This document provides an update on the Africa RISING program. It discusses several collaborations and projects that Africa RISING is engaged in to scale up agricultural technologies in multiple countries in Africa. These include partnerships in Tanzania, work with various innovation labs, potential partnerships with other programs, an evaluation of the East and Southern Africa projects, lessons learned from a visit to the CSISA program in India, and next steps for the Africa RISING program including preparing for the next phase.

1. Africa RISING update
Irmgard Hoeschle-Zeledon
IITA
Africa RISING East and Southern Africa Review and Planning Meeting,
Malawi, 14-16 July 2015

2. Towards scaling up and out
USAID Tanzania funded project Enhancing partnerships
among Africa RISING, NAFAKA and TUBORESHE CHAKULA for
fast-tracking delivery and scaling of agricultural
technologies in Tanzania started in October 2014.
 three year project in Manyara, Dodoma and Morogoro
Regions, expansion to Mbeya and Iringa Regions
 focussing on dissemination of maize, rice, legume and
vegetable varieties and agronomic practices, NRM and post
harvest technologies

3. Collaboration with Innovation Labs
• Appropriate Scale Mechanization Consortium for the Sustainable Intensification of Small-
Holder Farming Systems in Africa and South Asia under the SI Innovation Lab
(i) Georgia Institute of Technology: Ethiopia, Tanzania, Burkina Faso, Bangladesh;
CIMMYT, ILRI, ICRISAT, IITA are consortium members
(ii) Iowa State University: Development of a grain dryer and seed processing
equipment appropriated to smallholder and quality declared seed farmers in Tanzania
(statement of work from IITA on behalf of Africa RISING)
Tanzania, Burkina Faso, Bangladesh; ICRISAT is consortium member
• Meeting with IPM Innovation Lab (Virginia Tech), call for CN launched, AVRDC submitted CN
building on Africa RISING activities in Tanzania
• ILRI is representing Africa RISING in consortium of US institutions that applied to USAID
to lead the SI Lab on Livestock Systems
• IITA, on behalf of Africa RISING: MoU with the Innovation Lab on Reduction of post-harvest
losses at KSU (Ghana)
• Through AVRDC, planned collaboration in Tanzania between the Small-Scale
Irrigation Lab and Africa RISING; plans for Ghana still under discussion

4. Other potential collaborators
 DFID Sustainable Agricultural Intensification Research and
Learning in Africa (SAIRLA) Program led by NRI together with
Wyg International. 2 elements:
(i) managing a competitive research call
(ii) developing a Learning Alliance to identify and manage
pathways to inform policy
Currently on scoping visits to Malawi, Zambia, Tanzania, Ghana
 Taking Maize Agronomy to Scale in Africa (TAMASA), funded
by BMGF, implemented in Tanzania, Ethiopia, Nigeria
4 work streams: yields maps (adding to AfSIS), modeling tools
and applications, scaling out with extension and NARS, NARS
capacity building to support GIS data

5. Program retreat 2-5 June
Objectives:
• Draft an initial phase 2 program CN with purpose,
outcomes, activities, hypotheses, geo focus; plus
initial 'delivery' framework
• Take stock of current project and program strengths,
weaknesses and external review comments to feed
into objective 1
• Presentation at USAID and interaction with staff
• Discuss issues and plans for the remaining phase 1
• Agree scope of the ‘science symposium’ planned
for October 2015
http://africa-rising.wikispaces.com/review2015

6. Remaining phase 1
 Document and capitalize on our system-level perspectives
 Define AR identity and unique selling points –
roles, beneficiaries, value added ...
 Document and contextualize impact/adoption/early change
through robust data
 Strengthen national partners
 Data manager for each regional project; farm/farmer data;
queryable database of AR farmers

7. Remaining phase 1
 Boosting cross-project science learning
 Identify and document technology packages linked to
typologies
 Carry out socioeconomic and risk analysis
 Revise program framework – hypotheses
 Develop and use system-wide SI indicators
 Clarify R4D platform roles, objectives and approach
 Agree, test, validate approach to typologies; start to
operationalize it

8. Visit to USAID
• Presentation about Africa RISING program with following
discussion http://www.slideshare.net/africa-rising/ssar-usaid-
jun2015
• Afternoon session with various USAID staff
• Discussion around the new CGIAR CRP portfolio suggested that
Africa RISING will need to
1) very clearly articulate its specific ‘systems’ approach (with a
focus on livelihood systems rather than farming systems
2) set numeric targets to achieve through the wider scaling
approach of the Program

9. Project/Program Evaluations
• ESA Project Review Feb/March 2015
yesterday: meeting on implementation of recommendations
• USAID commissioned evaluation:
September/October in Ghana, Ethiopia, Mali
March 2016 in Tanzania and Malawi
Documentation to be prepared by beginning of August;
requests sent out

10. CSISA Learning tour Jan/Feb 2015
• Systems in eastern India more intensified than those of Africa RISING areas regarding
inputs, strongly driven by government subsidies –sustainability???
• CSISA has a longer history
• CSISA aiming at mechanization combined with short duration crops in order to allow
an additional crop per year (narrow number of innovations, narrow number of
implementers)

11. CSISA Learning tour Jan/Feb 2015
• Africa RISING is taking a more holistic approach to
intensification, stronger participation of communities
• CSISA has a much larger on-station research component than
Africa RISING; most activities under researcher control
• CSISA has worked very effectively to stimulate and support local
service providers; progressive farmers who are able to deliver
specific to other farmers
• Very interesting and encouraging activities operating through
NGO-supported self-help groups for women

12. Learning trip to Ethiopia
Runoff assessment plots at the model
watershed
Trench structures for soil and water
conservation and water retention
Farmer uses a shallow well with a pulley system
to irrigate vegetables and avocado trees
Visiting a weather station
Landless youth planted tree Lucerne on
abandoned land to fatten sheep and keep
bees

13. SI indicators and metrics
• longer process, started >1 year ago, involves many
partners beyond Africa RISING, meeting at last ESA
review and planning event in Arusha
• meeting in USA in February with Africa RISING
participation, draft framework developed
• SIIL chairing the process, P. Thorne and S. Snapp
strongly involved
• literature review done, 2 post-docs hired (MSU,
Columbia) to validate the framework, funded by SIIL
• update at Africa RISING strategy workshop in October

14. For next phase
Changing environment:
• Systems CRPs wrapped into other CRPs is a concern at USAID;
is systems research seen as a failure?
• There might be changes in USAID after the next presidential
elections and under new administrator
• Funding within USAID more competitive; buy-in from USAID
missions in all countries important to strengthen our position
• Seizing other donors’ opportunities (e.g. DFID-SAIRLA)
• Proposal to be submitted April 2016

15. Requirements:
• Vision 2021,ToC, unique selling points, Africa RISING identity
• Case studies of our systems research - evidence of the
benefits (also for missions)
• Documenting scaling approaches - numeric targets (also for
missions)
• Clear idea which technologies to scale; documentation of
validated technologies: impact on 5+2 domains (production,
economics, human, social, environment, trade-offs, equity) -
data base, fact sheets (also for missions)
• Clarity on farm typologies and how to use them
• Revised research hypotheses
• Roles of R4D platforms, farmer engagement guidelines
• Validated SI indicators framework

16. Next Steps:
• Monthly PCT meetings to monitor process of program
evaluation and proposal preparation
• Scientific symposium postponed to next year
• Program strategy workshop in October, Bamako
• Typology meeting end August in Wageningen
• Program design writeshop early September in Wageningen

17. Africa Research in Sustainable Intensification for the Next Generation
africa-rising.net
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