Putting the horse in front of the cart A presentation held by Andrea Bohn, MEAS, at the ICT4AG conference in Kigali, Rwuanda, in October 2013.

 

A Synthesis of Experiences, Lessons, and Recommendations

An executive summary

 

Key note presented at International Day of Rural Women, organised by the World Farmers’ Organization (WFO) and The Zambia National Farmers’ Union (ZNFU). Presented under the theme: Investing in Rural Women to Achieve Sustainable Food Systems

This paper defines and explains the concept of gender equality in advisory services and discusses the oppor-tunities that gender equality in RAS would potentially create for global and local food production, women’s economic empowerment, household food security and nutrition as well as the challenges in achieving this. Based on the current knowledge in the working group and its environment of documented experiences, the paper summarises the existing experiences of how gender equality can be pursued in RAS and finally concludes with providing recommendations and suggestions for policy makers and RAS providers for planning and implementing RAS with equal access for men and women.

PIM organized a workshop at IFPRI on October 15-16, 2013. Approximately 35 participants from the CGIAR, universities, multilateral agencies, NGOs, regional networks, private sector, and donor organizations attended the event. The aim of the workshop was to prepare the ground for developing a coordinated research program on extension led by PIM and addressing not only the CGIAR but the development community more broadly. Participants heard presentations on innovative approaches to extension, extension needs and programs in the different regions, and extension research areas. They discussed how extension has evolved from the old “training and visit” model to a complex and pluralistic environment, with extension playing the role of a broker between different actors. See also http://www.pim.cgiar.org/2013/11/14/summary-of-pims-extension-workshop-now-available/

This guide introduces 25 questions to help lead programme designers and managers of agricultural value chain projects to success. It aims to complement existing value chain development tools that focus less on bringing together technical and social dimensions. The questions focus on problems and complications that often occur during the different phases of value chain selection and analysis, and design and implementation of related projects.

Here are some basic notes from the side event held in September 2013 in Berlin, hosted by the GFRAS Consortium on Extension Education and Training.

A group of people interested in education and training met at the AFAAS extension week in Botswana in August to hear about the GFRAS consortium and share ideas.

For agricultural development practitioners, social media tools can expand the reach of your ommunity, strengthen partner relationships, support programmatic initiatives, and provide a vital  eans to increase the visibility of your public profile and engagement. 

A handbook by USAID

 

A Synthesis of Experiences, Lessons, and Recommendations

The major purpose of this study was to analyze and document the past, current, and future role of EAS, with regard to human nutrition. This report summarizes the current state of knowledge on the role of nutrition in EAS resulting from an extensive literature review, analyzing survey responses, and conducting interviews with actors from worldwide development organizations, governmental agencies, educational and research institutions, and the private sector.

The Executive Summary of ths report is available as a separate publication.

Producer organizations (POs) form the interface between local societies and their economic, social and institutional environment. They are constructed around two main issues: defending producer interests and organizing access to agricultural services. In West Africa, their importance in rural development has grown since the 1990s following the withdrawal of the State from the agricultural sector. Some POs have extended the services they provide to their members by developing advisory services. This has been possible mainly due to the support of donors and of support structures involved in renovating and reviving advisory services. This article presents the main issues which confront POs and the entities which support them. These issues concern the effectiveness and sustainability of advisory mechanisms controlled and implemented by the POs. What type of advice to meet the needs and challenges faced by the POs and their members? How to make advisory services compatible with PO constraints? How to finance and sustain these services?

Evidence from several African countries suggests that female farmers are as efficient as male farmers, but are less productive because they are denied equal access to productive inputs and human capital. If their access to these inputs were at par with men’s access, total agricultural output in these countries could increase by up to 30% and
increase agricultural output by up to 4%.

Integrating gender in programs, policies and projects thus aims to reduce gender disparities and enhance women’s participation in the economic development and their empowerment.

In 2012, the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) adopted a gender strategy to guide the integration of gender in its work. The purpose of this manual is to provide operational guidance to ILRI staff and partners on how to integrate gender into the project cycle in accordance with the gender strategy.