GFAR Webinar – Agents of Change in Capacity Development for Agricultural Innovation: The Value of Facilitators

GFAR is pleased to invite you to the webinar:

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

Date: 1 March 2017

Time: 14:00 Rome time

Duration: 2 hours max

REGISTRATION CLOSED

As one in a series of GFAR webinars, the Tropical Agriculture Platform (TAP), a Partner in GFAR, in collaboration with the Platform for African European Partnership on Agricultural Research for Development (PAEPARD)   is bringing together several presenters to engage the agri-food research and innovation community around the topic of capacity development. TAP is an active partner in GFAR’s efforts in fostering collective initiatives to improve capacity in agri-food research and innovation. The main focus of TAP is the development of national capacities for agricultural innovation in tropical developing countries, where the capacity gap is especially wide. By helping to bridge the capacity gap, TAP aims to pave the way for agricultural innovations that meet the demands of its principal users – small farmers, small and medium-sized agribusinesses and consumers.

The PAEPARD Platform supports collaboration between Africa and Europe on innovative agricultural research projects, and facilitates dialogue between the different actors of the agricultural innovation systems to ensure that the research responds to the real needs of the African farmers.

In this webinar, TAP Secretariat and PAEPARD will share a framework and process being applied with its partners and Partners in GFAR to facilitate capacity development for agricultural innovation; “innovation facilitators” who are working on the ground will share their observations and learnings in their country contexts.

What are innovation facilitators and why do we need them?

The challenges of eradicating hunger, improving rural livelihoods and protecting the environment are real and complex. So, our solutions must be creative and innovative. We know that no single actor can come up with the solutions that address the wide array of issues that agriculture is faced with today.

Innovation, be it technological, institutional or social, emerges from collective thinking and action. It is a process by which multiple stakeholders put knowledge to use. Networks of researchers, extension agents, producers, agribusiness and other actors as well as the policies, attitudes and beliefs influencing their behaviours, act as catalysts for innovation. Together, they play a critical role in shaping food systems by recognizing and mutually sharing indigenous and scientific knowledge and stimulating collective learning.

To connect and collaborate effectively, facilitation is essential.

The Capacity Development for Agricultural Innovation Systems (CDAIS), an EU financed project, jointly implemented by Agrinatura, FAO and national partners in eight countries, recognises the crucial importance of facilitation for innovation. CDAIS supports the implementation of the TAP Action Plan by funding the development of the Common Framework and “validating” it in 8 countries and strengthen their capacities through the development of dedicated teams of national innovation facilitators.

To learn more about innovation facilitators, register today for “Agents of Change in Capacity Development for Agricultural Innovation: The value of facilitators”. The facilitators will share their initial experiences in assessing capacities and capacity development needs, in Asia, Africa and Latin America. A desired outcome of the webinar is to distill experiences and best practices that can be applied to strengthen or improve these processes.

Host: Karin Nichterlein, TAP Secretariat and FAO CDAIS Lead Technical Officer, will give a brief introduction to TAP.

Moderator: Peter Casier

Presenters: Innovation Facilitators, Project Managers or CD Experts working in CDAIS pilot countries:

• Christian Grovermann: Associate Agricultural Officer at FAO
• Gilbert Kayitare, CDAIS Country Project Manager; Rwanda
• Veronica Bejarano, Cooperativa Lempira Sur, Honduras
• Eveline Sawadogo, Environment and Agricultural Research Institute (INERA), Burkina Faso
• Patrice Sewade, Coordinator of SOJAGNON –NGO, PAEPARD facilitator

Presentations and Discussion:

Presenters will address the following questions:

• Where do you see that capacity development for agricultural innovation systems can make a contribution in your country? Can you give a concrete example?
• How to effectively engage key actors in the agricultural innovation processes and who should lead this process? How can the process be maintained beyond a project?
• Is there a need for innovation facilitators? Why?
• What are the skills and resources needed to effectively facilitate interventions? What works and what does not yet work so well? How it can be improved?
• To what extent does the current institutional environment allow to effectively facilitate the strengthening of agricultural innovation systems? What could be improved? What role can projects and partners play in this?

After each presentation the moderator will invite participants to ask questions or share related experiences.

Register now!!!

To participate in the webinar, please register here. You will receive an email confirmation with the technical details to join the webinar.
Sorry, this webinar is now full.

GFAR, the unique multi-stakeholder global forum on agri-food research and innovation, is working to improve communication and learning from best practices and innovations within and among the 14 constituencies that form the Partners in GFAR. One of the ways we are doing this is through a series of year-round, high quality, and thought-provoking webinars.  By opening channels for the Partners in GFAR to share their work, interests and visions with a world-wide community and join others in addressing what concerns them, we aim to step up engagement in collective actions for change. 

Each webinar will bring together professionals and specialists to discuss topics that can make a difference in shaping the global agenda on research and innovation in agriculture, food and rural development. For more information contact Charles Plummer (Charles.Plummer(at)fao.org).