This document provides an agenda for the 6th Africa Agriculture Science Week & FARA General Assembly capacity strengthening side event, which includes 4 tracks of sessions and discussions over two days. Track 1 focuses on experiences and practices of capacity strengthening for agricultural innovation. Track 2 examines tertiary agricultural education and technical/vocational training. Track 3 looks at partnerships and platforms for capacity strengthening. Track 4 presents novel initiatives and knowledge products related to capacity strengthening. The sessions aim to assess progress, identify lessons learned, and make recommendations to strengthen agricultural education, innovation, and partnerships in Africa.

1. 1
6TH
AFRICA AGRICULTURE SCIENCE WEEK & FARA GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Capacity Strengthening Side Event
15 – 16 July 2013
TheCapacity Strengthening Side Event comprises four sub-events or tracks as indicated below. Please see the track
summaries after the program.
Track/Venue Date Title/Lead Organizations
Track 1
Venue: Meeting
Room 3
Monday, 15 July 2013 Capacity Strengthening for Agricultural Innovation: Practices & Experiences – FARA,
ASARECA, CORAF/WECARD, CCARDESA, ICRA
Track 2
Meeting Room 1
Tuesday, 16 July 2013 Tertiary Agricultural Education & Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TAE
& TVET)1
–TEAM Africa, FARA, NPCA, RUFORUM, ANAFE
Track 2a
Press Room
Monday, 15 July 2013 Reforming Curricula in Higher Agricultural Education in Africa – ANAFE, RUFORUM,
FARA
Track 3
Venue: Executive
Room 4
Monday, 15 July 2013 Capacity Strengthening Partnership & Platforms – FARA, CTA, FAO , AGRINATURA
Track 4
Venue: Executive
Room 1
Tuesday, 16 July 2013 Novel Initiatives and Knowledge Products on Capacity Strengthening – FARA, CTA,
University of Stellenbosch, University of Pretoria, Makerere University, MAFS2
1
TAE – Tertiary agricultural education; TVET – Technical and vocational education and training
2
Modernizing African Food Systems

2. 2
PROGRAM& SESSIONS
Monday, July 15, 2013
8 : 0 0 a m – 4 : 0 0 p m Registration
9 : 0 0 a m – 9 : 3 0 a m Opening Ceremony
Chair: Prof. Monty Jones/Dr. Ramadjita Tabo
Moderator: Dr. Irene Annor-Frempong
Facilitator: Ms. Lawrencia Adams
9 : 3 0 a m – 1 0 : 3 0 a m ExhibitsOpen
Keynote Address1: Prof. Kwadwo Asenso-Okyere
Topic: Capacity Strengthening - An Imperative for Knowledge-led Agricultural Growth
Keynote Address 2: Dr. Julia Ekong& Dr. Richard Hawkins, ICRA
Topic: Assessing capacity development for agricultural innovation
Facilitator: Ms. Lawrencia Adams
1 0 : 3 0 a m – 1 1 : 0 0 a m Coffee/Tea Break
TRACK 1 - CAPACITY STRENGTHENING
FOR AGRICULTURAL INNOVATION:
PRACTICES & EXPERIENCES: SESSION A
(Chair: Dr. Julia Ekong Rapporteur:
Dr. Simon Mwale)
1 1 : 0 0 a m – 1 : 0 0 p m Panel discussions: Practical experiences
from regional agricultural capacity
strengthening actions
Status of human capacity in the
national agricultural innovation
systems of ASARECA countries – Dr.
Joseph Methu, ASARECA
Systemic competency development:
Experiences in Southern Africa – Dr.
Edward Chuma, PICO
A decade in paradigm shift in African
agricultural research for development:
Lessons in competence and skills
enhancement for innovation platforms
in value chains and food systems – Dr.
Sidi Sanyang, CORAF/WECARD
Africa Lead: Lessons Learned from
Champions for Change Leadership
Training – Carla Dominique Denizard,
Regional Director, Africa Lead, a USAID
& Feed the Future funded project
1 : 0 0 p m – 2 : 0 0 p m Lunch Break
2 : 0 0 p m – 3 : 0 0 p m Keynote Address 3: Dr. Martin Bwalya
Topic: Capacity strengthening for sustaining the CAADP momentum
Keynote Address 4: Prof. Mandy Rukuni
Topic: Approaches to knowledge co-creation with farmers
Facilitator: Ms. Lawrencia Adams/Dr. Julia Ekong
TRACK 1 - CAPACITY STRENGTHENING
FOR AGRICULTURAL INNOVATION:
TRACK 3 - CAPACITY
STRENGTHENING PARTNERSHIP

3. 3
PRACTICES & EXPERIENCES: SESSION B
(Chair:Dr. Richard Hawkins
Rapporteur: Dr. JosephineSonga)
&PLATFORMS
(Chair: Prof. Malcolm Blackie
Rapporteur: Dr. Edward Chuma)
3 : 0 0 p m – 5 : 0 0 p m Panel discussions on mentorship
Mentoring: the AWARD Experiences –
Dr. Namumbya Monica Kapiriri
Panel discussions: Innovations
through networks
Networks and partnerships of
universities in the European
Union – Dr. Michael Huaser,
AGRINATURA (10 minutes)
Mentorship and youth in agriculture:
The YPARD experiences – Ms. Courtney
Paisley, YPARD
Learning Network on Capacity
Development (LenCD) – Lawrencia
Adams, LenCD (10 minutes)
Mentoring in Southern African
agriculture – Dr. Edilegnaw Wale
Zegeye
Opportunities for innovations
through networks: The case of
SEAAFSRE – Dr. Maxwell Mudhara,
University of KwaZulu-Natal (10
minutes)
Discussion (10 minutes)
Panel discussions on UniBRAIN& TAP
(Chair:Ralph von Kaufman/Christian
Hoste, Rapporteur: Dr. Pia Chuzu/Dr.
Justin Chisenga)
Developing agribusiness capacity:
The UniBRAIN approach – Elevator
Pitchesby UniBRAIN Incubator
Facilities(30 minutes)
Tropical Agriculture Platform
(TAP): Stakeholder dialogue on
proposed services. Presenters:
Dr. Irene Annor-Frempong, FARA
& Dr. Stephen Rudgard, FAO. (45
minutes)
5 : 0 0 p m – 5 : 3 0 p m Coffee/Tea Break
5 : 3 0 p m – 6 : 0 0 p m Plenary synthesis of Tracks 1 and 3: (Facilitator, session chairs, rapporteurs, all
participants)
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
8 : 0 0 a m – 4 : 0 0 p m
Exhibitsopen
Registration
8 : 3 0 a m – 1 0 : 0 0 a m Keynote Address 5: Dr. Judith Anne Francis
Mainstreaming Tertiary Education into ARD Policy Processes; Reducing Hunger and Food
Insecurity
Institutionalizing Joint Action:
Leader: Dr. Irene Annor-Frempong
Panelists: Dr. Joseph Methu, Dr. Sidi Sanyang, Prof. Hamidou Boly, Prof. AdipalaEkwamu,
Dr. SilimNahdy, Dr. Simon Mwale, Dr. AissetouDrame Yaye, Dr. Marcel Nwalozie, …
Topic: The Joint Capacity for Africa’s Agriculture Development Group
Facilitator: Ms. Lawrencia Adams/Dr. Julia Ekong
1 0 : 0 0 a m - 1 0 : 3 0 a m Coffee/Tea Break

4. 4
TRACK 2 - TERTIARY AGRICULTURAL
EDUCATION & TECHNICAL AND VOCATIONAL
EDUCATION AND TRAINING (TAE & TVET):
SESSION A
(Chair:Prof. Agnes Mwang’ombe,
Rapporteur:Dr. Mick Mwala)
TRACK 4 - NOVEL INITIATIVES
AND KNOWLEDGE PRODUCTS ON
CAPACITY STRENGTHENING:
SESSION A
(Chair: Prof. Malcolm Blackie,
Rapporteur: Dr. Mudhara
Maxwell)
1 0 : 3 0 a m – 1 2 : 3 0 p m Panel discussion on TAE and TVET
Capacity building in the East, Central and
Southern African TAE landscape:
Opportunities and future directions – Ms.
Nodumo Dhlamini, RUFORUM
Panel discussion on novel
initiatives on cross-cutting
issues:
Africa’s changing food
systems: Bending the African
Nutrition Transition Curve
Initiative – Prof. David Kabasa
(Makerere University) and
Prof. Gyebi Duodu (University
of Pretoria)
Classrooms without borders for Africa’s
knowledge-led growth: The African Virtual
University concept – Dr. Atieno Adala, AVU
Forecasting consumer
demand in Africa:
Implications for food systems
transformation – Prof. Dave
Tschirley, Michigan State
University
TEAM-Africa: Strategy for transforming
TAE in Africa based on the CAADP agenda -
Prof. Hamidou Boly, TEAM-Africa
Capacity needs for developing
and implementing a climate-
smart agricultural strategy in
Africa – Prof. Kjell BjØrgen
Esser, UMB-Noragric
1 2 : 3 0 p m – 1 : 0 0 p m
Plenary launch of FARA’s e-Capacities: Dr. Irene Annor-Frempong
Facilitator: Ms. Lawrencia Adams/Dr. Julia Ekong
1 : 0 0 p m – 2 : 0 0 p m Lunch Break
TRACK 2 - TERTIARY AGRICULTURAL
EDUCATION & TECHNICAL AND VOCATIONAL
EDUCATION AND TRAINING (TAE & TVET):
SESSION B
(Chair:Dr. Martin Bwalya Rapporteur: Dr.
Marcel Nwalozie)
TRACK 4 - NOVEL INITIATIVES
AND KNOWLEDGE PRODUCTS ON
CAPACITY STRENGTHENING:
SESSION B
(Chair: Dr. Irene Annor-Frempong;
Rapporteur: Dr. Jean-Claude
Bidogeza)
2 : 0 0 p m – 3 : 0 0 p m Further panel discussions on TAE, TVET,
Curricula, Training:
Redefining Africa’s TAE curricula to
support the CAADP – Dr. Aissetou
Drame-Yaye, ANAFE
e-Capacities Extended – Live show
and discussion (Dr. Irene Annor-
Frempong &Mr. Daniel Avnon)
Innovations in TAE for Africa’s Green
Revolution – Dr. Marie Rarieya, AGRA
Initiatives on the TVET to support
CAADP implementation – Abraham
Sarfo, NPCA

5. 5
3 : 3 0 p m – 4 : 0 0 p m Coffee/Tea Break
4 : 0 0 p m – 5 : 0 0 p m Plenary synthesis for Track 2 and 4 (Facilitator, session chairs and rapporteurs, all
participants)
5 : 0 0 p m – 6 : 0 0 p m Panel Discussion and Plenary Book Launch:
Towards Impact and Resilience: Transformative Change in and through Agricultural
Education and Training in sub-Saharan Africa
Prof. FransSwanepoel (Chair)
Prof. Aldo Stroebel (Rapporteur)
Prof. Mandy Rukuni
Dr. Irene Annor-Frempong
Dr ShadrackMoephuli
6 : 0 0 p m – Informal social networking session and dinner
TRACK SUMMARIES
Track 1: Capacity strengthening for agricultural innovation: Practices and experiences
Objectives To assess whether a shift in paradigm for agricultural innovation research is taking place and achieving
demonstrable development results
To identify ways of assessing results in complex agricultural innovation systems
Rationale There is widespread call for a paradigm shift from linear technology delivery to a systems approach to capacity
development in order to spur innovations in the agricultural sector. An innovation system, as a practical and an
analytical framework, focuses on strengthening interactions and networks across the whole range of actors
involved in innovation (scientists, producers, policy makers, consumers and entrepreneurs) to mobilise, share and
use knowledge. This knowledge serves multiple ends including improving productivity, livelihoods, environmental
sustainability, agro-industrial development, and overall economic growth.
This side event will focus on the following:
What are the lessons so far in achieving such a paradigm shift?
Can we demonstrate the success of an agricultural innovation systems approach?
How does the experience gained inform our definition/understanding of Capacity Development
What is required of an education system and human resource development to strengthen implementation of a
AIS approach?
Expected
Outcomes
Recommendations to the AASW on steps to anchor agricultural innovation systems approach in education systems by
imparting the necessary skills, knowledge and competencies for multi-stakeholder interaction and ongoing learning
Linkage to
subtheme
The outcome of this session should inform the content of education in agriculture, and human resources needs for
agricultural innovation.
Track 2: Tertiary Agricultural Education and Technical and Vocational Education and Training
Objective To review progresses made in actions for collectively strengthening tertiary agricultural education and
technical/vocational training systems in Africa
Rationale There is need for transformation of Africa’s tertiary agricultural education (TAE) and technical and vocational
education and training (TVET) in agriculture in order to enhance their effectiveness and efficiency. TEAM-Africa, an
initiative of the major stakeholders and their development partners, seeks to facilitate such radical changes in
African TAE systems to provide better support to CAADP implementation based on ‘expanded’ FAAP principles.
Concomitantly, NPCA has spearheaded a continental initiative on the TVET that has registered a number of
milestones.
African stakeholders and development partners jointly set priorities and agreed on a one-year work plan for TEAM-
Africa, in March 2012. A number of other stakeholders like RUFORUM, AGRA, ANAFE and CTA also have on-going
initiatives focusing on TAE and TVET systems. Some actions implemented so far on TAE and TVET fronts include
strengthening the vision for future human resources needs, assessing the impact of support to programmes in a
number of universities, lobbying for mainstreaming of TAE and TVET in the CAADP investment plans, reforming the
TAE and TVET curricula, and setting up collaborative platforms.
The side event will provide space for reflection, meeting of minds and review of progresses on some of these
implemented actions
Expected
Outcomes
Inventory of progress and lessons on TAE and TVET initiatives
Recommendations for future actions, especially on areas for joint action

6. 6
Linkage to
sub-theme
Informing the strategies for future strengthening of agricultural education systems in Africa
Track 3: Capacity Strengthening Partnerships and Platforms
Objectives The partnerships and platforms session seeks to:
Provide an opportunity for annual planning with key stakeholders
Learn lessons and experiences from other partnerships and platforms in Africa and beyond
Outline strategies for effective capacity development for agricultural innovations through partnerships and
platforms
Rationale Innovations arise from learning-based processes in partnerships and platforms. As an apex organization bringing all
stakeholders together around a shared vision, FARA facilitates stakeholder partnership building and proliferation of
platforms with the realization that different types of actors contribute uniquely to innovation processes in
agriculture. This is in keeping with the New Vision for Agriculture propounded by the World Economic Forum that
seeks to transform agriculture through market-led stakeholder partnerships.
At the instance of FARA, the Joint Capacity Development Group on Africa’s Agriculture (JCDGAA) was formed in
2011 as an engagement platform for key stakeholders. The aim is to create a social space for stakeholder
networking with the global objective of strengthening capacity for agricultural innovation in Africa. The Group has
since engaged in annual joint planning workshops to set priority areas for joint action.
Expected
Outcomes
The expected outcomes will be:
An update on progress with partnerships and networks for strengthening tertiary agricultural education
Action plan for JCDGAA
Recommendations on areas and mechanisms for strengthening partnerships and platforms
Session report
Linkage to
subtheme
Drawing on lessons and experiences to strengthen existing and formulate new partnerships and platforms
Track 4: Novel initiatives and knowledge products in agricultural innovation
Objectives To clarify challenges, issues and priorities for capacity development on emerging issues in Africa’s agriculture
and the agriculture-nutrition-human capital nexus
To launch a recently-published book on AET
To launch FARA’s e-Capacities Facility
Rationale This side-event will feature a panel discussion preceding the launch of the book, “Towards Impact and Resilience:
Transformative Change in and through Agricultural Education and Training in sub-Saharan Africa”. The panel will
discuss the African context within which a transformed AET system needs to be located; analyze African and
international experiences that are relevant to identified AET needs and challenges; dissect AET models that may
hold important lessons; address the main critical issues that will impact on AET in sub-Saharan Africa, and
synthesize the ideas, experiences and evidence from the chapters, in order to highlight critical issues for success as
well as possible solutions. The book targets academic professionals, industry experts, government officials,
international decision-makers and other interested scholars. The panel discussion will culminate in the official
launch of the book.
The session will also seek to raise awareness and underscore the increasing gravity of changing food systems and
nutrition transition in Africa, its causes, effects of human capital and productivity and suggested avenues for
abatement. Further, FARA’s e-Capacities, a web-based facility for matching supply to demand in agricultural
capacities, will be unveiled.
Expected
Outcomes
Agreement by African stakeholders and development partners on the principles, values and character of AET
for development required to cultivate leaders and change-makers for transformative change at all levels of the
agricultural sector.
Benefits to TEAM-Africa (Tertiary Education for Agriculture Mechanism) in terms of critical issues of global
understanding and practical examples from SSA to inform its future strategies
Awareness on effects of the nutrition transition
Linkage to
subtheme
Key points to inform on-going and future actions on transforming the African agricultural education and training
systems