Addis Closing

Sustainable intensification of crop-livestock systems to improve food security and farm income diversification in the Ethiopian highlands Project Design Workshop 30 January - 2 February 2012, Addis Ababa Ethiopia

Closing

This workshop provides an opportunity for a broad group of important stakeholders to both learn about the project plans and to share their views on expectations from and opportunities for synergies with the project (days 1 and 2) and for the core project team to finalize the project details (days 3 and 4).

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Iain Wright:

• I've learnt a lot about Africa, Ethiopia, CGIAR, sustainable intensification;
• The workshop participants have been very committed and that shows the innovation;
• We have some way to go: where is the integration?
• There's a risk of falling back in terms of that integration aspect;
• We have created a great framework but we need to move out of our comfort zone;
• Great that we have an M&E framework but we need to think more about process documentation/monitoring;
• We have identified some small gaps: small system thinking, ownership of the project (we have to work hard to engage a broader range of Ethiopians);
• An exciting fact is that it's only one of 3 parts - how to connect the 3 parts, what can we learn from the other parts?
• Perhaps why we agreed so much is that we didn't discuss dollars. Resource allocation should be determined by the outcomes that we want to achieve rather than dividing across activities;
• We have a timeline for the next steps;
• We have some tight deadlines e.g. for early wins by September: let's shape up the processes to get there;
• There will be a team to redraft the concept note. This concept note will be shared with everyone. Mind: not a full-fledged proposal. The updated concept note will describe the research process;
• We have a potential for a very innovative project - we have to deliver that potential.
• When I joined it stroke me that there was so much potential for CG cooperation and I'm happy to see that happen.

Rob Bertram:

• I really appreciated the exchange of ideas etc.
• For Aid, this is a new way to work with the CG, CRSPs etc. and thank Jerry to work towards this; It's a new step for us to engage and empower creative thinking;
• What we'll do here will inform CRP 5, other Aid programs etc.
• On the context, the project acronym is actually really important - we're going to raise the level of visibility of this initiative and hope that our ideas will catch on with CAADP, AU agreement with CGIAR etc.
• The environment in Africa is changing very rapidly. It's our work to catch that wave of innovations and integrate it in a way that can connect to and prosper from that environment;
• Institutional environment: we have to prioritise this with Ethiopian partners and some partners here CRSPs, Wageningen University etc.
• How might we be able to use ambassadors around us to raise the visibility of this project - based on solid products, outputs, outcomes.
• Another opportunity is with the NGO community e.g. on utilization, sanitation...
• Now the idea is to sustain happy engagement but we have Jerry and other colleagues and you all to carry this forward. We can get a shot at getting additional funding.
• Thanks very much for Peter and Ewen and Shirley and everyone at ILRI for hosting us and Jerry.

Shirley Tarawali:

• Thank you to Peter and Ewen because it was really worthwhile to prepare this workshop this way to go forward;
• The more we can make knowledge travel, the more powerful we are;
• Thank you all for joining in so well;
• Thank you all travellers - especially US travellers - to learn about big development picture;
• It's much more difficult to work on integration than business as usual. We need to keep at it;
• I will continue to be engaged in this as much as I can.