faso:

Some guidelines for organising a Farmer Innovation Fair