PCT6
Contents
Program coordination team meeting
10 November 2014
Venue: Ngurdoto Mountain Lodge, Arusha,Tanzania[edit | edit source]
Agenda[edit | edit source]
- Ken D - IITA
- Peter T - ILRI
- Boni M - ILRI
- Wubalem D - ILRI
- Carlo A - IFPRI
- Irmgard H-Z - IITA
- Peter B - ILRI
- Jerry G - USAID
Ken Intro - reminder of the TOR of the PCT
- Overall action points
- USAID Update
- Africa RISING Project update
Eastern and southern Africa and West Africa
- Research update
- Staff update
- Work plans and priorities
The Ethiopian highlands
- Research update
- Staff update
- Work plans and priorities
- M & E update
- Communication update
- Scientific Advisory Committee
- Learning Event
- Next PCT meeting ,Date
Overall action points[edit | edit source]
Action | Status | Status |
Finalise the regional logframes | WA Project document with logframe prepared but needs revision (IHZ). Ethiopia in preparation. Once we have them; review annually. Use them into the annual/multi-annual planning cycles; use them to inform scientists. Good basis for any next phase proposals, any external evaluations (eg - the march 2015 external evaluation). |
ESA - done WA - in progress (target: end Dec) |
Update online events lists | indicators meeting in san jose (11-13 Feb) 26 jan - feb 6; csisa site tours |
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Science Advisory Group |
Second meeting to be held on 14 November 2014 following a field trip to Babati research sites (on 12th), Tanzania (IHZ) 1. maybe we better change the rules so SAG members go economy and get an honorarium (instead of the reverse at present). PT to follow up. |
First meeting 17-18 July |
Gender strategy | We already decided to use HT gender strategy for AR Ethiopia has person and implementation plan |
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SI framework and indicators | Peter and Tracy have discussed this in November -We need few specific indicators for research projects , indicators that we could measure in the short project time |
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Project and program reviews | WA project evaluation took place September to October 2014. Ch. Okali was part of the review team. ToR were discussed with PCT and SAG. ESA project evaluation is planned for February-March 2015. |
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New fund allocation | IITA received notification for fiscal year October 2014-September 2015 (IHZ) CONGRATS / spend spend spend |
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Data management and sharing | Carlo 'just' shared latest version. To be discussed on Wednesday. For now, use the ILRI CKAN platform.Data sharing policy needs to be discussed. Need to make binding for researchers on the ground; also for partners. we need to comply with usaid (and cgiar) guidelines
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USAID Update[edit | edit source]
Enter MAJOR ongoing/planned and completed tasks
Task | Status | Notes for PCT review |
Possible links with BMGF | Jerry in contact with various Gates staff to explore potential activities SI program identified as high priority for joint activities |
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Funding for scaling up | Various opportunities via missions that we are exploring on a continuing basis. TZ project a great example / need to work more on other countries, eg Ghana (need to work with/thru eg IFDC maybe) |
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SI Innovation Laboratory | KSU selected - Vara Prasad (vara@ksu.edu) |
ESA Update[edit | edit source]
Enter MAJOR ongoing/planned and completed tasks
Task | Status | Notes for PCT review |
2013 -2014 workplan and budget | implementation completed | |
2014-2016 workplans and budget | Workplans and budget are with Steering Committee for approval | |
Technical report to USAID | Report for the period April to September 2014 is with Steering Committee for revision and suggestions. Will be submitted to USAID before end of November. | |
Project document | Will be prepared before review in February (IHZ) | |
IP establishment | R4D platforms in several locations | |
New partnerships | USAID Africa Bureau has provided US$ 350k to IITA for contracting MSU to carry out a desk study with Zambian national partners to provide the scientific evidence base for the links between field and farm level SI interventions and climate change mitigation and biodiversity conservation. This is a 12-months project until March 2015. Follow up on-ground research is expected after evaluation of the study report. Project is implemented, inception workshops held. System Dynamics Model developed and introduced to partners during a workshop for feedback. Currently revised. | |
Concept note to the USAID mission in Tanzania is under preparation for scaling technologies for rice, maize, beans, vegetables, soil fertility (fertilizer), strengthening seed systems, post harvest handling (4.5-5m for 3 years). | ||
Project approved ($2,000,000 for year 1), inception workshop and first management team meeting held end of October. Two staff positions advertised. Workplans currently finalized (IHZ) |
WA Update[edit | edit source]
Enter MAJOR ongoing/planned and completed tasks
Task | Status | Notes for PCT review |
Scientist visits to other countries | Did not take place due to lengthy preparation of new workplan; Visit of Mali scientists to Ghana planned for August has to be postponed Visit of Mali scientists to Ghana cancelled. People felt exhausted after the project review. Now crops are mostly harvested.(IHZ) |
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Project document | under preparation, will be ready for the project evaluation Prepared but needs revision - end of December 2014 | |
2013-2014 Workplan implementation | ongoing (IHZ) | |
Technical report to USAID | Currently under preparation for submission to Steering Committee. Will be sent to USAID before end of November (IHZ) | |
IP establishment | Several R4D platforms set up / being set up | |
External review | Took place during September and October, included field visits in Ghana and Mali and interviews with all relevant project staff and USAID missions,Draft report received. |
Ethiopia Update[edit | edit source]
Enter MAJOR ongoing/planned and completed tasks
Task | Status | Notes for PCT review |
Value chain studies | Complete. Some reports available. Others currently being finalised. | |
Meher season action research | c. 20 research protocols implemented across all sites after participant selection meetings. | |
Other initiatives | Follow up with BMGF? | |
Technical reports | Good initial meetings with GAIN around nutrition (dairy and household nutrition; biofortification) | |
October 2013 - March 2014 report | In preparation | |
April-Sept 2014 report | Training of local facilitators in IP maintenance and comms tools; IPs established at different levels | |
IP establishment | IPs as potential locus for 'research on scaling'? | |
Planning meeting | Early December 2014. Major focus on Meher season activities leading into an initial broad plan for scaling |
M&E Update[edit | edit source]
Enter MAJOR ongoing/planned and completed tasks
Task | Status | Notes for PCT review |
AR data management protocol Finalize data management plan by November (for PCT meeting) | 2nd draft done Prepared for discussion | |
Actions: PMMT training in all countries/sites |
Done Completed |
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AR baseline surveys (Implementation) Data sharing |
Completed -Ongoing |
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Data cleaning and documentation for Malawi, Tanzania, Mali, Ghana, and Ethiopia | ||
Actions:
Follow up with Zambia and Wageningen team (for SIMLEZA data access); with Thom Jayne (MSU) |
Data cleaning done Draft reports ongoing |
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Collaborations: Wageningen team |
Done/ongoing -Done |
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Talks b/n IFPRI Finance and IITA/IWMI for WA and ESA M&E coordinators (positions) SRA/Data Manager position advertised, applications being received |
ESA position offered to candidate; WA canceled for lack of funds |
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Annual M&E meeting preparation and organization in Arusha | Completed | |
Paper on targeting and expected impact in Malawi submitted to ICAE and CSAE; abstract accepted for Humidtropics conference, paper in preparation | Done |
Comms Update[edit | edit source]
Enter MAJOR ongoing/planned and completed tasks
Task | Status | Notes for PCT review |
WA poster | under preparation | |
Wiki usage guidelines | Not yet started | ELB: What is this? Clarify and I'm happy to help. The wiki structure and content have been majorly overhauled over the turn of the year |
Briefs preparation and publication | 5 briefs have been prepared and shared for the different diagnostic approached used in the ETH highlands . another 5 brief on the research highlights are being finalized | |
Program framework | Version 1 published Suggest regular review and update as part of each annual learning event (living document) |
ELB: This is supposed to be addressed early this year again but is not strictly a 'Comms' item |
IITA comms person for ARISING | Full time person now based in Ibadan | |
Virtual comms catchups | Irregular | there needs to be a discussion among the comms people during the learning event - it has been difficult to get most of the people for the monthly catch up |
Half-yearly comms metrics/stats | webstats | |
ongoing | Need regular stories from all regions. ELB: However for 2013 very balanced inputs from all regions (granted, thanks to the 3 posts about Ghana, otherwise WA would be lagging behind): 8 from ESA, 10 from Ethiopia, 10 from West Africa, 10 from program level. | |
IITA comms person for ARISING | person was recruited in November but resigned in April; position has been upgraded to IRS; interviews have been completed and offer made to a candidate | |
Virtual comms catchups | Irregular | Simret/Ewen/ comms people |
Half-yearly comms metrics/stats | Latest report | |
ongoing | Need regular stories from all regions. ELB: However for 2013 very balanced inputs from all regions (granted, thanks to the 3 posts about Ghana, otherwise WA would be lagging behind): 8 from ESA, 10 from Ethiopia, 10 from West Africa, 10 from program level. | |
Wiki gardening/management | regular | (ELB) Major update done on the wiki over the turn of the year. Data management and M&E pages have to follow (ELB in touch with M&E team about this shortly) and regional project pages need to be updated by respective comms officer with regional management's help. |
Documents to CGSPACE | regularly updated | IITA to join cgspace training late october (tbc) |
Use of yammer for internal updating | initiated | Needs wider promotion and buy-in. (ELB) This would be a useful topic to discuss properly in a PCT at some stage - we need a good platform to share information on a regular basis, it's not a 'nice to have' it's a 'non-negotiable' for a program which has to show strong integration across components, teams and regions... |
Photo sharing on flickr | regularly updated | Simret to follow with Catherine and Katy - to inform partners to send four-five pictures with caption |
Presentations shared on slideshare | regularly updated | |
ARISING calendar updating | regularly updated | |
Website revision | the website now has a new look , still open for comments | |
wiki revision | we have revised the wiki | See above |
photo reports | this is a new format we use for the ETH project where reports of field trips are reported as photo reports (PPTs)- so far 4 has been prepared and shared through slide share - other projects could also adopt this format | |
short video | a short video is under preparation for ETH on the changes being brought by our project -will be shared once this is final | |
poster preparation | a poster on IP is prepared for ETH | |
Photojournalist work ethiopia | the photojournalist has started the work and completed the his first trip in Tigray region | |
Learning Event 2014 | organized in Tanzania , September | |
Next learning event | Virtual , discuss date and time |