WA closeout2022

Africa RISING WA Project Close-Out Event
1 - 3 November 2022
Bamako, Mali

Objectives

1. Present and critically assess the major research and development outputs and deliverables of the project.
2. Explore opportunities for further scaling of project outputs and outcomes beyond the life of Africa RISING.

Day ONE [1 November 2022]

• 08:30 Participants registration
• 09:00 Introduction of participants/ overview of agenda for the day
• 09:30 Welcome & Opening remarks

• ICRISAT West and Central Africa Director – Tabo Ramadjita
• IITA West Africa Hub Director - Michael Abberton
• Representative from USAID Mali Country Mission
• USAID Center for Ag. Led Growth leadership (Washington DC) - Jerry Glover/Zachary Stewart

• 09:50 Welcome remarks by DG of IER - Modibo Sylla
• 10:00 Timeline presentation of Africa RISING, specific focus on WA – I. Hoeschle-Zeledon, Fmr. Project Manager
• 10:30 Break
• 11:00 Integration approaches for sustainable intensification in West Africa – F. Kizito, WA Chief Scientist
• 11:30 World Café Session: Reviewing and gathering inputs into the WA Handbook of Technologies

Key questions to answer as part of the world café: (i) what linkages should be expressed within & between the chapters? (ii) what components/technologies/opportunities are missing but should be included in the chapters? (iii)how could/should the chapter authors enhance their key messages to ensure they resonate with development agents/policy makers who are the primary target audiences for the handbook?

• CHAPTER 1: Participatory Gender Assessments in Sustainable Agricultural Intensification - B. Boyubie, K. Jimoh, G.Fischer, M. Cavicchioli

• Gender-assessment tools based on the five SIAF domains
• Matrix-scoring based on SIAF 
• Case study: Matrix scoring to assess gender dimensions of the cowpea living mulch technology in northern Ghana  

• CHAPTER 2: Genetic intensification for resilient cropping systems - Saaka Buah

• Drought and Striga tolerant maize varieties
• Sorghum hybrids (Pablo, Fadda and Sewa, Dual-purpose sorghum)
• Soybean for Sustainable Intensification
• Aflatoxin resistant and early maturing groundnut varieties
• Vegetables varieties - tomato (Rio Grande), African eggplant (L10), Okra (Konni)

• CHAPTER 3: Practices to intensify and diversify mixed crop-livestock systems  

• Maize-legume strip cropping (cowpea and groundnut) strip cropping
• Sorghum-legume (groundnut) intercropping
• Integrated pest management for cowpea - genotype and insecticide spray regime

• 12:40 Lunch

• CHAPTER 4: Integrated Soil Fertility Management for improving cropping systems

• Soil fertility management practices/technologies

• Maize-NPK
• Cowpea with starter N
• Rice-N fertilizer
• Compost application technique for sorghum
• Maize with cowpea living mulch

• CHAPTER 5: Strategies for Improving Land, Soil and Water Resources Management in West Africa and the Sahel

• Contour bunding technology with fast growing tree species
• Innovative Water Management Tools for Scheduling Irrigation
• Effectiveness of maize with cowpea living mulch for soil and water conservation
• Local policy instruments to govern natural resoruces management and farmers’ inclusion in agricultural value chains

• CHAPTER 6: Improved livestock management within mixed crop-livestock farming systems

• Crop residue production, processing and preservation as livestock feed
• Integrating Napier grass and Pigeon pea fodder production in farming systems to produce fodder for improved small ruminant productivity
• Small ruminant feed and health management for West Africa
• Developing the Small Ruminant Value Chain

• CHAPTER 7: Minimizing food waste and improving food safety

• Integrated practices to minimize grain storage
• Aflasafe for aflatoxin control
• Management of aflatoxin in groundnut using pre-and post-harvest technologies

• CHAPTER 8: Improving household nutrition and food quality

• Engaging mothers and fathers to increase support for optimal child feeding practices using the Care Group Approach/Model
• Integration of Nutrition education with agricultural interventions for improved child dietary diversity
• Preservation of Vegetables Using the Zero Energy Cool Chamber (ZECC) for Food Security

• CHAPTER 9: Integration and landscape-based approaches for Sustainable intensification

• CHAPTER 10: Approaches for taking agricultural technologies to scale for smallholder farmers

• Targeting of innovations to the biophysical context
• Targeting to farm and household features
• Farmer Research Networks
• Technology parks
• Innovation Platforms as means to boost the adoption of improved technologies
• Scaling through mass media approaches

• 16:00 Break
• 16:45 Summarized feedback from Chapter leads [1-2-4 all exercise]

Day TWO [2 November 2022]

• 08:50 Overview of agenda for the day
• 09:00 Market Places Continued

• Market Place III: Improved livestock management

[3 bus stops, 20 mins. each + 20 mins. discussion]

• Improved feed practices/crop-livestock management – Sadat Salifu/ Théophile Dembélé
• Housing and health – Sadat Salifu
• Integrated management (groundnut haulms/leaf stripping) - Bouba Traore/Addah Wesseh/ Terry Ansah/Moumini Guindo
• Closing discussion from marketplace

• Market Place IV:Technologies applying socio-economic intensification as an entry point

[5 bus stops, 20 mins. each + 20 mins. discussion]

• Returns on investment in Africa RISING research and scaling – Bekele Kotu/Julius Manda/Felix Badolo
• Benefits of weaving gender into SI Interventions – G. Fischer/Martina Cavicchiolii
• Overview from our Monitoring and Evaluation work – Benedict Boyubie M&E Lead
• Innovation platforms and scaling practices – Toumani Sidibe/ Mahamadou Dicko
• Integrated crop-livestock system – Kalifa Traore
• Closing discussion from marketplace

• 10:20 Break

• 10:50 Market Place V:Technologies applying human condition intensification as an entry point

[4 bus stops, 20 mins. each + 20 mins. discussion]

• Improved household nutrition (value addition) – Raki Diallo, Alpha Traore
• Technologies for reducing post-harvest losses and improving food safety/maize shelling – Alejandro Ortega-Beltran/Bekele Kotu
• Home Gardens- Mahama Saaka/Alpha Traore/Raki Diallo
• Behavioral change training- Mahama Saaka/Alpha Traore/Raki Diallo
• Closing discussion from marketplace

• 11:50 Market Place VI: Tools for scaling WESA Technologies

[3 bus stops, 20 mins. each + 20 mins. discussion]

• Utilization of geospatial tools – Francis Muthoni/Birhanu Zemadim/Karamoko Sanogo
• Sustainable recommendation domains (FARMDESIGN, Typologies etc.) – J. Groot/Katrien Descheemamaekerer/ Arouna Dissa/Eva Huet
• Using the SI Assessment Framework learning lab approach for impact – Birhanu Zemadim/Nurudeen AR/Fred Kizito
• Closing discussion from marketplace

• 13:00 Lunch
• 14:00 Reflections about the marketplaces and the work implemented

• Mateete Bekunda, Chief Scientists ESA
• Kindu Mekonnen, Chief Scientist Ethiopia

• 14:30 Lessons in implementation

• 14:30 - 15:10 Gaps and opportunities for further research [views from the experts who took part in the internally commissioned external review of Africa RISING]– Mark Powell, Christine Negra
• 15:10 - 16:15 Panel discussion: Partnerships in Scaling - Christine Negra, Bougouna Sogoba, Mohammed Dicko (AMEDD), John Nzugize (ARDT-SMS), Mohammed Dicko, Maimouna Rep MaliMark, Nana Ntiamoah (DEGAS), Chief Amadou (SEEDPAG), Tumaini Sidibe (FENABE), Patrick Kiao (ESOKO)

• 16:15 Break
• 16:30 Next steps for closure of project and what follows (administrative focus) – F. Kizito
• 16:45 Closing remarks
• 17:00 Wrap up/ Close of science outcomes & impacts review meeting

NB: Students will also slot in their posters at the various thematic-based market place sections. Extend the invitation to the graduate students to present their works.

Day THREE [3 November 2022]

[To hold at ICRISAT campus in Samanko]

• 09:00 Registration
• 09:30 Achievements of AR Program in Ghana [N. AbdulRahman] and in Mali [B. Traore]
• 10:00 Exhibition tour, coupled with farmer testimonies

• New crop varieties of crops - sorghum, vegetables- Akinseye Folorunsu (Aminata Coulibaly Tangara)
• Nutrition - value addition - Mahama Saaka and Alpha/Raki (Farmer testimony)
• Compost manure and cattle corralling system work - Bouba Traore (Farmer testimony by Nfa Coullibaly)
• Mechanization - Bekele Kotu (Farmer Testimonies in form of Video display (training on machine maintenance)
• Contour bunding - Kalifa Traore Farmer Testimonies by Adama berthé

• 12:30 Speeches and remarks from the Sous Prefects of Koutiala and BougouniMande
• 13:00 Vote of Appreciation - Irmgard Hoeschle-Zeledon and Fred Kizito, Former and Current Africa RISING Project Managers
• 13:15 Closing and then Lunch

• 18:30 Cocktail at the hotel