The Africa RISING project in
Ethiopia
Peter Thorne
ILRI Ethiopia Projects meeting
Addis Ababa, 11 March 2013

Overview
www.feedthefuture.gov

Feed the Future
Research Strategy
3 Major
Research
Programs
Research in
key farming
systems
Integrated
Program for Policy Program for Safe Cross-
Research and Support and Nutritious Foods Cutting
Programs
Program for Human and
Institutional Capacity Building 3

Key geographies:
• Guinea Savannah in
West Africa
• Maize-mixed systems in
East and Southern Africa
• Ethiopian highlands

The bigger picture
• Alignment with CAADP priorities
• Coordination with other donors
• Alignment with USAID mission investments
• The Impact Imperative: What can we do now?
• An R&D model (coordination, alignment, and
integration with impact) that is scalable and
adaptable

Management
structure
External
Program Coordination Team
Science Advice
(IITA, ILRI, IFPRI, USAID)
Mechanism
Communications Team Monitoring and Evaluation
(ILRI, USAID) Team(IFPRI)
West Africa Project
Ethiopian Highlands Project E&SA Project
Steering Committee
Steering Committee (ILRI) Steering Committee (IITA)
(IITA)

Early Win Projects
 “Quick Feeds” – ILRI / ICARDA / EIAR / ORARI
 “Quick Water” – IWMI / ILRI / Addis Ababa,
Bahir Dar, Arba Minch Universties
 “Quick Trees” – ICRAF / ILRI / EIAR / Mekele
University
 “Quick Pulses” – ICARDA / EIAR / ORARI / Farm
Africa
 Research Design – CIMMYT / ILRI
7

M&E
Nutrition
Gender
RO 1 RO 2
Situation Integrated
analysis and systems
program-wide improvement
synthesis
RO 3 Policy
Scaling and
delivery

Household
Innovation generated
management strategies
by researchers
of peer group
A
Institutions d Markets
a
Human p
Knowledge
capacity t brokers
a
Access to NRs t Policies
i
o
n
Current household Improved household
management strategy management strategy

Endogenous  Driver of Innovation  Exogenous
Research component 1 Research component 4
Review of best
System characterisation and analysis technology / “Action research”
management
Community options
characterisation
and stratification Participatory Validate technologies /
problem Ex ante modelling / management practices
identification and impact assessment
Inventory of current gap analysis
technologies /
practices and their
Adaptation and
sources
integration of
technologies /
Research component 3 management practices
Research component 2
Community institutions Markets and wider
and knowledge stakeholders
exchange
Identified market
opportunities
Biophysical and Research component 5
socio-economic
benchmarks Outputs to outcomes
Characterisation of specific
value chains (actors and links)
Scaling: to be developed
Community
knowledge exchange Functioning multi-stakeholder
groups established platforms
Opportunities for
scaling innovation
(endogenous and
exogenous)

Work packages
1. Data collection
2. Livelihoods-based stratification (typology)
3. Inventory of current practices / IK survey etc.
4. Establish community knowledge exchange groups / initial
benchmarking
5. Characterise market opportunities and value chains
6. Establish multi-stakeholder platforms
7. Problem identification / gap analysis/ ex ante impact assessment

Africa Research in Sustainable Intensification for the Next Generation
africa-rising.net