Presented by B. Haile and A. Charles (IFPRI) at the Africa RISING East and Southern Africa annual review and planning meeting, Lilongwe, Malawi, 3-5 September 2013
The document summarizes a project that introduced a question and answer service voucher system (QAS-VS) in Uganda to strengthen the country's underfunded and underperforming rural advisory services. Through the QAS-VS, 900 small-scale farmers received timely answers to questions from experts. It generated an online knowledge base and increased outreach through radio broadcasts. A survey found the QAS-VS increased farmers' productivity, engagement with best practices, and use of research outputs. The conclusions recommend expanding the approach and increasing government support to improve evidence-based extension services.
The document outlines 10 technology assessments for African agriculture including 5 crops, 3 livestock areas, post-harvest assessment of aflatoxins, and climate smart agriculture assessment of soil and climate data sets. Each assessment will evaluate the context, discovery, product/technology, delivery pathways and partners, impact potential, challenges and opportunities, business case for investment, and next steps based on common criteria.
Surveillance and early warning systems for climate-sensitive diseases in Viet...ILRI
This project developed early warning systems for climate-sensitive diseases in Vietnam from 2015-2017. Field studies involved collecting swine and maize samples from five provinces to test for diseases. The project achieved developing risk maps and models showing the seasonality and climate associations of diseases. Capacity building activities included epidemiology and GIS training. Challenges included lack of existing surveillance systems and resources for implementing the developed warning tools.
1) The technology action plan aims to improve student engagement and achievement by having faculty analyze data and integrate technology appropriately.
2) A survey will be conducted to assess current Smart Board usage, followed by Smart Board and data analysis training for teachers.
3) Departments will review performance data, discuss technology integration ideas, and make suggestions to administrators.
4) A student survey will identify preferred technologies before compiling recommendations for the technology department.
Local conventions governing natural resource management in southern region of...africa-rising
This document summarizes a study on local conventions governing natural resource management in southern Mali. The study aimed to document existing local conventions around crop-livestock systems and examine community participation in developing these conventions. Key findings include: local conventions mainly exist informally through oral traditions; men had greater knowledge than women of conventions; and participation in convention development was low, influenced by factors like age, gender, ethnicity. The results show conventions are weak due to low community participation and lack of formalization. Formalizing and increasing participation could enhance sustainable natural resource management.
The document summarizes a project that introduced a question and answer service voucher system (QAS-VS) in Uganda to strengthen the country's underfunded and underperforming rural advisory services. Through the QAS-VS, 900 small-scale farmers received timely answers to questions from experts. It generated an online knowledge base and increased outreach through radio broadcasts. A survey found the QAS-VS increased farmers' productivity, engagement with best practices, and use of research outputs. The conclusions recommend expanding the approach and increasing government support to improve evidence-based extension services.
The document outlines 10 technology assessments for African agriculture including 5 crops, 3 livestock areas, post-harvest assessment of aflatoxins, and climate smart agriculture assessment of soil and climate data sets. Each assessment will evaluate the context, discovery, product/technology, delivery pathways and partners, impact potential, challenges and opportunities, business case for investment, and next steps based on common criteria.
Surveillance and early warning systems for climate-sensitive diseases in Viet...ILRI
This project developed early warning systems for climate-sensitive diseases in Vietnam from 2015-2017. Field studies involved collecting swine and maize samples from five provinces to test for diseases. The project achieved developing risk maps and models showing the seasonality and climate associations of diseases. Capacity building activities included epidemiology and GIS training. Challenges included lack of existing surveillance systems and resources for implementing the developed warning tools.
1) The technology action plan aims to improve student engagement and achievement by having faculty analyze data and integrate technology appropriately.
2) A survey will be conducted to assess current Smart Board usage, followed by Smart Board and data analysis training for teachers.
3) Departments will review performance data, discuss technology integration ideas, and make suggestions to administrators.
4) A student survey will identify preferred technologies before compiling recommendations for the technology department.
Local conventions governing natural resource management in southern region of...africa-rising
This document summarizes a study on local conventions governing natural resource management in southern Mali. The study aimed to document existing local conventions around crop-livestock systems and examine community participation in developing these conventions. Key findings include: local conventions mainly exist informally through oral traditions; men had greater knowledge than women of conventions; and participation in convention development was low, influenced by factors like age, gender, ethnicity. The results show conventions are weak due to low community participation and lack of formalization. Formalizing and increasing participation could enhance sustainable natural resource management.
Africa RISING: Status of research planning in East and Southern Africaafrica-rising
Presented by Mateete Bekunda (IITA) and Regis Chikowo (MSU) at the Africa RISING Monitoring & Evaluation Expert Meeting, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 5-7 September 2012
Plant disease and pest monitoring surveys in Africa RISING action areas in Ta...africa-rising
Presented by Lava Kumar (IITA) and Warren Arinaitwe (CIAT) at the Africa RISING East and Southern Africa annual review and planning meeting, Lilongwe, Malawi, 3-5 September 2013
Photo report from a field day and field visit in Endamehoni site of the Afric...africa-rising
The Africa RISING project organized field days in October 2015 in two research sites in the Ethiopian Highlands to demonstrate crop, livestock, tree and natural resource management interventions to partners. A range of improved varieties including sweet lupine, oat-vetch mixtures, faba beans, wheat and lentils were displayed, as well as livestock feeding techniques using improved troughs. Women farmers showed their potato and field pea crops and participated in seed selection. The field days engaged farmers, universities, research institutes and other organizations to support the project's work improving agricultural sustainability and incomes.
Piloting SLATE in the Ethiopian Highlands: Process and key lessonsafrica-rising
Presented by Amare Haileslassie on the Training of Trainers workshop on the use of Livelihoods Characterization/ Benchmarking Tool (SLATE), Jeldu, Ethiopia, 1-5 April 2013
Photo report on LIVES, Africa RISING, N2Africa Ethiopia joint workshop and ex...africa-rising
The document summarizes a joint workshop and exhibition held by ILRI projects in Ethiopia to share experiences on technologies and approaches to improve farm incomes and livelihoods. Over two days, the event included presentations on interventions along commodity value chains from LIVES, N2Africa, Africa RISING and other projects. Presentations covered topics like feed development, livestock and crop value chains, soil and water management. The workshop provided a platform for participants from government, universities, NGOs and farmers to discuss lessons and scalable solutions to support market-oriented agricultural development in Ethiopia.
Site selection for Africa RISING in northern Ghana africa-rising
This document summarizes the site selection process for Africa RISING projects in Northern Ghana. It involved three main stages: 1) Defining program areas based on farming systems and geography. 2) Selecting districts within these areas to represent a range of biophysical and human factors. 3) Randomly selecting communities within districts while avoiding poor market access and ensuring separation between project and control sites. Several districts in Northern and Upper West regions were selected. Within districts, potential sites were mapped and some eliminated based on field visits. The final sites were said to represent the environmental and socioeconomic diversity of Northern Ghana and provide opportunities for multidisciplinary research.
Rising to the challenge of sustainable intensification of agricultural produc...africa-rising
Presented by Charlotte Klapwijk, Carl Timler, Nester Mashingaidze, Jeroen Groot, Katrien Descheemaeker, Linus Franke, Pablo Tittonell, Ken Giller, Mateete Bekunda, Asamoah Larbi, Regis Chikowo, Gatien Falconnier, Mary Ollenburger and Tom van Mourik at the Africa RISING East and Southern Africa annual review and planning meeting, Lilongwe, Malawi, 3-5 September 2013
Proposals for Africa RISING Ethiopian Highlands Research Component 1—Characte...africa-rising
Presented by Alan Duncan, Beth Cullen, Aster Gebrekristos and Stefan Shultz at the Africa RISING Ethiopia Project Implementation Meeting, Addis Ababa, 13-14 February 2013
Agro-ecological intensification of smallholder agriculture through action res...africa-rising
Presented by Regis Chikowo and Sieglinde Snapp (Michigan State University) at the Africa RISING East and Southern Africa Research Review and Planning Meeting, Arusha, Tanzania, 1-5 October 2012
Photo trip report from the initiation meeting of the Basona Worena woreda Inn...africa-rising
This document summarizes a photo trip report from a meeting to initiate an Innovation Platform in the Basona Worena woreda of Ethiopia. The meeting aimed to brief agricultural stakeholders about the Africa RISING project and establish Innovation Platforms. By the end of the visit, 4 strategic platforms and 8 operational platforms had been established along with technical committees at the woreda and kebele levels. Presentations were given on Africa RISING interventions and a cost-benefit analysis, and discussions were held with model farmers, on preferred varieties and management practices.
Proposals for Africa RISING Ethiopian Highlands Research Component 2—Communit...africa-rising
This document discusses proposals for the Ethiopia component of the Africa RISING project. It outlines major development challenges in Ethiopia like land degradation and deforestation. Sustainable intensification of mixed agricultural systems is proposed to address these challenges. The objectives of Research Component 2 are to strengthen knowledge exchange groups, establish benchmarks, and identify opportunities to scale innovations. A participatory approach is outlined to characterize farmer knowledge, identify strengths and weaknesses, and design interventions tailored to specific locations. The goal is to build capacity and learn from testing promising options across different farming systems.
Monitoring, Evaluation, and Data Managementafrica-rising
Presented by Beliyou Haile and Carlo Azzarri, IFPRI, at the Africa RISING Ethiopian Highlands Project Review and Planning Meeting, Addis Ababa, 21–22 May 2019. Nairobi, Kenya: ILRI.
This document discusses law enforcement monitoring in the Albertine Rift region of Africa using the MIST and SMART monitoring systems. It provides context on why conservation organizations use integrated conservation and development projects and ranger-based monitoring. It then summarizes the development, expansion, and uses of the MIST system, including demonstrating patrol coverage, mapping threats, and assessing management effectiveness. Issues with MIST are discussed and the enhanced features of the new SMART system presented, along with plans for training workshops and support.
Africa RISING: Status of research planning in East and Southern Africaafrica-rising
Presented by Mateete Bekunda (IITA) and Regis Chikowo (MSU) at the Africa RISING Monitoring & Evaluation Expert Meeting, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 5-7 September 2012
Plant disease and pest monitoring surveys in Africa RISING action areas in Ta...africa-rising
Presented by Lava Kumar (IITA) and Warren Arinaitwe (CIAT) at the Africa RISING East and Southern Africa annual review and planning meeting, Lilongwe, Malawi, 3-5 September 2013
Photo report from a field day and field visit in Endamehoni site of the Afric...africa-rising
The Africa RISING project organized field days in October 2015 in two research sites in the Ethiopian Highlands to demonstrate crop, livestock, tree and natural resource management interventions to partners. A range of improved varieties including sweet lupine, oat-vetch mixtures, faba beans, wheat and lentils were displayed, as well as livestock feeding techniques using improved troughs. Women farmers showed their potato and field pea crops and participated in seed selection. The field days engaged farmers, universities, research institutes and other organizations to support the project's work improving agricultural sustainability and incomes.
Piloting SLATE in the Ethiopian Highlands: Process and key lessonsafrica-rising
Presented by Amare Haileslassie on the Training of Trainers workshop on the use of Livelihoods Characterization/ Benchmarking Tool (SLATE), Jeldu, Ethiopia, 1-5 April 2013
Photo report on LIVES, Africa RISING, N2Africa Ethiopia joint workshop and ex...africa-rising
The document summarizes a joint workshop and exhibition held by ILRI projects in Ethiopia to share experiences on technologies and approaches to improve farm incomes and livelihoods. Over two days, the event included presentations on interventions along commodity value chains from LIVES, N2Africa, Africa RISING and other projects. Presentations covered topics like feed development, livestock and crop value chains, soil and water management. The workshop provided a platform for participants from government, universities, NGOs and farmers to discuss lessons and scalable solutions to support market-oriented agricultural development in Ethiopia.
Site selection for Africa RISING in northern Ghana africa-rising
This document summarizes the site selection process for Africa RISING projects in Northern Ghana. It involved three main stages: 1) Defining program areas based on farming systems and geography. 2) Selecting districts within these areas to represent a range of biophysical and human factors. 3) Randomly selecting communities within districts while avoiding poor market access and ensuring separation between project and control sites. Several districts in Northern and Upper West regions were selected. Within districts, potential sites were mapped and some eliminated based on field visits. The final sites were said to represent the environmental and socioeconomic diversity of Northern Ghana and provide opportunities for multidisciplinary research.
Rising to the challenge of sustainable intensification of agricultural produc...africa-rising
Presented by Charlotte Klapwijk, Carl Timler, Nester Mashingaidze, Jeroen Groot, Katrien Descheemaeker, Linus Franke, Pablo Tittonell, Ken Giller, Mateete Bekunda, Asamoah Larbi, Regis Chikowo, Gatien Falconnier, Mary Ollenburger and Tom van Mourik at the Africa RISING East and Southern Africa annual review and planning meeting, Lilongwe, Malawi, 3-5 September 2013
Proposals for Africa RISING Ethiopian Highlands Research Component 1—Characte...africa-rising
Presented by Alan Duncan, Beth Cullen, Aster Gebrekristos and Stefan Shultz at the Africa RISING Ethiopia Project Implementation Meeting, Addis Ababa, 13-14 February 2013
Agro-ecological intensification of smallholder agriculture through action res...africa-rising
Presented by Regis Chikowo and Sieglinde Snapp (Michigan State University) at the Africa RISING East and Southern Africa Research Review and Planning Meeting, Arusha, Tanzania, 1-5 October 2012
Photo trip report from the initiation meeting of the Basona Worena woreda Inn...africa-rising
This document summarizes a photo trip report from a meeting to initiate an Innovation Platform in the Basona Worena woreda of Ethiopia. The meeting aimed to brief agricultural stakeholders about the Africa RISING project and establish Innovation Platforms. By the end of the visit, 4 strategic platforms and 8 operational platforms had been established along with technical committees at the woreda and kebele levels. Presentations were given on Africa RISING interventions and a cost-benefit analysis, and discussions were held with model farmers, on preferred varieties and management practices.
Proposals for Africa RISING Ethiopian Highlands Research Component 2—Communit...africa-rising
This document discusses proposals for the Ethiopia component of the Africa RISING project. It outlines major development challenges in Ethiopia like land degradation and deforestation. Sustainable intensification of mixed agricultural systems is proposed to address these challenges. The objectives of Research Component 2 are to strengthen knowledge exchange groups, establish benchmarks, and identify opportunities to scale innovations. A participatory approach is outlined to characterize farmer knowledge, identify strengths and weaknesses, and design interventions tailored to specific locations. The goal is to build capacity and learn from testing promising options across different farming systems.
Monitoring, Evaluation, and Data Managementafrica-rising
Presented by Beliyou Haile and Carlo Azzarri, IFPRI, at the Africa RISING Ethiopian Highlands Project Review and Planning Meeting, Addis Ababa, 21–22 May 2019. Nairobi, Kenya: ILRI.
This document discusses law enforcement monitoring in the Albertine Rift region of Africa using the MIST and SMART monitoring systems. It provides context on why conservation organizations use integrated conservation and development projects and ranger-based monitoring. It then summarizes the development, expansion, and uses of the MIST system, including demonstrating patrol coverage, mapping threats, and assessing management effectiveness. Issues with MIST are discussed and the enhanced features of the new SMART system presented, along with plans for training workshops and support.
Africa RISING West Africa Project—The history and where we are todayafrica-rising
The Africa RISING West Africa Project began in 2011 with brainstorming meetings to plan farming systems intensification projects in Ghana and Mali. An inception workshop in 2012 established the research framework and approach. Africa RISING was launched as a 5-year research program with 3 regional projects in West Africa, Eastern and Southern Africa, and the Ethiopian Highlands. The goal is to create pathways for smallholders to move out of poverty through sustainable intensification. Field activities began in 2012 in Ghana and Mali, with research focusing on crop-livestock systems. Challenges implementing the first years included delays establishing baselines and integrating partner organizations.
Emmanuel is a research, monitoring, and evaluation professional seeking a position. He has a bachelor's degree in statistics, a master's degree in project management, and over 3 years of experience conducting research, monitoring and evaluating health projects. He is proficient in data collection, analysis, report writing, and presenting findings. Emmanuel is skilled in qualitative and quantitative research methods and statistical software like SPSS.
Mr. Kennedy Makulika has over 12 years of experience in monitoring, evaluation, and learning for international development organizations. He has extensive skills in designing and implementing M&E systems, conducting data collection and analysis, evaluating projects, and building staff capacity. Currently he is the Performance Monitoring Specialist for the Education Development Center's Time To Learn Project in Zambia, where he manages the M&E system and generates reports. He held previous roles as the Program Management Coordinator for CARE Zambia, developing learning strategies and supporting various projects. Mr. Makulika has advanced degrees in business administration and international trade and development.
Africa RISING in East and Southern Africa: Year 1 Overview africa-rising
This document provides an overview of the first year of Africa RISING in East and Southern Africa. It describes the inception of the program from initial planning meetings through the approval and start of 10 initial projects. It outlines lessons learned around entry points, opportunities, partnerships, and logistics. It then discusses the research framework, site selection process, communication and management structures, and an upcoming visit from USAID.
The Standing Panel on Impact Assessment (SPIA) oversees impact assessment activities in the CGIAR. It has a small staff and budget, conducting most work through competitive calls and engaging external experts. Current activities include collecting adoption data for new crop varieties, testing innovative methods like drones and phone surveys, validating claims of policy impact, and funding studies of impacts from widely-adopted technologies. Several activities aim to fill data gaps or strengthen methods. Interim reports in 2016 will inform the CRP proposals, with a full synthesis in late 2017.
Overview of MEASURE Evaluation Support to OVC M&E in NigeriaMEASURE Evaluation
This document summarizes MEASURE Evaluation's support for monitoring and evaluation of orphan and vulnerable children programs in Nigeria. It provided technical assistance to strengthen Nigeria's national OVC M&E system, including revising indicators and tools, developing an M&E plan and information system, and building capacity through training over 300 people. Key accomplishments included adapting new PEPFAR OVC indicators, reviewing the national priority agenda, and translating tools into local languages. The way forward focuses on continued advocacy, innovative approaches, institutional capacity building, and improving data use.
The document discusses using surveys to improve aid in fragile states, using The Asia Foundation's experience conducting surveys in Afghanistan as a case study. Some key challenges of surveys in fragile states include unstable environments, lack of information, and weak local capacity. The Afghanistan surveys aimed to inform policy, understand public opinion, and build local research capacity. Challenges included developing culturally appropriate questions, sampling inaccuracies, and disseminating results safely. Innovations included training local interviewers of both genders and modifying sampling methods to interview women.
Knowledge exchange cap Study on Agri.pptxmd8696801
The document provides an evaluation of the CAP's impact on knowledge exchange and advisory services. It outlines the objectives, scope, themes, questions, methodology and timeline of the evaluation. The evaluation will assess the effectiveness, efficiency, coherence, relevance and EU value-added of CAP instruments and measures in fostering knowledge exchange, innovation and advisory activities in agriculture and forestry. It will involve case studies of selected member states and regions, as well as surveys of managing authorities and farm advisory services.
From Arusha to Lilongwe: Africa RISING East and Southern Africa year 2 overviewafrica-rising
Presented by I. Hoeschle-Zeledon at the Africa RISING East and Southern Africa annual review and planning meeting, Lilongwe, Malawi, 3-5 September 2013
Magpi AEA - Using Mobile Data Capture for Community and Facility Surveys in M...JSI
This document summarizes the use of mobile data collection in surveys conducted in Malawi, Ethiopia, and Rwanda to evaluate community health supply chains. Key points:
- Surveys were conducted at various system levels using EpiSurveyor and Magpi on smartphones to electronically collect quantitative and qualitative data.
- Mobile data collection saved time and costs compared to paper. Real-time data visibility improved data management and quality.
- Lessons learned include the importance of network capability and sufficient data storage. Forms need to be designed carefully and testing is important.
- Recommendations include assessing network coverage, starting early to adapt paper surveys, keeping forms short, designating a strong data manager,
This document discusses developing and strengthening monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems for national tuberculosis (TB) programs. It identifies key elements of an effective M&E system and outlines five steps to strengthen implementation: 1) assessing current M&E practices, 2) developing an M&E plan, 3) establishing an M&E unit, 4) implementing the M&E plan, and 5) managing quality control. The document provides guidance on conducting a situation analysis, developing indicators and data collection methods, building M&E capacity, and ensuring quality monitoring and use of data.
Africa RISING phase 2 monitoring and evaluation frameworkafrica-rising
Presented by Beliyou Haile, Carlo Azzarri and Apurba Shee at the Africa RISING East and Southern Africa Phase II Planning Meeting, Lilongwe, Malawi, 5-8 October 2016
Introduction
As the Jubilee administration nears the half-way mark in its term, Ipsos’ most recent survey included questions on a number of issues that are continuing to occupy public, and government, attention. In this Media Release, we cover the following in the Education sector: (1) The laptop project, (2) School-ranking, (3) Teachers’ Pay Demands.
1. The document discusses strategies for expanding monitoring of routine immunization (RI) programs in India, including monitoring high priority areas, sessions, and households.
2. Key findings from RI monitoring in various states show both availability of vaccines and safe injection practices need improvement, while mobilization of children has increased.
3. Feedback on monitoring data is provided to local levels, but expanded monitoring is still needed in many states, and tools and oversight may need strengthening to ensure quality as programs and priorities evolve over time.
Similar to Africa RISING Monitoring and Evaluation: Work in progress and 2012/2013 achievements in East and Southern Africa (20)
Africa RISING project implementation and contribution in Ethiopia. Presented at Africa RISING close-out event.
24-25 January 2023
ILRI campus- Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
The document summarizes a field visit by Africa RISING CGIAR partners to sites in Ethiopia where they are implementing their new SI-MFS initiative. It describes some innovative farmers in the Lemo and Doyogena districts who have adopted integrated crop-livestock-NRM practices promoted by Africa RISING, including using protein-rich legume fodder trees, energy-rich grasses, and soil and water conservation practices. It also highlights the challenges of water shortage and disease, and the potential for the new SI-MFS initiative to build on the success stories and learning from Africa RISING farmers.
This document summarizes planned and ongoing agricultural research activities and studies in the Ethiopian highlands for 2022. It discusses field activities related to livestock feed and forage development as well as crop varietal selection. It also outlines planned, ongoing, and completed studies on topics like gender and scaling assessments. The document notes legacy products to be developed and capacity building efforts. It describes plans to broadcast livestock innovations through local radio and concludes with noting the planned closure of the Africa Research project in Ethiopia in early 2023.
Haimanot Seifu provided a communications update on the Africa RISING program in the Ethiopian Highlands. Key activities before the program ends this year include producing extension manuals, policy briefs, a special journal issue, and a photo book. Surveys are also ongoing regarding gender, monitoring impacts, spillover effects, and scaling. Africa RISING is partnering with AICCRA on workshops, surveys, training modules, and broadcasting feed and forage technologies on local radio stations. A new initiative called SI-MFS involving mixed farming systems in 6 countries was also launched in May to run initially for 3 years from 2022-2024. Support is needed from CKM for legacy products, facilitating
Technique de compostage des tiges de cotonnier au Mali-Sudafrica-rising
Poster prepared by Moumini Guindo, Bouba Traoré, Birhanu Zemadim Birhanu, and Alou Coulibaly for the 13th Symposium of the Malian Society of Applied Sciences (MSAS), 01 July – 05 August 2022.
Flux des nutriments (N, P, K) des resources organiques dans les exploitations...africa-rising
Poster prepared by Moumini Guindo, Bouba Traoré, Birhanu Zemadim Birhanu, and Alou Coulibaly for the 13th Symposium of the Malian Society of Applied Sciences (MSAS), 01 July 1 – 05 August 2022.
The Africa RISING project in Ethiopia's highlands had the goals of improving food security, gender equality, nutrition, income, and capacity building through sustainable intensification research from 2012-2022. It worked in four regions, implementing tested interventions like improved crops, fertilizers, and mechanization. Over 360,000 households directly benefited from validated technologies in phase two, while over 30,000 people participated in training. The project supported graduate students, published research, and faced challenges like COVID-19 and funding issues before planning its exit strategies.
Eliciting willingness to pay for quality maize and beans: Evidence from exper...africa-rising
Poster prepared by Julius Manda, Adane Tufa, Christopher Mutungi, Arega Alene, Victor Manyong and Tahirou Abdoulaye for the IITA Social Science Group Virtual Meeting, 7 December 2021.
The woman has no right to sell livestock: The role of gender norms in Norther...africa-rising
Presented by Kipo Jimah and Gundula Fischer (IITA) at the virtual conference on Cultivating Equality: Advancing Gender Research in Agriculture and Food Systems, 12-15 October 2021
This document summarizes two assessments conducted by Africa RISING on sustainable intensification and return on investment from 2011-2020. It finds that:
1) The total value of direct benefits to farmers was $74.6 million, while the total project cost was $15.9 million, resulting in a return on investment of 469%.
2) An assessment of progress towards sustainable intensification analyzed households by total production per hectare and compared indicators across five domains. It found that more intensified households showed improved scores in agricultural production, economics, environment, human welfare, and social indicators.
3) A focus on assessments at the woreda (district) level provided insights into differences between communities and guidance for
The document summarizes the results of a nutrition assessment study and lessons learned from it. The study aimed to identify how Africa RISING interventions contributed to household nutrition. It used a qualitative research approach with key informant interviews and focus group discussions in Ethiopia. The results showed that the interventions helped to produce and consume a more diverse and nutritious diet, generate income, and improve knowledge of food production and preparation. However, diet diversity remained low and certain nutrient-rich foods were still limited. Key lessons were that technical nutrition support needs frequent follow-ups, and engaging community leaders and husbands is important for influencing mothers' nutrition practices.
The document discusses plans for scaling assessment of Africa RISING interventions. It notes that Africa RISING's second phase focused on scaling approaches through recruiting scaling partners, training of trainers, multi-stakeholder meetings, and research backstopping. The assessment aims to document scaling practices, identify areas for increased support, and develop an exit strategy as the program period concludes. It will use ILRI's scaling framework over six months to provide a technical report and scientific paper.
This document summarizes a presentation on conducting on-farm trials at scale using crowdsourcing. It discusses the benefits and challenges of traditional on-farm trials, and proposes a solution using digital platforms and farmer participation. Farmers would receive random combinations of varieties to test on their own farms and provide rankings. Data would be collected and analyzed to provide feedback to farmers. The approach aims to increase representation while reducing costs compared to traditional on-farm trials. It outlines 10 steps for implementation, including defining varieties, designing projects, recruiting farmers, preparing packages, data collection, analysis and discussion.
Contribution of Africa RISING validated technologies, nutrition-education interventions to household nutrition and participatory nutrition-education need assessment with seasonal food availability in Amhara, Oromia and SNNP regions of Ethiopia
Introduction of Cybersecurity with OSS at Code Europe 2024Hiroshi SHIBATA
I develop the Ruby programming language, RubyGems, and Bundler, which are package managers for Ruby. Today, I will introduce how to enhance the security of your application using open-source software (OSS) examples from Ruby and RubyGems.
The first topic is CVE (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures). I have published CVEs many times. But what exactly is a CVE? I'll provide a basic understanding of CVEs and explain how to detect and handle vulnerabilities in OSS.
Next, let's discuss package managers. Package managers play a critical role in the OSS ecosystem. I'll explain how to manage library dependencies in your application.
I'll share insights into how the Ruby and RubyGems core team works to keep our ecosystem safe. By the end of this talk, you'll have a better understanding of how to safeguard your code.
This talk will cover ScyllaDB Architecture from the cluster-level view and zoom in on data distribution and internal node architecture. In the process, we will learn the secret sauce used to get ScyllaDB's high availability and superior performance. We will also touch on the upcoming changes to ScyllaDB architecture, moving to strongly consistent metadata and tablets.
Connector Corner: Seamlessly power UiPath Apps, GenAI with prebuilt connectorsDianaGray10
Join us to learn how UiPath Apps can directly and easily interact with prebuilt connectors via Integration Service--including Salesforce, ServiceNow, Open GenAI, and more.
The best part is you can achieve this without building a custom workflow! Say goodbye to the hassle of using separate automations to call APIs. By seamlessly integrating within App Studio, you can now easily streamline your workflow, while gaining direct access to our Connector Catalog of popular applications.
We’ll discuss and demo the benefits of UiPath Apps and connectors including:
Creating a compelling user experience for any software, without the limitations of APIs.
Accelerating the app creation process, saving time and effort
Enjoying high-performance CRUD (create, read, update, delete) operations, for
seamless data management.
Speakers:
Russell Alfeche, Technology Leader, RPA at qBotic and UiPath MVP
Charlie Greenberg, host
zkStudyClub - LatticeFold: A Lattice-based Folding Scheme and its Application...Alex Pruden
Folding is a recent technique for building efficient recursive SNARKs. Several elegant folding protocols have been proposed, such as Nova, Supernova, Hypernova, Protostar, and others. However, all of them rely on an additively homomorphic commitment scheme based on discrete log, and are therefore not post-quantum secure. In this work we present LatticeFold, the first lattice-based folding protocol based on the Module SIS problem. This folding protocol naturally leads to an efficient recursive lattice-based SNARK and an efficient PCD scheme. LatticeFold supports folding low-degree relations, such as R1CS, as well as high-degree relations, such as CCS. The key challenge is to construct a secure folding protocol that works with the Ajtai commitment scheme. The difficulty, is ensuring that extracted witnesses are low norm through many rounds of folding. We present a novel technique using the sumcheck protocol to ensure that extracted witnesses are always low norm no matter how many rounds of folding are used. Our evaluation of the final proof system suggests that it is as performant as Hypernova, while providing post-quantum security.
Paper Link: https://eprint.iacr.org/2024/257
AppSec PNW: Android and iOS Application Security with MobSFAjin Abraham
Mobile Security Framework - MobSF is a free and open source automated mobile application security testing environment designed to help security engineers, researchers, developers, and penetration testers to identify security vulnerabilities, malicious behaviours and privacy concerns in mobile applications using static and dynamic analysis. It supports all the popular mobile application binaries and source code formats built for Android and iOS devices. In addition to automated security assessment, it also offers an interactive testing environment to build and execute scenario based test/fuzz cases against the application.
This talk covers:
Using MobSF for static analysis of mobile applications.
Interactive dynamic security assessment of Android and iOS applications.
Solving Mobile app CTF challenges.
Reverse engineering and runtime analysis of Mobile malware.
How to shift left and integrate MobSF/mobsfscan SAST and DAST in your build pipeline.
The Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) invited Taylor Paschal, Knowledge & Information Management Consultant at Enterprise Knowledge, to speak at a Knowledge Management Lunch and Learn hosted on June 12, 2024. All Office of Administration staff were invited to attend and received professional development credit for participating in the voluntary event.
The objectives of the Lunch and Learn presentation were to:
- Review what KM ‘is’ and ‘isn’t’
- Understand the value of KM and the benefits of engaging
- Define and reflect on your “what’s in it for me?”
- Share actionable ways you can participate in Knowledge - - Capture & Transfer
"What does it really mean for your system to be available, or how to define w...Fwdays
We will talk about system monitoring from a few different angles. We will start by covering the basics, then discuss SLOs, how to define them, and why understanding the business well is crucial for success in this exercise.
Session 1 - Intro to Robotic Process Automation.pdfUiPathCommunity
👉 Check out our full 'Africa Series - Automation Student Developers (EN)' page to register for the full program:
https://bit.ly/Automation_Student_Kickstart
In this session, we shall introduce you to the world of automation, the UiPath Platform, and guide you on how to install and setup UiPath Studio on your Windows PC.
📕 Detailed agenda:
What is RPA? Benefits of RPA?
RPA Applications
The UiPath End-to-End Automation Platform
UiPath Studio CE Installation and Setup
💻 Extra training through UiPath Academy:
Introduction to Automation
UiPath Business Automation Platform
Explore automation development with UiPath Studio
👉 Register here for our upcoming Session 2 on June 20: Introduction to UiPath Studio Fundamentals: https://community.uipath.com/events/details/uipath-lagos-presents-session-2-introduction-to-uipath-studio-fundamentals/
How to Interpret Trends in the Kalyan Rajdhani Mix Chart.pdfChart Kalyan
A Mix Chart displays historical data of numbers in a graphical or tabular form. The Kalyan Rajdhani Mix Chart specifically shows the results of a sequence of numbers over different periods.
The Microsoft 365 Migration Tutorial For Beginner.pptxoperationspcvita
This presentation will help you understand the power of Microsoft 365. However, we have mentioned every productivity app included in Office 365. Additionally, we have suggested the migration situation related to Office 365 and how we can help you.
You can also read: https://www.systoolsgroup.com/updates/office-365-tenant-to-tenant-migration-step-by-step-complete-guide/
"NATO Hackathon Winner: AI-Powered Drug Search", Taras KlobaFwdays
This is a session that details how PostgreSQL's features and Azure AI Services can be effectively used to significantly enhance the search functionality in any application.
In this session, we'll share insights on how we used PostgreSQL to facilitate precise searches across multiple fields in our mobile application. The techniques include using LIKE and ILIKE operators and integrating a trigram-based search to handle potential misspellings, thereby increasing the search accuracy.
We'll also discuss how the azure_ai extension on PostgreSQL databases in Azure and Azure AI Services were utilized to create vectors from user input, a feature beneficial when users wish to find specific items based on text prompts. While our application's case study involves a drug search, the techniques and principles shared in this session can be adapted to improve search functionality in a wide range of applications. Join us to learn how PostgreSQL and Azure AI can be harnessed to enhance your application's search capability.
What is an RPA CoE? Session 2 – CoE RolesDianaGray10
In this session, we will review the players involved in the CoE and how each role impacts opportunities.
Topics covered:
• What roles are essential?
• What place in the automation journey does each role play?
Speaker:
Chris Bolin, Senior Intelligent Automation Architect Anika Systems
[OReilly Superstream] Occupy the Space: A grassroots guide to engineering (an...Jason Yip
The typical problem in product engineering is not bad strategy, so much as “no strategy”. This leads to confusion, lack of motivation, and incoherent action. The next time you look for a strategy and find an empty space, instead of waiting for it to be filled, I will show you how to fill it in yourself. If you’re wrong, it forces a correction. If you’re right, it helps create focus. I’ll share how I’ve approached this in the past, both what works and lessons for what didn’t work so well.
What is an RPA CoE? Session 1 – CoE VisionDianaGray10
In the first session, we will review the organization's vision and how this has an impact on the COE Structure.
Topics covered:
• The role of a steering committee
• How do the organization’s priorities determine CoE Structure?
Speaker:
Chris Bolin, Senior Intelligent Automation Architect Anika Systems
From Natural Language to Structured Solr Queries using LLMsSease
This talk draws on experimentation to enable AI applications with Solr. One important use case is to use AI for better accessibility and discoverability of the data: while User eXperience techniques, lexical search improvements, and data harmonization can take organizations to a good level of accessibility, a structural (or “cognitive” gap) remains between the data user needs and the data producer constraints.
That is where AI – and most importantly, Natural Language Processing and Large Language Model techniques – could make a difference. This natural language, conversational engine could facilitate access and usage of the data leveraging the semantics of any data source.
The objective of the presentation is to propose a technical approach and a way forward to achieve this goal.
The key concept is to enable users to express their search queries in natural language, which the LLM then enriches, interprets, and translates into structured queries based on the Solr index’s metadata.
This approach leverages the LLM’s ability to understand the nuances of natural language and the structure of documents within Apache Solr.
The LLM acts as an intermediary agent, offering a transparent experience to users automatically and potentially uncovering relevant documents that conventional search methods might overlook. The presentation will include the results of this experimental work, lessons learned, best practices, and the scope of future work that should improve the approach and make it production-ready.
From Natural Language to Structured Solr Queries using LLMs
Africa RISING Monitoring and Evaluation: Work in progress and 2012/2013 achievements in East and Southern Africa
1. Africa RISING
Monitoring and Evaluation
Work in progress and 2012/2013 achievements in East and Southern
Africa
B. Haile and A. Charles
IFPRI
Africa RISING East and Southern Africa annual review and planning meeting,
Lilongwe, Malawi, 3-5 September 2013
2. Monitoring …
Tracks indicators over time
(program administrative
information)
Collects data ONLY for
participants
Permits descriptive analysis
Tells whether inputs are being
implemented and outputs
achieved as planned
Impact evaluation …
Tracks average outcomes over
time (surveys) and indicators
(program information)
Collects data for participants and
non-participants (although these
may enter the program later on)
Permits causal/attribution
analysis
Tells whether the program
causally influences outcomes and
why/by what mechanism
Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E)
3. Outreach to/introduction/networking with
researchers
Interim progress reports (IPRs) audits (July ‘13)
Tanzania (Babati, Kiteto-Kongwa)
Malawi (IPR?)
Action site visits (May-July ‘13)
Information on activities
Information on beneficiaries
M&E activities: Delivered/ongoing (M)
4. Farmer field days
Long, Sabilo, and Seloto villages, July ’13
Focus group discussions (100+)
Project mapping tool (more on this tomorrow)
Work with scientists, researchers, extensionists, and
administrators
M&E activities: Delivered/ongoing (M)
5. Baseline socioeconomic surveys (ongoing)
Firm procurement
Survey tools development
Survey fieldwork rollout
Workshop on impact evaluation (August ‘13)
Share ideas with researchers on the need to
rigorously evaluate project elements, and possible
ways to incorporate it
M&E activities: Delivered/ongoing (E)
6. Babati impact evaluation design (August ‘13)
Prospective randomized-control design
Inputs versus training activities
Household and individual-level outcomes
Medium- and longer-term impacts (multiple
follow-ups)
M&E activities: Delivered/ongoing (E)
7. Experiencing climactic
changes
Poor seed germination
Untimely delivery of seed
Difficulty in identifying
varieties appropriate to local
conditions
Pests and diseases
Limited knowledge of best
farming practices
Few extension agents
Limited knowledge on how to
apply inorganic fertilizers
Difficulty in identifying the
right pesticides
Expensive agro-inputs
Unreliable markets for farm
produce
Low capital
Lack of knowledge on organic
farming
M&E activities: Lessons from Babati FGDs
8. ARBES Tool
Discussed at Dar es Salaam and Accra
Additional feedback:
Dr. Bekunda
The Economics and Policy Innovations for Climate-
Smart Agriculture (EPIC) at FAO
Vital Signs
MSU (Thomas, Eric, David)– “Bean Game”
Malawi ARBES
9. Pre-field work
Programming (Survey CTO)
Sampling frame – Dist. Bureau of Agr. (2012)
Verification (esp. for non-Bene sample)
Market survey for local measurement units
GPS land area measurement
Questionnaire being completed in two visits
Data being reviewed in real time
Malawi ARBES
10. Implementation
IFPRI partnered with Invest in Knowledge
Initiative (IKI) (proposal from IKI & Wadonda)
Trained 28 researchers (July 15 – August 14)
Two wks on the paper questionnaire
Two wks on Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing
(CAPI) technology
24 teams started field work on Aug 16
~30% completed as of September 2, 2013
Malawi ARBES
11. Malawi ARBES Sample – PPS Sampling
District EPA Section # of
Bene
Villages
# of
Control
Villages
# of Bene
HHs (Non-
Bene HHs)
# of
Control
HHs
Dedza Linthipe Mposa 5 77 (88)
Lobi Thete 7 140
Golomoti Golomoti C. 4 104 (24)
Mtakataka Mtakataka C. 8 160
Ntcheu Kandeu Kampanje 9 192 (52)
Kandeu Sitolo 4 80
Nsipe Mpamadzi 7 98 (37)
Nsipe Mwalaoyera 9 180
Total 25 28 471 (200) 560
12. What is left?
Finish the HH survey, programming and
implementation of community surveys - Sep
2013
Gather data on technologies adopted by AR
beneficiaries
Data analysis and report writing (Nov. and Dec.
2013)
Malawi ARBES
13. Proposal from three potential partners
NBS
REPOA
NORC
EDI (??)
Why did it take longer?? Well, my/our Malawi
experience…
Survey firm procurement: September 2013
Next steps: training, piloting, fieldwork, analysis
Tanzania ARBES
14. Data and analysis
Qualitative, quantitative
High periodicity
Multi-level: unit of analysis, project, research
program
Descriptive, causal / attribution
M&E: A shared responsibility
15. Ongoing (including FtF indicators)
Program-wide, general
Site-specific, custom
Reminders on joint responsibility (Arusha Aug
‘13 meeting; ongoing)
Next steps
Sourcing data from project teams
Research and project team leaders’ strategy
Template for uniform reporting
M&E: A shared responsibility
16. Africa Research in Sustainable Intensification for the Next Generation
africa-rising.net