Presented by Zelalem Lema, ILRI at the Africa RISING Ethiopia Project CGIAR Partners Monthly Meeting, Addis Ababa, 26 January 2015

1. Zelalem Lema, ILRI
Africa RISING Ethiopia Project CGIAR Partners Monthly Meeting
ILRI, Addis Ababa, 26 January 2015
Updates on innovation platform activities in
Africa RISING Ethiopia

2. Why R4D Platforms in Africa
RISING?
• Platforms for cooperation and co-learning
• System interventions require the engagement of
various research and development partners, R4D
platforms will be constituted to facilitate meaningful
and effective interactionsthat prioritize, guide, and
evaluate the various research and development
processes
• The platforms will help connect farmers to
profitable and efficient value chains
• They will design, implement, evaluate project
activities and disseminate and communicate
research findings

3. Innovation Platform activities update
Consecutive activities have been accomplished at Endamehoni
and Sinana woredas to finalize a village level structures and
organize learning events at all level
1. First week of December in Tigray
- Farmers Research Groups (FRGs) meeting
- 2nd Kebele operational innovation platform meeting
- Farmers Field Day
- 2nd Strategic Innovation Platform meeting at woreda
2. Mid December at Sinana
- Farmers Research Groups (FRGs) meeting
- Farmers Field Day
- 2nd Woreda Strategic IP meeting

4. Sinana IPs structures
Sinana
Woreda
Strategic
Innovation
Platform
(IP)
Selka
Kebele
Operational
IP
Apple-
FRG
FG 3
Wheat
FRG
FRG
5
FRG
4
Ilu-
Sanbitu
Kebele
Operational
IP
Kebele 1 and
sub-kebeles
Kebele 2 and
sub-kebelesFRG
FRG
Farmer
Re se arch
Groups
(FRG)
FRG
Value chain
Technical Group
Africa RISING –Innovation Platform network at woreda level
Outside
woreda
& kebels
Farmers Field Days

5. Activities at Endamehoni and Sinana
• Meeting with TG members
of both woredas –
planning
• Backstopping them to take
the lead in all the IP
activities
• Creating an environment
for these local key
stakeholders to work
together among
• Creating local capacity to
innovate – learning

6. Activities at Endamehoni and Sinana
FRG meetings
• organized farmers based on protocol
• introduced the concept of innovation
platform structures and FRG
• Shared experiences of FRG (Sinana ARC)
• Formed the FRGs and members selected
representatives for each FRGs – to be
also a members of kebele level IP
• Each FRG give it a local name for their
FRG-attached with meaning for each
protocol
• Example (Selka and Ilu Sanbitu FRG
table)

7. FRG meetings at Sinana
FRGmeetingsatEndamehoni

8. Activities at Endamehoni
2nd Innovation Platform Meeting at kebele
• With selected representatives from
each FRG the members (full
membership)
• The agenda was to introduce selected
farmers with the other members
• Discussed on farmers field day: inviting
new farmers, mobilize all FRG
members to participate, etc
• Selected representatives to be a
member at woreda strategic IP

9. Farmers Field Day at Endamehoni

10. Farmers Field Day at Endamehoni

11. Farmers Field Day at Sinana

12. Activities at Endamehoni and Sinana
Farmers Field Days
• Participants were: all woreda IP members,
kebele IP members, all FRGs, new invited
farmers, CG partners (protocol owners), decision
makers (zone, woreda, university, research, etc)
• Facilitated by the TG members
• More than 100 participants (at Sinana)
• All are learning – at farmers field level
• Networks among farmers and partners
• All research activities by protocol have been
visited on selected farms – farmers is hosting
the guest and explaining what he did on his farm

13. 2nd IP meetings at Endamehoni and Sinana

14. Activities at Endamehoni and
Sinana2nd Strategic IP meeti at woredas
- After the farmers field day IP members at
woreda discussed on the progress of the
research activities
- Challenges have been identified – -
- wheat rust and associated diseases (Sinana)
- Capacity gaps at farmers level (ToT)
- activities that IP –TG members can do –
- To introduce improved livestock feeds at
Endamehoni
- Developed plans to closely work together with
protocol owners to provide full package training
for farmers
- CG partners-CIP, ICARDA, ICRISAT, ICRAF, ILRI,

15. Galatoma!

16. Project partners Ethiopia

17. Acknowledge Local partners here
Local partners Ethiopia
 Academic institutions:
 Wachemo, Mekelle, Madawolabu, Debre Berhan and Hawassa universities; Maichew Agricultural College
 Regional research organizations:
 Amhara Regional Agricultrural Research Institute, Southern Agricultural Research Institute, Tigray Agricultural
Research Institute, Oromia Agricultural Research Institute
 Federal research organizations:
 Ethiopian Institute for Agricultural Research, Ethiopian Health and Nutrition Research Institute
 Offices of Agriculture:
 Endamekoni (Tigray), Basona Worena (Amhara), Lemo (SNNRP) and Sinana (Oromia)
 Agricultural Transformation Agency

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