International Conference on Integrated Systems

1. A paradigm shift in agricultural research for
development: Innovation Platforms as a vehicle
for change and impact in Smallholder
Agriculture in West and Central Africa
A. Njoya, J. Kuiseu, S. Sanyang, G.A. Muluh & H. Roy-Macauley.
International Conference on Integrated Systems
Research for Sustainable Intensification in
Smallholder Agriculture
March 3-6, 2015, IITA Headquarters in Ibadan, Nigeria

2. Presentation outline
Background
Institutionalization of IAR4D in
WCA
Perspectives

3. AR4D, R4D, INRM,
IAR4D, etc = Innovation
Systems Approaches
Background
• Dissatisfaction with the linear approach technology transfer
• Low efficiency of this transfer mode
• Low technology adoption rates
1980-2000: introduction
of participatory
approaches and new
ways to improve and
integrate stakeholders
actions
CORAF/WECARD
Adoption of IAR4D as a
strategy to implement the
Strategic Plan (2007-2016) and
the Operational Plans and
Innovation platforms as tool for
implementing IAR4D

4. A network of organizations, enterprises,
and individuals focused on bringing new
products, new processes, and new forms
of organization into economic use,
together with the institutions and policies
that affect their behavior and performance.
World Bank, 2012
Innovation system

5. 1.The different perspectives, knowledge and
actions of different stakeholders are integrated
around a complex but common theme
2.Different stakeholders learn to work together
and mutually learn from working together
3.Analysis, action and change to assure
“balanced” development (economic, social,
environmental)
4.Analysis, action and change at different spatial
levels of economic and social organisation
Features of innovation approaches

6. Landscaping to identify key actors along the value
chain
Understand their habits and practices; incentives
and motivations
Outcome mapping
Joint action
M&L for course correction and lesson learning
Building innovation platforms

7. Innovation platforms facilitated
by CORAF/WECARD

8. Key innovation platform actors
Farmers / farmer organizations & entrepreneurs
Researchers
Extension including NGOs
Agribusiness – input /output dealers / processors /
traders/
Policymakers including community leaders
Agricultural training institutions / universities
Financial Institutions and Banks
Media
End-users
Backstopping of the IPs :
 IITA for DONATA
Consortium: GRAD, ICRA, IITA – WAAPP,
CSIRO/DFAT project
Dimension of intervention in IP

9. Key achievements
212 IPs along commodity value
chains ranging from crops,
livestock, fisheries, and Natural
Resources Management.
o 105 IP on maize and cassava value
chains: 41,736 IP actors (44% women)
o 01 IP on Plantain in Cameroon : 1,488 IP
actors (43% women)
o 6 IP established in Mali, Niger and Togo
to test improved white pepper varieties
 44 growers adopted the technology (49%
women)
 47 farmers increased their milk off-take
from 0.47 liter to 2.1 liters/cow/day

10. Key achievements
 Increased commodity yields:
• Grain maize yield increased from 1.04-3.00 t/ha (2008) to 2.10-
4.90 t:ha in 2014
• Cassava tubers yield increased from 4-28 t/ha to 14-37 t/ha
• Vegetable from 14 t/ha to 39 t/ha per hectare
 Farmers with planting materials
• 1986 (54% of women) farmers benefited from cassava planting
materials in Côte d’Ivoire
• About 290,000 plantain planting material worth US$ 193,000
was produced and sold to farmers

11. Key achievements
More incomes for IP actors:
• Gross income of grain maize among IP actors increased
544,000 in the 3rd year to over US$ 2 million in the 4th year
in Burkina Faso
• Average gross income of yellow grain maize per household
increased from US$ 449 to US$ 804 within 2 years in The
Gambia
• 225 hectares of plantain planted in 2012/2013 resulted in a
production of 3,000 tons and income of US$ 660,000 after a
year in Cameroon.
• Vegetable profit margins increased from 50 to US$ 140) per
month in Togo

12. Key achievements
• The vegetable grower women IP actors who self
organized in a cooperative obtained US$ 9,000 in 2012
and this increased to US$ 16,000 in 2013 in Togo
• Average gross seed maize income per ha increased
from US$ 660 in 2008 to US$ 2,000 in 2012 in Mali
• Average gross income per farmer seed entrepreneur
grew from US$ 450 to US$ 2210 in Mali over the same
period of 4 years
• Emerged farmer seed entrepreneurs from 40 in 2007
to 80 in 2008 when the IP process started in Mali and
steadily increased to 200 by 2012.

13. Key achievements
 Experiential learning and sharing
• WAAPP Gambia during a visit to an IP in
Sissili, Burkina Faso in 2013
 Capacities to innovate:
• 18 MSc students (31 % women)
• 131% NARS Scientists (44% women)
• 6,058 other stakeholders -53% women
(farmers, processors, etc. ) in cassava
and maize technology generation and
dissemination, information systems,
value chain development, M&E, IAR4D
concept, seed production,
intrepreneurship, etc.

14. Key Achievements
Policy Orientations on use IPs as vehicle for Change
in Agriculture
• Scaling up of innovation platforms
 In Burkina Faso: a ministerial directive to research and
extension to institutionalize IP in rice, maize, cowpea,
shea butter, onion, livestock & meat.
 In The Gambia: the Gambian President directed NARI to
institutionalize IP in all agricultural projects implemented
in the country.
 In Sierra Leone a bill for the use of IP as a key extension
tool is drafted by the Ministry of Agriculture for
consideration by Parliament

15. Key Achievements
• Scaling–out agricultural innovations; all the
WAAPP projects are now using IPs
 The use of the multi-stakeholders and collective learning
and innovation processes with its national networks to
scale-up and scale-out the best innovations by the West
Africa Agricultural Productivity Program (WAAPP) in 13
countries has helped to reach 3 200 000 by 2014
compared with only 305 000 in 2012.
• Nutrition
 The introduction of a cassava processed product known
as « mbala-pinda » in school feeding programme or
canteens in four schools with 714 pupils including 73
indigenous people in Congo

16. Key Achievements

17. Key lessons learnt
Strengths
 The innovation platform has permitted actors from
various domains to come together to seek common
solutions
 Facilitation mechanisms well adapted to promotion and
access to knowledge and appropriation of innovations
and technologies
 Involvement of political, customary and religious
authorities gives more credibility to actions
undertaken, encourages the adhesion of the local
populations, promotes access to resources (land
access) and facilitates mediation in conflicts

18. Key lessons learnt
Synergy among actors
facilitates the sharing of
experience and resolution of
problems in a complementary
manner and pooling of know-
how
Building mutual trust and confidence
among actors supports the engagement
of the latter in the establishment of
business relations and contracts.

19. Key lessons learnt
Issues
 Non-functionality of the mechanisms for the sustainability
of the platform due to a deficiencies in planning
 Documentation of processes and achievements
 The low participation of women and youth in the activities
of the platforms

20. Key lessons learnt
Key Drivers of IPs
 Action research taking into account the real needs of
stakeholders and the facilitation of access to relevant
knowledge and appropriate technologies;
 The existence of a permanent framework for consultation
and exchanges; a strong institutional convergence having
fostered the development of networks in the value chain;
 A major program of strengthening capacities of actors by
endogenous animators involving a beginning of
professionalization of the sectors;
 The promotion of innovations and technologies through the
existence of plural and adapted mechanisms.

21. Perspectives
Based on encouraging results of IPs and
the IAR4D approach across WCA
Scaling up and out IAR4D: CORAF
and its partners are developing a
model for agriculture development
in WCA:
Converging to Innovate (C2I)

22. Acknowledgements
 Régional Economic communities:
 Inter-government organisations:
 Financial institutions :
 Technical institutions :
 Continental

23. Merci pour votre aimable attention,
Thank You