Organised by GFAR in collaboration with: TAP / PAEPARD

1. Organised by GFAR in collaboration with:
TAP / PAEPARD
gfar-secretariat@fao.org
Agents of Change in Capacity Development
for Agricultural Innovation:
The Value of Facilitators

2. Presenters/Programme
• Karin Nichterlein & Christian Grovermann (FAO, Rome)
• Gilbert Kayitare (CDAIS, Rwanda)
• Veronica Bejarano (Cooperative Lempira Sur, Honduras)
Q&A
• Eveline Sawadogo (INERA, Burkina Faso)
• Patrice Sewade (SOJAGNON/PAEPARD, Benin)
Q&A
Moderation: Charles Plummer / Peter Casier (GFAR, Rome)

3. Tropical Agriculture Platform (TAP)
Karin Nichterlein and Christian Grovermann
FAO Research & Extension Unit
Tropical Agriculture Platform (TAP) Secretariat

4. Tropical Agriculture Platform
Global partnership fostering coherence & greater impact
of capacity development for innovation in agriculture
Advocacy and
policy dialogue
(all levels)
Common
Framework
(systems CD)
TAPipedia
knowledge hub
(network &
resources)

5. Partners

6. 2012
2013
2014
• TAP launched
• Regional needs
assessments
• 1st Partners
Assembly in
China
• EU funds mobilized
(CDAIS by
Agrinatura & FAO)
• TAP Global Task
Force & CD Expert
Group launched
2015
• CDAIS project
launched to
support
implementation of
TAP Action Plan
• TAP Framework
and TAPipedia
developed
Major milestones
2016
• Partner Assembly in Rwanda
• Framework & TAPipedia approved
• Country CD for AIS assessments
• NIF Trainings, M&E Tools
• E-conference, symposium & other
events

7. Project
Making agricultural innovation systems
more effective and sustainable in
meeting the demands of farmers, agri-
business and consumers.

8. The 5 stages of
the CD for AIS
Cycle

9. Participatory assessments and
CD design in 8 countries
INCEPTION WORKSHOPS & CONSULTATIONS NEEDS AND BASELINE ASSESSMENTS
MARKETPLACES
→Training Manual
→ Toolbox
FACILITATOR TRAININGS

10. FOR MORE INFORMATION:
http://www.fao.org/in-action/tropical-agriculture-platform/en/
http://www.tapipedia.org/
THANK YOU

11. Agents of Change in Capacity
Development for Agricultural
Innovation: The Value of Facilitators
March 1, 2017
Project
Gilbert Kayitare
CPM - CDAIS Rwanda

12. • Rwanda is one of the 8 countries of CDAIS
• CDAIS partners with national/international
organizations
• Aims to make AIS functioning better in Rwanda
By improving people and organisations’
capacities
The process needs partnership and facilitation

13. Stakeholders selected 5 priority
areas of intervention
(niche/partnership/value chains):
1. Cassava value chain
2. Dairy processing
3. Nutrition
4. Intensification of crop and
livestock production and
5. Horticulture
10 people/innovation facilitators (willing
to lean) appointed by partnering
institutions:
1. Ministry of Agriculture and Animal
Resources
2. Rwanda Agriculture Board
3. Capacity Building and Employment
service Board
4. Workforce Development Authority
(dealing TVET)
5. National Agricultural Export Board
6. University of Rwanda
7. College of Agriculture
8. Private Sector

14. The group got trained by CDAIS global
team on a set of facilitation skills:
– Working in a team,
– How to approach stakeholders in a
system,
– Understanding Innovation/change
process + management
– Facilitation and negotiation skills,
– Interaction, collaboration and networking
– Analyzing the context and thinking of a
system
– Use of different capacity needs
assessment tools (time line, problem
tree, netmap, questionnaires etc.)
Facilitation process

15. Facilitated the participatory
capacity needs assessment
process in the 5 niches. E.g.
– Discussions to better understand
the niche/role of actors (e.g.
cassava vc),
– Use of tools to diagnose the
constraints/partnership level,
– Package a set of capacity needs,
– Action plan to address the needs
– CD process
Results
– Common understanding and
commitment among stakeholders
about AIS needs, challenges,
opportunities, vision and initial
actionable recommendations for
improvement in all value chains
– Raised understanding of importance
of partnership among Stakeholders,
– Highlighted needed capacities for
better functioning of AIS,
Challenges
– Low level of participation of
influential actors,
– Language at local level
– Different interests (strong support)
Roles of Innovation facilitators

16. Next steps
• Strengthening of these capacities of
stakeholders @all levels
• Raise awareness of AIS and
functional capacities in their own
institutions
Lessons Learnt
• There is will to partner,
• AIS approach is new, takes time to
engage,
• Hence, facilitation is key
• At niche level, collaboration
among stakeholders is not clearly
working
• Due to existing favorable
environment and will, it is possible
to strengthen the AI systems
• CDAIS tools will make these
partnerships profitable along the
agricultural value chains in
Rwanda

18. Agents of Change in Capacity Development
for Agricultural Innovation:
The Value of Facilitators
Veronica Bejarano, National Innovation Facilitator of the
Cocoa Niche
Cooperativa Mixta Lempira Sur– Honduras
Project

19. General Information about Honduras
 Honduras is one of the eight pilot countries
participating in the CDAIS Project.
 The objective of the Project is to develop a
national vision about Capacity Development
for the Agricultural Innovation System and to
establish an Action Plan to develop
capacities and strengthen the existing ones.
 It is working with four niches, which are:
 Potatoes
 Beans
 Coffee
 Cocoa
Project

20. Selection criteria of the niches
1. Organization, comercialization
and production experiences
2. Multi-stakeholders participation
3. Representative territory
4. The multi-stakeholders should
not be disperse
5. Others ongoing projects and
international organizations
present in the region
Project

21. Involvement of Innovation Facilitators in the Capacity
Development Process
 Multiple organizations and institutions were invited to
nominate candidates to be considered in the selection
process of the National Innovation Facilitators (NIFs).
 12 National Innovation Facilitators were selected and
trained on the use of different tools to assess capacity
needs and to develop an action plan to address the
identified needs.
 After this, the stakeholder from each niche were invited
to participate in the Capacity Needs Assessment (CNA).
 Engagement of the Regional Center of the Atlantic Coast
for Education (CURLA) has been important in this
process.
Project

22. Role of the faciltators
 To conduct the capacity
needs assessment through a
participatory process.
 To facilitate the formulation
of an action plan for
capacity development, in
close consultation with the
stakeholders.
 To contribute to the
implementation of the
agreed action plan.
Project

23. Skills of the facilitators
 Capacity to negotiate and manage
conflicts.
 Hability to work in a team.
 Capacity to analize and make alliances
with institutions.
 Capacity to communicate and
promote dialogue.
Project

24. Achievements during the facilitation process
 All the facilitators applied the proposed
methodology during the visits for the
capacity needs assessment.
 Participation of additional stakeholders.
 All the reports were shared with the
stakeholders.
 The tools used to assess capacity needs
were explained to the stakeholders.
 The results were shared with others
stakeholders, who could not participate
in the process.
Project

25. Challenges during the Facilitation Process
 Motivation of the different
stakeholders in the cocoa niche to
participate in the capacity needs
assessment.
 Engagement of the public sector.
 Organization of stakeholder’s
networks.
Project

26. Project
THANK YOU

27. Questions/Remarks

28. Agents of Change in Capacity Development for
Agricultural Innovation: The Value of Facilitators
Eveline Compaore Sawadogo, PhD
Associate Researcher, Environment and Agricultural Research Institute
Burkina Faso
FAO Webinar 1 March 2017

29. Introduction
 Brief presentation of Burkina Faso
 Who are the NIFs in Burkina Faso
 which skills they need?
 Which kind of knowledge they need?
 Is there a need for NIFs?
 What is necessary for them to play their role?
 What CDAIS partners can do in this

30. The Country Burkina Faso
 Landlocked Francophone West African Country
 Up to 90% of the population are farmers
 NIFs have existed for such a long time and have
experience more or less successful different
diffusion approaches since the country
independency
 Up to now, the socio-economic conditions have
not changed much so far despite the
government’s development efforts.

31. Who are the Innovation facilitators in
Burkina Faso
In BF, there are 3 categories:
 Policy level facilitators :
policy makers
 Operational level facilitators:
technical agricultural agents,
 Those who develop new solutions
Researchers and engineers,

32. Skills and resources neededto effectively
facilitate interventions for operational level
NIFs in BF
 Able to describe/operate the innovative
solution
 Being flexible and demonstrate positive
disposition multi-tasks and attached to
details
 Communicate technical information clear
in the language of the farmers with non-
technical words
 Respectful of communities’ values and
norms by sharing the lives of the farmers
 Have strong analytical skills in order to
facilitate assessment and able to bring
farmers, researchers, and other operational
actors for collaborative initiative
 Able to apply participatory methods and
tools and coordinate groups(managerial
skills)
 Able to write
Farmer explaining their work to researchers
in the presence of technical agents in 2016
Financial service representatives, technical
agents, researchers and farmers during field visit in
2016

33. The skills and resources neededto effectively facilitate
interventions for Policy level NIFs
 The skills they need are the same as above but at different level
What they do:
 Formulate policy documents
 Organize tests to recruit technical agents and provide them with
training
However, in BF those policy level facilitators are not really in action at their
level as operational level facilitators. Eg it is only in 2011 that a ministry of
innovation was created and first policy documents were elaborated by
mainly science and engineering researchers without social scientists.

34. The skills and resources neededto effectively facilitate
interventions for Researchers/inventors and innovators
What they do:
 Transfer, create and introduce new agricultural
solutions
 Formulate the tools for technical agents
 Provide technical agents with specific training for
specific problem
 Transfer, develop and introduce new AI policies
They sometime take the position of the technical agent
and play the operational level NIFs role. Thus, they need
the same skills so that they can be effective.
In BF those researchers are in action in the field as
technical agents are. They communicate directly with
the farmers. As a researcher I spend time on the field
training, advising and collecting data with formers on
specific innovations.
Researcher assisting a
technical agent on the
field for diffusion of soil
improvement
technologies in 2016

35. Which kind of knowledge NIFs need?
 Knowledge needed for Technical Agents
 Understand group dynamics -in order to
appreciate the relevance of participatory
approach
 Understand the intervention framework
(approach, e.g. AIS) within which s/he works
 Knowledge needed for
Researchers/inventors and innovators
 Understand group dynamics -in order to
appreciate the relevance of participatory
approach
 Understand the intervention framework
(approach) within which s/he works
 Knowledge needed for Policy-makers
 Understand the intervention framework
(approach) within which s/he works Presentation of STIP programme
to CDAIS’s facilitators during
CDAIS training workshop in 2016

36. Is there a need for innovation
facilitators? Why
 Having said what is above, I acknowledge that there is a need for
NIFs at policy as well as operational levels because innovation
remain a learning and collective process.
 Thus, innovation cannot be promoted if there is nobody to do such
job as for eg agricultural technical agent do.
 For now, all these facilitators at policy and operational levels still
lack knowledge on AIS despite previous efforts.
 As a result, the university of Ouaga II in collaboration with few
experts including myself have began the reflection on tackling the
problem through a training programme: STIP!.

37. What works and what does not yet work so well?
How it can be improved?
 NIFs at operational level are very active in daily basis in the communities
(they advice, conduct experiments, collect data etc.)
 However, Training is key, research is another key
 And this is what the University of Ouaga II’s Interuniversity research and
training program on ‘Science, Technology, Innovation and Public Policy’ is
set to do.
 However, such a programme lack financial ressources to be more
operational in training operational and policy level NIFs on AIS approach
which require time and mentoring.

38. Conclusion
 What is needed in Burkina Faso in my point
of view and that we have began to develop
since 2014 is a support to the existing
programme initiative in a sub regional
francophone in order to update the
knowledge of the existing NIFs who
implemented previous approaches, so that
they can understand the AIS new dynamism
and also train a new generation of social
scientists in AIS
 As for now, in Burkina Faso, people have
heard about the AIS concept since the
2000s, but they still lack knowledge on how
it can be use to implement innovation.
 If operational NIFs are very active in BF, so
far their behaviors and actions do not really
reflect AIS framework
Researcher (myself) in AIS
facilitating learning during a
field visit in 2016

39. Many thanks for your attention
Eveline Compaore Sawadogo, PhD
compeve@yahoo.fr

40. Agents of Change in Capacity
Development for Agricultural
Innovation: The Value of Facilitators

41. Patrice Sewade
Coordinator of SOJAGNON
Godomey-Togoudo, Benin
Introduction
• Sojagnon is an association of farmers’ organizations in Benin
• We lead a PAEPARD multi-stakeholder research and innovation
partnership (Consortium Sojagnon Benin) since 2009
• Our consortium works with women soy processors in 8 municipalities
• PAEPARD is funded by the EU
Photo Credit: SOJAGNON

42. Consortium Sojagnon Benin
(CSB)
• Objective : Increased household income through improved food chain of
soybean derived products (milk and afitin)
• Partners - Four African: University of Abomey-Calavi (FSA/LSA) and INRAB as
researchers; farmers organization (FUPRO) and Sojagnon as practitioners and;
two European research partners: WU/FQD, Isa-Lisboa
 UAC/FSA/LSA and WU/FQD work to release soy Afitin innovations
 INRAB and Isa-Lisboa work to release soy milk innovations
 FUPRO: mobilization of stakeholders
 Sojagnon : coordination, communication and dissemination
• Duration - CRF is a 3 years PAEPARD funded
project

43. CSB Agricultural Innovation
Facilitators
• PAEPARD supported capacity development of agricultural
innovation facilitators (AIFs) and consortium coordinators -
organized training workshops, writeshops and networking events
• Consensus was reached among PAEPARD partners and beneficiaries
on the need for neutral AIFs (external facilitators)
• PAEPARD assigned two AIFs to the CSB

44. Role of the AIF
• Facilitate the development of a public-private partnership (PPP) around the
soybean value chain in Benin
• Mobilize relevant actors and build synergy for the research and innovation
partnership
• Ensure ownership of the soybean R&I projects (problem identification,
objectives, activities, expected results)
• Facilitate equitable collaboration among the various actors involved

45. The innovation process: CSB
• The coordinator / AIF facilitated the knowledge sharing platform and setting of
the innovation agenda by:
 experimenting with and learning from new processing techniques
 enhancing organizational and institutional capacity and business skills
 promoting co-creation of knowledge
• The enabling environment was important for building trust. The partnership
was defined by a consortium agreement signed by all partners and registered

46. Results
 Re-engineered Soybean Afitin and Soybean Milk processing
technologies in South and Central Benin (ProSAM)
 Developed capacity of the association Sojagnon in:
 facilitating multi-stakeholder partnership: farmers organizations
and researchers (African and European Partners);
 project development and management (now able to develop joint
funding proposals to support innovation in the soya value chain)

47.  Shelf life of the soy milk prolonged up to 6 months,
was less that 24 hours before
• Soy-based taste enhancers are being developed.

48. Lessons learned: The innovation
process• Researchers are more involved in development activities as they interact with end-
users. Mindset of researchers and end-users has changed
• Integration of researchers and practitioners’ knowledge leads to novel outcomes
• Encourages better understanding and inclusion of end-users’ needs
• Improving the quality and productivity of soybean food products and linking
processors to markets, enhances their capacity to generate more income
• Benefits the local economy – increased employment and income
• Searching for funding together to sustain the partnership has become a permanent
activity

49. Lessons learned: Facilitation (AIF)
What went well
 AIFs support multi-stakeholder participation, mobilization, learning and behavior change of key actors;
researchers, policy makers and non-research actors
 Having external AIFs play an important role in the inception phase of the innovation process and then
allowing leadership and ownership to pass to consortium members/partners
 Building a pool of AIFS / a community of practice is vital – Facilitation is not a one-off activity
What did not go well/ Pitfalls to avoid
 Tension between internal (coordinator) and external facilitators affects trust and leads to conflict
 Clarify roles of external AIFs and coordinator (coordinator may be more knowledgeable on technical matters) early
in the process
 External facilitation can be costly (build capacity of consortium)

50. Thank you

51. Questions/Remarks

52. Organised by GFAR in collaboration with:
TAP / PAEPARD
gfar-secretariat@fao.org
Agents of Change in Capacity Development
for Agricultural Innovation:
The Value of Facilitators