Lessons from the SIAF Workshop 29 Oct –
02 Nov, 2018, Accra, Ghana
Mateete Bekunda
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture
Africa RISING Program Learning Event
5 – 8 February 2019
Lilongwe, Malawi

Each scientist:
1. Presents pre-workshop clean datasets for analysis
2. Learns how to use SIAF as a theoretical basis to analyse the data in
respect to his/her specific research objectives
3. Explores his/her datasets to improve understanding on how to apply SIAF
to their innovations (& initiate preparation for a publication)
4. Be a trainer of his/her team members
Objectives of the meeting

1. Varying understanding of the theoretical underpinning of SIAF as an
objective driven assessment
2. Pre-workshop activities did not appear to be a priority for most
scientists
3. Scientists chose indicators that were feasible but not
necessarily informative
4. e.g. the data and indicators selected met workshop requirement for
participation, but were not applicable to holistic examination of
externalities of an innovation
Observations

1. Choose a system and its performance indicators that
matter to all who have an interest
2. Measure and make assessments at landscape and
community level, providing a baseline
3. (Jointly) decide on a target and hence the system
performance shift that is needed (arrows)
4. Decide on the multiple interventions needed that are
expected (hypothesised) to lead to this shift
5. Apply the action research approach
6. Trade-offs: Think beyond the results and allow for
associations: e.g. What does a productivity outcome
mean in the context of farmer decision making for
allocation of land and other resources next season?
B. …toward sustainable intensification of systems
Recommendations
A. Past research:
Take stock of all data collected on a given innovation by different scientists in a
given location as a team exercise. Draft a site/country manuscript against the data.

Resources
1. Resources that allow for practical use of the SIAF:
• The Guide for Sustainable Intensification Assessment Framework
• The Sustainable Intensification Assessment Methods Manual
• The SI Toolkit
• The radar chart generator
• Further details: https://www.k-
state.edu/siil/resources/framework/index.html
2. SIAF Workshop Materials:
• https://www.dropbox.com/sh/au27la5zb7atpzd/AABP1uJ3aDdVd18sS8PwjkbAa?dl=0

Africa Research in Sustainable Intensification for the Next Generation
africa-rising.net
This presentation is licensed for use under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence.
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