The STEPS Centre Symposium, 26 September 2009, focused on our Innovation, Sustainability, Development: A New Manifesto project. This presentation by Monique Saloman of CEAD, South Africa was one of those given at the event. For more information see: www.anewmanifesto.org

1. PROLINNOVAGlobal networking for local innovativeness Monique Salomon PROLINNOVA South Africa STEPS Centre Symposium 2009 24 September TheFreeman Centre, University of Sussex Session 2: Grassroots/ bottom up innovation: How to facilitate emergence and flourishing

2. Key concerns in this session If and how can we: Link grassroots to formal R&D? Promote bottom-up initiatives without stifling innovativeness and creativity? Steer bottom-up innovations in environmentally sustainable directions? “Yes we can…. or at least we are working on it”

3. Who is “we” PROmoting Local INNOVAtionin ecologically-oriented agriculture and natural resource management, in short PROLINNOVA Est. 1999: as international multi-stakeholder network; connecting “islands of success” (e.g. LEISA, Promoting Farmer Innovation, Indigenous Soil and Water Innovations, Farmer Field Schools) Focus: Farmers/resource users as innovators, stimulating their innovative capacity, and promote partnerships and methodologies that support local innovation processes Over 100 organisations(Nov 2006)

4. Global Partnership Programme 15 country programmes and 3 regions Africa: Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Moçambique, Niger, Nigeria, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Sahel Region (Burkina Faso, Mali, Senegal) Asia: Cambodia, Nepal, Pacific Region (Solomon Islands) Latin America: Andes Region (Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador)

5. What brings PROLINNOVA partners together Farmers/local resource users are creative and innovators who generate relevant local innovations = new ways of doing things in that locality (software and hardware) Farmer-led participatory innovation for sustainable development (PID) works and should be mainstreamed and institutionalized within formal R&D and education Effective research and extension supports and stimulates local innovation processes, and forms strong partnerships with farmers, farmer organisations, Universities, R&D, and CSO’s

7. Community of practice Farmers, development agents, scientists and policy makers engaging in open and democratic spaces to share experiences, learn from and support each other

8. Country-driven activities Common elements: Creating the evidence: Studies of local innovation, farmer-led participatory innovation development (PID) on the ground, and Documenting this Establishing national and sub-national multi-stakeholder platforms for information sharing, joint learning and institutionalizing PID Capacity building and curriculum development in PID Policy dialogue and mainstreaming PID at local, district and national level

9. How the Programme “hangs together” Governance Country/regional programmes are hosted by local, experienced civil society organizations (CSO’s); Coordinated by multi-stakeholder steering committees, also at international level Facilitation support ETC EcoCulture (Secretariat), IIRR Philippines, Centre for International Cooperation/Free University of Amsterdam, and IED Afrique Funding DGIS (NL),and CTA, DURAS, EED, IFAD, Misereor, Oxfam-Novib, Research-into-Use, Rockefeller Foundation, Worldbank; Country Programmes are run with own contribution (cash and kind).

10. Linking grassroots to formal R&D “Tuning into” innovation by farmers/resource users (the eye opener) Document these (catalogues, databases, videos etc) Share & promote (farmer-to-farmer, publications, mass media) Or develop further together (joint experimentation) Building a “community of theory and practice”

11. Fish smoking oven (Niger) By M Saidou, JM Dipo, S Haoua, A Mamane South West Niger, men catch fish (“silure”: clariasgariepinus, labeocoubie) smoked by women in local oven (“Banda”) Banda selected by farmers for joint on-farm experimentation by interdisciplinary team (farmers, farmer innovators, researchers, academics, CSO agents and extension staff) 4 new oven designs developed, which were tested and compared (using farmer and scientist criteria and methods) with 4 traditional ovens on-site Results were shared at local, national and international levels

13. Safe use and reduced risk (burns, fire, theft,damage), Ease of work, timing, and weather conditions, freeing women to do other activities

14. Better sensory quality and shelf life -> higher commercial value of fish, and reputation of Boumba fish traders

15. Extra income spent on food, housing, social activities, and small stock

16. Improved household gender relations

17. Female innovators start cooperative and strengthen capacities (literacy of 16 women and 9 men)

18. 7 new ovens built without external support

19. Increased local demand, and product innovation: smoking bought fish in new oven

20. Harnessing innovativeness and creativity 3 Stimulate farmer-to-farmer learning (Fairs, markets, exchange visits, awards etc) Multi-media documenting of innovation (incl farmer-led documentation) Alternative funding mechanisms (Local Innovation Support Funds) Tapping into local solutions to global concerns (e.g. HIV/AIDS, climate change)

21. Challenges PID training facilitates attitudinal/behavioural change, but no fundamental shifts within some Government organizations and unfavourablepolicy environments in many countries Hardware/production technology bias; need process orientation and focus on “soft” innovations (social organization, access to resources, marketing) Development challenges needtriple-bottom line solutions (ecological, social, economic)

22. Contact us PROLINNOVA International Secretariat c/o ETC EcoCulture Kastanjelaan 5, P.O. Box 63 3830 AB Leusden, The Netherlands Tel +31 33 432 6024 E-mail prolinnova@etcnl.nl Website www.prolinnova.net