MULTIPLE STAKEHOLDER APPROACHES In the SIMLEZA Project A process review

1. MULTIPLE STAKEHOLDER APPROACHES In the SIMLEZA Project A process review

2. Table of Content • Innovation Systems Approaches & Platforms • SIMLEZA Stakeholders • Participatory Research and Extension Approach (PREA) • SIMLEZA Activities towards IP formation

3. What is an innovation platform (IP)? • A forum established to facilitate interactions and learning among stakeholders often selected from a commodity chain or system. • To undertake a participatory diagnosis of problems, joint exploration of opportunities and investigation of solutions leading to the promotion of innovation(s) along the targeted value chain. • IPs can provide a useful forum to get all players to interact and play their role in the innovation process.

4. The linear vision of research, extension and development Researchers conducting formal research in established institutions Farmers Researchers Extension agents Basic research Strategic research Applied research Technology transfer Adoption Knowledge flow Source: Ekboir et al. (2002); Wall (2007);

5. Example of an IP

6. District IP Community IP

7. Stakeholder information market Mo Agriculture CIMMYT UNIV National District Health office Clinic Mo Forestry School Community EA Farmer Assoc Mo E ARI Seed Assoc Dev Assoc Agric Office Seed Company Church Youth Assoc IITA Women group Mo WA Fertiliser agent Market DEC Mo Health Radio = innovation partner = can we involve them?

8. SIMLEZA Stakeholders CHIPATA

9. SIMLEZA Approach and Activities Bring Stakeholders together at District level and provide training in Participatory Research and Extension Approaches (PREA), and practice these PREA-tools by interacting with the SIMLEZA communities * Stakeholders from other Districts were invited

10. Participatory Research and Extension Approach Training Technical backstopping mid- Season evaluation Tryingout new ideas PREA Learning Cycle • End of season review and processmonitoring Training PREA Training Training Actionplanning Planning for next learning cycle Prioritising needs and problems Exchange visits Searchingfor solutions Mandatinglocalinstitutions SIMLEZA Entering community build trust Raisingawareness Feedback To community Identifying local organ- isations Identifying needs & problems Consideroptions

11. PREA process Y1 Y2 Y3 Y4 Y5 Years

12. General assumptions: • Farmers are receptive to new ideas • Research and development can provide information/technologies that lead to cost-effective ways of production • Success will depend on the approach taken Extension role is facilitating not teaching • Helping and convincing farmers vs directing • Providing a service not being a instructor • Encouraging farmer-to-farmer extension

13. Phase 1: Engagement and Social mobilisation • Step 1: Informal discussions with potential partners • Establishing common interests • Step 2: Entering the community and building trust • Selecting an area – camp, zone ward, village • Meeting with local leaders • Identifying how the community functions (institutions,livelihoods) • Step 3: Identify and analyse community organisations • To find local partners for future activities • Inside and outside community

14. Chanje institutions / farmer involvement (n=23)

15. MCF District FA ALL-1 ZNFU CFU School Village Dev Co COM ACO CAC Churches JTI TLC CEO IITA Chip ata CIMMYT Multi purpose Cooperatives Women’s groups ZARI CARGILL DAO BEO Donovant SIMLEZA CHANJE CAMP INSTITUTIONS 8 zones Micro-credit Foundation SEED CO ATS ZAM SEEDS

16. Step 4: Providing feedback to the community • Creating transparency and building confidence • Initiating a platform for dialogue within the community and between partners Issues • Ensuring community involvement • Clarify roles and expectations • Establishing differences in perception • Agreeing a way forward

17. Step 5: Raising awareness in the community • Ensuring feed back to and from the platform to the community • Facilitating an understanding of the existing situation and opportunities for development • Motivating people to become involved in the process • Building local confidence and capacity to bring change

18. Step 6 – Identifying needs Identifying and mobilising people’s own interests and common objectives Identifying challenges and opportunities

19. Phase 2a: Community level action planning Step 7: Prioritising problems and needs • Prioritisation by different groups - gender, age or institutional membership • Issues / tools • Matrix ranking • A value chain analysis or problem tree to identify real problems and causes • Different needs – is everyone making a contribution

20. Chanje crop prioritisation

22. Chanje – problem prioritisation

23. Step 8: Searching for solutions • Identifying a range of solutions suitable for different groups (value chain analysis) Issues • Who can assist? • Visits to research sites, other farmers, • Report backs after such visits • Blend suggestions from local people with those of outsiders • Are solutions affordable? • Negotiate what, how and who should try out new ideas

24. Step 9: Mandating local institutions • Empowering local organisations through community mandate • Ensure responsibility and accountability Issues • Which organisations are most suitable? • Who should take the lead? • What institutional strengthening and capacity building may be required? • What kind of networking is required? • Is their any opposition to the mandate?

25. Step 10: Action planning Providing guidance for implementation Plan to serve as a management tool Determine resources required Develop criteria for measuring success Ensuring all partners know and agree to the plan Issues Identify suitable sites, agree what activities, by whom and when Agree criteria for lead farmer selection, select lead farmers against criteria Agree trial plot design, input acquisition Land preparation, planting, fertilising, weeding etc Consider competitions between groups/farmers

26. Research and extension process Mothers Babies (Daughters) Lead farmers Granddaughters Secondary and other farmers Researcher control On-station and on-farmer fields Identifying “best-bet options” In farmers’ fields, farmer ownership with extension facilitation Testing adaptation and learning for local suitability Farmer ownership, management and control Adaptation Farmer-to-farmer diffusion

27. Phase 2b: Implementation - experimentation Step 11: Trying out new ideas Encouraging people to learn about new ideas through experimentation Using and linking the knowledge of all actors Enhancing people’s ability to innovate Generating new options and solutions Issues Encouraging maximum local involvement Providing back up Organising competitions

28. Phase 2c: Sharing experiences Step 12: Mid season evaluation • Assessing how activities are proceeding • Sharing ideas and providing feed back Issues • Organise an evaluation of field performance • Award prizes for trial management, number of farmers involved, quality of presentations etc • Share knowledge amongst farmers • Use matrix ranking to compare treatments • Build confidence through presentations • Encourage more farmer-to-farmer extension

29. IP partners Evaluating SIMLEZA -Achievements -Challenges -Opportunities During Mid-season Workshops

31. Soyabean PVS criteria identified in mid season

32. Step 13: End-of-season evaluation • Re-assess findings of mid season evaluations • Compare yields achieved • Participatory budgets • Assess performance against farmer criteria/ indicators • Step 14: Process review • Review the whole process • Identify strengths, challenges • Analyse lessons learnt

33. CA ranking Vuu

34. Participatory budget for Soya Agronomy in Vuu Camp

35. Step 15: planning for the next learning cycle • Identify new areas which require action • Address new problems which may have emerged out of the first learning cycle • Issues • Are the solutions sufficient? • What other areas do we need to tackle

36. Phase 3: Ensuring sustainability • Step 16: Ensuring ownership • Continuation of the innovation process • Step 17: Providing backstopping as required • Ensuring farmers know where to seek assistance • Step 18: Setting in place new innovations • Scaling up to other communities and through other institutions

37. PROCESS SUMMARY • Social mobilisation • Partner engagement and participation • Action planning • Experimentation • Assessment and learning • Setting innovations in place / sustainability

38. Operational level IP roles

39. Strategic level IP roles

40. Thank you!