This document provides an overview of the Aquatic Agricultural Systems (AAS) program. In 3 sentences: AAS aims to improve livelihoods and reduce poverty for millions dependent on aquatic agricultural systems through research focusing on income, nutrition, resilience, and gender equality, with targets to directly benefit over 48 million people by 2023 through work in focal regions in Africa, Asia, and the Pacific; scaling will occur through partnerships and transforming conditions at hub sites to enable adoption of innovations at wider landscapes and national levels. The document outlines AAS's theories of change, impact pathways, monitoring and evaluation approach, and key partnerships for achieving impacts and scaling up successful strategies.

1. AAS: Making a difference
Montpellier 24 June 2013

2. Today
• What is AAS
• Our focus
• Our impact – IDOs
• How we’ll get
there (ToCs + IPs)
• Some questions
www.aas.cgiar.org

3. “The definition of insanity is
doing the same thing over
and over again and
expecting different results”
Albert Einstein
• Gender
• ME&IA
• Scaling
• Partnerships
• Capacity dep’t
• Integration

4. aquatic
agricultural
systems

5. Aquatic Agricultural Systems
Systems and livelihoods – not commodities

6. Aquatic Agricultural Systems
NOT ABOUT FISH!
only

7. Rural poverty
Number of rural poor (millions) (<US$1.25 per day)
“… there are serious and
growing threats to the
productivity and resilience of the
Green Revolution lands.
Equitability has also been low.
The larger landowners have
reaped most of the benefits,
while the poor and landless have
missed out.” (Conway 2012)

8. Integrated Agricultural Systems

9. Our focus

10. Mekong The Coral Triangle
GBM*
Zambezi
Population living on <$1.25/day,
per grid cell (resolution : 9 km at
the equator)
Niger
Lakes
Victoria
-Kyoga
Source of poverty map: CGIAR SRF
Domain Analysis Spatial Team (2009)
*GBM: Ganges-Brahmaputra-
Megna delta
(where learning from Coral
Triangle will be scaled out)
South Pacific Community
African Inland
Asia mega deltas
• High numbers of poor and/or
High % of total population dependent on AAS
• High vulnerability to change (climate/sea level/water)
• Potential to scale out
Geographical Focus
African Coastal

11. Rural poverty and AAS
Ca. 80m people
dependent on AAS
66% living in
poverty
Source: Bené & Teoh, in prep.

12. People using AAS
System Area (km²) People <US$1.25/day
Africa – f’water 800,000 70m 43m
Africa - coastal 300,000 12m 7m
Asian Deltas 50,000 100m 40m
Islands SEA + Pfc 650,000 54m 22m
236m 112m
Source: Bené & Teoh, in prep.

13. Our impact

14. AAS IDOs
Income
Productivity
Control of
assets
Capacity to
innovate
Greater
resilience
Capacity to
adapt
Policies
Minimized
effects
Carbon
sequestration
Material
Outcomes
Instrumental
Outcomes
Environmental
Outcomes
Access to
food
Consumption

15. People benefitting from AAS by 2023
System Direct Scaling
Hubs National Regional
African freshwater 3.8m 4m 6m
African coastal 2.5m 1m 2m
Asian Mega Deltas 13.2m 5m 4m
Islands Asia-Pacific 1.9m 3m 2m
Totals 21m 13m 14m
Combined total 48m

16. Our numbers
Direct
• Communities and households in each hub
• Community-community learning
• Scaling via partners working in the hubs
Scaling
• 25% of poor dependent on four focal systems
• to be refined with development partners

17. Example targets for AAS IDOs
AAS IDO Indicator Targets
2017 2020 2023
Income Income in # poor households increased
by at least 30% and with 40% of that
income earned by women
270,000 1.2m 2.7m
Consumption
& nutrition
50% increase in consumption of
nutrient rich small fish and vegetables
by women and children in # poor rural
households
135,000 600,000 1.35m
Control of
assets and
decision
making
# of women, youth and marginalized
people in focal communities pursuing
new and beneficial choices …..
135,000 600,000 1.35m
Capacity to
innovate
Community and hub level innovation
platforms established in a) # hubs
(#platforms) with (b) # hubs fully
performing (# platforms)
a) 15 hubs
(75 p’fms)
b) 5 hubs
(50 p’fms)
a) 24 hubs
(130 p’fms)
b) 10 hubs
(100 p’fms)
a) 24 hubs
(180 p’fms)
b) 15 hubs
(150 p’fms)

18. Value Proposition
W1/W2 Bilateral Total Beneficiaries Cost/person
US$m Millions US$/person
Africa
Inland
141 130 272 13.8m 20
Africa
Coastal
101 93 194 5.5m 35
Asian Mega
Deltas
141 130 272 22.2m 12
Asia-Pacific
islands
121 112 233 6.9m 34
i. AAS + partners
ii. High density areas ≠
more important
iii. Wider benefits from aas
iv. Synergies other CRPs

19. How we’ll get
there

20. Generic Theory of Change
Science
and
outreach
Technology
improved
Means to
enhance
gender equality
understood
Policies
informed
Knowledge
co-created &
shared
Markets
understood
Adaptive
capacity
informed
IDOs SLOs SDGs
Stakeholders+Developmentpartners
Multiple scales:
Household
Community
Hub/landscape
National
Basin/Coastal
Regional
Global

21. AAS Theories of change and Impact Pathways
Research
Outputs
Research
Outcomes
CRP IDOs
System
IDOs
SLOs SDGs
AAS Approach AAS Impact Pathways
Research Initiatives

22. The AAS Approach: Programmatic Theory of Change

23. Countries and hubs
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Africa In 1 1 2 4 6 7
Africa Co 0 0 1 2 3 5
Asia MDs 1 2 3 5 5 7
Asia-Pcf 1 2 2 3 5 5

24. Integrated themes:
Gender
Health & Nutrition
Learning/Sharing/Communication
Engagement & Empowerment
Effective Partnerships
High potential
NRM value chains
Fish
Aquatic Plants
Farm productivity &
diversification
Diversified farming systems
Dietary diversification
Baseline studies
Ecosystem services
Agrobiodiversity
Agric. Knowledge + info
systems
Governance
High potential agric.
value chains
Cattle
Rice
HUB strategic initiatives
Flood risk management
Gender transformative
approach
Awareness +
communication in schools
Canal management
Program
operations
Governance
Management
Communications
Capacity building for
implementation
Community
level
initiatives
Barotse Hub,
Zambia

26. How we’ll measure
achievements
• Indicators and
metrics
• AAS impact
evaluation

27. Indicators and metrics
AAS IDO Indicator Metrics / method
Income Income of poor households AAS multi-purpose HH survey;
Use of, and participation in, existing
livelihood surveys (e.g. FtF Bangladesh)
Consumption
& nutrition
Consumption of selected nutrient rich
food in poor HHs
Dietary diversity of poor HHs
Nutrient intact from consumption of target
foods/total intake from all foods consumed
Individual dietary diversity score (A4HN)
Control of
assets and
decision
making
# of women, youth and marginalized
people with greater control over assets
and decision making
Women’s empowerment in agriculture index
(WEAI)
Others ….
Capacity to
innovate
# innovation platforms established
Rate of community-level innovation
# of hubs and countries (idea of measuring
performance)
TBD

28. Foundation stones of AAS impact evaluation
1. Theory of change
2. Staged approach
3. Understanding
causality
4. Design framework

29. Foundation 1: Build and test nested theories
of change
• With stakeholders
• From the beginning

30. Foundation 2: Staged evaluations
• Pathways unclear
to begin with
• Staged approach
• Ex-ante
• Mid-term
• Ex-post
• In support of
learning and
accountability

31. Foundation 3: Demonstrating and
understanding causality
• Across a wider set of
expected change
• Accountable to a wider
set of stakeholders
• Acknowledge
contribution
• Parsimonious and
practical
• Innovation required

32. Foundation 4: Framework for selecting
impact evaluation designs
From: Stern et al, 2012
• Theory based
• Case based
• Participatory
• Experimental

33. Gender Equality Outcomes
AAS IDO Indicators and Targets
Household income 40% of increased income earned and controlled by women
Consumption and nutrition 50% increase in consumption of nutrient rich small fish and
vegetables by women and children
Policies Evidence of positive contributions to shifts in gender equitable
policies, policy implementation or institutional context
Control of assets and
decision making
Number of women, youth and marginalized groups
-pursuing new and beneficial livelihood choices
-accessing services and inputs
-building personal and household assets
-controlling decisions regarding production, assets, income,
expenditure
-% taking up leadership roles in communities
Process indicators:
-Number of functional GTA reflection and learning groups
embedded in innovation platforms
-Number of program staff, partners and service providers whose
skills have been built to facilitate GTA
-Coalitions at different levels formed to facilitate uptake of gender
transformative approaches
-Number of partner programs embedding GTA

34. AAS Impact Pathway for gender equality

35. Gender and
development
analysis,
methods and
tools focused
on AAS
development
challenges
Analysis, tools
and methods
used to design
and implement
gender
transformative
RinD strategies
and
interventions in
AAS
Changes in gender
roles and norms
Increased access to
assets, resources,
knowledge, skills,
social networks,
markets and
services
Equity enabling
policies and
institutions
Improved range and
quality of life
choices
Control of
decision-making
Enhanced
engagement in
markets
Enhanced
benefits from
use of assets,
resources
Gender equitable
systems and
structures
Higher participation
and leadership in
community initiatives

36. Gender Capacity 2013
AAS Science Theme
Leaders
Five program countries: Bangladesh, Cambodia,
Philippines, Solomons, Zambia
Hub gender
research analysts
Hub development
partners
Hub implementing
team
Hub gender
research partners
Global
gender
team
Strategic gender
research partners
(UEA, Johns Hopkins,
Promundo, ICRW)
Consultants
Gender Working
Group
(Country program
leaders)
6
5
Gender Advisory
Group

37. Achieving outcomes at scale
Pathway 1
Pathway 2
Pathway 3

38. AAS – pathways to impact at scale
Pathway 3
Focus on national, regional and
global scaling
Pathway 2
Focus on hubs: transforming
enabling conditions
Pathway 1
Focus on hubs: direct
engagement with communities
and partners
•Ensuring highest quality research
•Demonstrating significant outcomes
•Communicating effectively
•Working through high quality development
partnerships
•Enabling new alliances and collaborations
•Transforming power relations and gender
norms
•Creating opportunities to experiment
•Improving knowledge, information and
technology systems
•Building capacity
•Informing policy reform
•Fostering community led innovation
•Developing and disseminating technologies
•Supporting improved governance
•Engaging with power relations and gender
norms

39. AAS – Partners and pathways to scale
Pathway 3
Pathway 2
Pathway 1
•Global Development Institutions
•Regional development institutions
•Global Science networks
•Regional science networks
•International NGOs
• National and local Governments
• NARS
• NGOs (national and international)
• Other research partners
• Private sector
• Local Government
• NARS
• Community Organizations + NGOs
• Other research partners
• Private sector

40. Key Partnerships - Zambia
Types of
partners
Who we’re working with Role in scaling
Core
institutions
Provincial and National Policy
Key
implementing
partners
Provincial and National
Capacity (research and
development)
Integration of learning into
development programs –
landscape and national
BRE
UNZA
With bilateral and multilateral agencies supporting locally and scaling nationally
Senanga Farmers Assoc.

41. Key partnerships - Bangladesh
Types of
partners
Who we’re working with Role in scaling
Core
Institutions
National Policy
Key
implementing
partners
(research)
Foster more
responsive
research by
national level
researchers and
connectivity
between farm
communities and
researchers
Bangladesh
planning
commission BARC
Department
of Fisheries
Department of
Agriculture and
extension
BARI BRRI
Bangladesh
Agriculture
University
Khulna
University

42. Key partnerships – Bangladesh
Types of
partners
Who we’re working with Role in scaling
Key
implementing
partners
(development)
Integration of
farmer and
researcher
research and
capacities into
large scale
development
programs
With bilateral and multilateral agencies supporting locally and scaling nationally

43. Collaboration with Other CRP’s
Aquatic
Humidtropics
Drylands
WLE/CCAFS
Commodities
Nutrition Sensitive
Landcapes Climate Change Gender

44. Some
questions

45. What keeps us awake at night?
• Approach?
• IDOs?
• Numbers?
• Scaling – pathways 2 & 3?
• Partnerships?
• Capacity?

46. Thank You