This document summarizes the findings of a need assessment conducted to establish an effective community of practice for pro-poor livestock development. The need assessment received responses from 85 resource people from 45 organizations. It identified their key priorities as empowering poor livestock keepers, improving productivity and market access, ensuring participation, and investing in capacity building and research. Respondents expressed interest in joining the community of practice and expected it to identify innovative interventions, improve achievement of results through learning and partnerships, and secure financial resources to better support pro-poor livestock development.

1. Building the Community of Practice for Pro-poor Livestock Development
Main Findings from the Need Assessment
Silvia Sperandini
Consultant, Knowledge Management and Learning
Technical Advisory Division, PT
12-13 January 2009

2. Main Findings from the Need Assessment
Objectives of the presentation:
• To present the Need Assessment and its objectives;
• To highlight participants' views and key findings;
• To link the main results with the Workshop objectives.

3. Main Findings from the Need Assessment
Why a Need Assessment:
• It intended to be a starting point to build an effective and
powerful Community of Practice in line with participants'
expectations
It aimed to:
• Set a first target group of committed people and
organizations ;
• Know participants’ views and expectations on CoPs;
• Open the dialogue on common priority needs, strategies
and areas of actions.

4. Main Findings from the Need Assessment
Methodology:
• Process broad and participatory;
• The electronic survey was sent to 166 resource people.
Target Group:
• Universities and research institutes; Farmers organizations;
International organizations; Regional networks and other
consortia; Development practitioners, decision makers etc.
Response rate:
• 85 resource people (52%) from 45 different organizations;
• 79% of them express their interest in joining the CoP.
The attention on livestock development issues;
This reflects:
The interest in establishing new strategic working
relationships.

5. Main Findings from the Need Assessment
Key highlights:
• Livestock merits a better position in the international agenda
Multi-stakeholders partnerships can raise this awareness embracing the
importance of livestock development;
• An effective sustainable livestock development passes through:
Better designed/better targeted programmes, and better implementation
support;
Concrete focus on poor farmers and on their socio-economic
empowerment;
Innovative activities;
Better partnerships and knowledge sharing (of what works and doesn’t
work);
Demand-driven and participatory interventions;
Institutional support and pro-poor policies.

6. Main Findings from the Need Assessment
Main priorities:
• Empowering poor livestock keepers to secure their assets;
• Improving productivity and competitiveness of livestock
products with a sustainable use of the available natural
resources;
• Improving market access and market opportunities;
• Assuring poor livestock keepers' inclusion and participation in
the development process;
• Investing in capacity building;
• Supporting pro-poor adaptive research.

7. Main Findings from the Need Assessment
Respondents' expectations:
• Identifying and piloting innovative interventions;
• Improving mechanisms for achieving better results; and
• Supporting learning for achieving better results;
• Securing financial resources in support of a pro-poor
livestock development;
• Improving the effectiveness of existing practices.
“Developing new ways of working together”

8. THANK YOU!