Innovation Plat Forms are meant to: 1) Identify major development challenges and solutions through community-based approaches that illustrate the value of solutions to communities. 2) Serve as a forum for partnerships between communities, researchers, and the private sector to scale out solutions through learning cycles connected to input and output markets. 3) Be interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral platforms that address all aspects of agriculture and livelihoods through the involvement of extension services, research, information centers, farmers, and the private sector.

1. Innovation Plat Form
Group discussions

2. Definition
• Start with : the identification of major development
challenges and solutions and then identify who can
play part in bringing these solutions (power and
influence mapping)
• We cannot give solutions and expect that people will
accept it, research and development have to use
community-based approaches to work with the
community and illustrate the value of these solutions.
• It is forum for partnership: For scaling out with
learning cycles in connection with inputs/output
market with private sector involvement

3. • IP: is a dynamic process an devolving and self-
learning process
• Other IPs may already be operating, we can learn
from and link with them
• Should take different forms depending on the
enterprise
• It has to be engendered

4. Issues which need to be integrated in
our work?
• Main purpose:
– Mobilizing stakeholders as learning process, to brig about change through
science at scale, and to show tangible economic benefits
• Scale/level:
– Community: mobilizing beneficiaries and linking with other change agents
– Regional, district levels: mobilizing more wider stakeholders who can influence
policy and institutional factors that affect out-scaling research impact
• What level: community, regional, national?
– Example: In FARA: IP is by commodity but in systems research we cannot
organized by commodity because of the complexity of issues involved
It should be part of the integrated system and included crops, markets and
natural resources.

5. IP
• The IP: should be interdisciplinary and inter-
sectoral to address all aspects of
agriculture/livelihoods; include private sector
(input suppliers, traders).
• Example:
– Some extension/advisory, research, information
centers, and farmers and private sector
– Actions should be clear

6. Tools
• PTD
• Participatory methods
• Community-based approaches
• Community/farmer organizations
• Instructional analysis
• Power/influence/and effect analysis

7. • Next steps:
– Formation of Community-level platforms as a
learning mechanism
– Formation of policy level platforms (at a later
stage)
• Who will drive it:
– identify facilitators (capacity enhancement of
relevant departments)