1. The document outlines an activity plan for the MilkIT project with components on institutional strengthening, productivity, and knowledge sharing. 2. Activities in India and Tanzania are described and include identifying project sites, characterizing dairy value chains, developing intervention strategies from value chain analysis, testing feed innovations, and establishing knowledge sharing platforms. 3. The goal is to strengthen local innovation capacity, enhance dairy incomes through improved feeding practices, and facilitate knowledge exchange within and across the project countries.

1. Activity plan for MilkIT
Alan Duncan
MilkIT Pre-inception Workshop, Nairobi
24th – 25th January 2012
Brainstorming

2. Component 1. Institutional strengthening
Activity India Tanzania
1a. Mechanisms Based on feeding Identify project sites
for enhancing systems, dairy market based on feeding
innovation structure and existing systems, dairy
capacity through partner activities market structure and
local stakeholder project activity sites existing partner
platforms to are identified. Current activities.
address dairy innovation processes Characterise current
value chain are characterised. innovation
constraints Collaborative work processes. Gather
plans are developed key actors in local
with partners based dairy feed innovation
on outputs required to platforms. Develop
achieve the defined work plans with
outcomes. partners based on
outputs postulated to
achieve defined
outcomes.

3. Component 1. Institutional strengthening
Activity India Tanzania
1b. Approaches Existing dairy value Develop/strengthen tools
for involving chains are and approaches for
local characterised and participatory value chain
stakeholders in documented. analysis (VCA). Perform
analysis of dairy Stakeholder VCA on existing and
value chain communication contrasting dairy value
processes are initiated chains. Conduct periodic
in order to validate rapid market appraisals at
findings and to each study site. Initiate
establish the value stakeholder
chain perspective for communication processes
development to validate findings and to
approaches in general establish a value chain
amongst stakeholders. perspective for
development approaches
in general amongst
stakeholders.

4. Component 1. Institutional strengthening
Activity India Tanzania
1c. Basket of Based on the After identifying
intervention constraints constraints by a
strategies determined by the participatory SWOT
emerging from value chain analysis, assessment of
dairy value chain intervention entry intervention
analysis points for improving strategies, produce
dairy marketing are an inventory of
identified through potential intervention
intensive consultation strategies to improve
of critical stakeholders feed supply and
at the project's activity enhanced use of
sites. existing feed.

5. Component 2. Productivity
Activity India Tanzania
2a. Strategies for Feeding systems at the Identify and characterise
implementing identified project activity feeding systems at the
local feed-related sites are characterised, defined activity sites with
innovations identifying critical emphasis on critical
emerging from constraints in regard to constraints regarding
stakeholder overall quantitity, seasonal overall feed quantitity,
platforms that distribution and quality. seasonal distribution and
enhance dairy Differences in access to quality. Document
incomes feed within local differences in access to
communities as well as feed within and among
management practices of local communities as
common resources are well as management
documented. The newly practices of common
formed innovation platforms resources. Innovation
formulate promising feed platforms formulate
innovations based on the promising feed
systems characterisation innovations based on
and the identified systems characterisation
constraints. and identified
constraints.

6. Component 2. Productivity
Activity India Tanzania
2b. Methods for Feed innovation Test strategies for
enhancing diffusion platforms are engaging local decision
of local feed-related established, based on makers. After identifying
innovations among existing producer or self- workable interventions
dairy smallholders help groups but also at project sites,
for income benefits including local innovation platforms
through productivity development actors. develop a process to
increases The platforms bring about widespread
collaboratively develop a change in feeding
process for designing practices.
feed improvement
interventions and their
dissemination.

7. Component 2. Productivity
Activity India Tanzania
2c. Strategic Design and implement Design and implement a
lesson learning a baseline study to baseline study to allow a
on appropriate allow a later impact later impact assessment
dairy feeding assessment study. study. Document current
strategies and Current feeding-related feed-related development
technologies development activities activities at study sites and
in the study region are beyond, including both
documented with success and failures of
special focus on feed technology and
stakeholders involved strategy options.
in the innovation Stakeholders involved in
platforms. innovation platforms should
receive special attention.
Develop framework to
assess likelihood of
technology uptake.

8. Component 3. Knowledge sharing
Activity India Tanzania
3a. Mechanisms A steering group is Identify key existing
for sharing formed as a focal point knowledge pathways by
knowledge at for synthesising project which feed-related
local and regional information and knowledge currently
levels experiences on a spreads at both project
regional level sites and regional level.
(Uttarakhand). This Identify knowledge gaps at
group will also serve as different points along the
the link to state value chain. Establish a
institutions and the steering group as a focal
wider development point for synthesising
community as well as a project information and
guide to continuous experiences, but also for
project evolution. linking to state institutions
and the wider development
community as well as for
guiding the project
evolution.

9. Component 3. Knowledge sharing
Activity India Tanzania
3b. Mechanisms for A knowledge sharing Establish a knowledge sharing
sharing knowledge platform is established for platform for the whole project
across project the whole project (including electronic
countries and (including electronic depositories and
among global R4D depositories and communication tools as well as
projects communication tools as regular face-to-face meetings).
well as regular face-to- Lessons synthesised,
face meetings). This will assessed and applied.
facilitate the
documentation and
exchange of experiences
and lessons on value
chain analysis, feed
interventions, innovation
platform establishment.
Here the cross-regional
results will be emphasised
considering both Indian
and Tanzanian results .