Ethiopia planning nov2016

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Africa RISING Ethiopia Review and Planning meeting

Date : 29-30 November 2016 Lalibela Auditorium ILRI, Addis Ababa


Photo report from the meeting Blog Post from the meeting Agenda items (detailed agenda below):

  • 29th morning / early afternoon: review Phase I outputs and achievements. Bus stop format. Seven stops, one for each research theme. Brief summary presentation by a theme lead with research posters clustered around the theme bus stop. Visitors assigned to interest groups (e.g. scaling to date, potential for future partnerships etc).

Field crops: Nigussie, Kalpana Feed and forage: Melkamu, Aberra High value crops: Aster Systems integration: Tilahun, Job Land and water: Lulseged, Petra Knowledge management: Zelalem, Simret Cross cutting: Annet, Girma

  • Interest group questions

What scaling has there been to date and with / by whom? What are the R4D gaps for future consideration? Where is the real potential for scaling and who should the partners be? What were the big three achievements under this theme? What were the big lessons regarding implementation (CG and non-CG partners, logistical challenges etc.)? How can we better capture successes (M and E, documentation)? What CapDev has been done and what is needed as we move to Phase II?

  • 29th late afternoon: synthesis and report back by interest groups.
  • 30th morning: Overview of Phase II project and approach (memory jog for most attendees).
  • 30th morning: review and refine existing scaling proposals. Market place. Four regional stations. Scaling teams visit each to pitch their proposals. Checklists for what is still needed, status of proposals, credibility, solid partnerships etc.). Regional stations rank their visitors' pitches. Regional feedback will be use to fine-tune the final proposals (these requirements have already been shared with the proposers).
  • 30th afternoon: general discussion of implementation processes for Phase II (learning from Phase I challenge, gap analysis). How we will deliver on our ambitious targets.
  • 30th afternoon: needs for continuing generic research (technology development / strategic research around SI) that aligns with or learns from the scaling partnerships.
  • 30th afternoon: final show and tell / round up.
Time Activity Responsible person/s
08:30 Registration Organizers
09:00 Welcome and opening
Aims and objectives
Siboniso Moyo
Peter Thorne
09:20 Icebreaker and process introduction Peter Ballantyne / Simret Yasabu
10:00 Process for the phase 1 outputs, achievements and scaling exercise; group tasks and formation. Peter Ballantyne
10:30 Break Organizers
11:00 Phase 1 outputs, achievements by research theme
* What scaling has there been to date and with / by whom?(Site coordinators)
* What are the R4D gaps for future consideration?(Tesfaye Hagos )
* Where is the real potential for scaling and who should the partners be?( Adamu Molla)
* What were the big three achievements under this theme?( Agathe Martineau)
* What were the big lessons regarding implementation; CG and non-CG partners, logistical challenges etc?( Likawent Yiheyes)
* How can we better capture successes (M and E, documentation)?(Beliyou Haile)
* What CapDev has been done and what is needed as we move to Phase II?( Iddo Dror)
Poster presenters
13:00 Lunch Organizers
14:00 Phase 1 outputs, achievements and scaling exercise (continued) Poster presenters
15:30 Break
16:00 Plenary feedback and review – what are the most important lessons and achievements from phase 1 that we can take forward to phase 2 7 interest groups representatives
17:00 Reflections on the day (5 minutes each) Polly Ericksen /EIAR/ATA
17:30 Reception Organizers
Day 2
Time Activity Responsible person/s
08:45 Process recap and introduction to the day Peter Ballantyne
09:00 Phase 2 proposal – summary presentation Peter Thorne
09:30 Process for phase 2 scaling opportunities and priorities exercise. Peter Ballantyne
10:00 Break
10:30 Phase 2 scaling opportunities and priorities exercise
4 ‘pitching’ groups visit and engage each regional team to ‘pitch’ their ideas and proposals for phase 2. Ideally the pitchers ‘present’ for 5-8 minutes. Then they are interrogated by the regional teams using the checklist questions
Participants
12:00 Lunch
13:00 Phase 2 scaling opportunities and priorities exercise 4 regional stations leaders
14:00 SWOT exercise
* learning from Phase I challenge, gap analysis
* what possible continuing generic research exist
* What should we do differently
* What should we consider
Simret Yasabu
15:00 Break
15:30 Beyond scaling: A continuing research agenda and priorities for phase 2 Peter Ballantyne
16:30 Sharing and learning across the program: Ideas for CoPs Suggest who to facilitate
17:30 Close- Summary and take home messages/actions Participants
Peter Thorne / Kindu Mekonnen

Project Implementation issues and actions identified by the participants

Issues Action
Capacity of non CG staffs or local partners is low - Strong CapDev
- Long and short term training
- Experience sharing (in country and outside )
- Facilities(different facility for cooperatives ,maintenance equipment for Mechanization)
Staff turnover of partner institutions - Continues awareness creation/Africa RISING activities
- Training of new staffs /AR activities)
Partnership commitment to AR activities - Memorandum of understanding
- Activities in line with development partners
Integration
- Farm
- Sector
- Management need to force integration and joint implementation
* Planning budget
* Incentive
* Clarity on roles and responsibilities
* Site integration
Partnership - Identify strategic partners willing to put resources
- With clarity on expected roles and responsibilities
M&E- clarity indicators - Clarity on the M&E roles of different actors
- Need to identify SMART
- Indicators for level integration
Integration(synergy) - Plan together
- Implement together
Documentation and communication - Involve communication experts
- Communicate back
- Document in local language
Approach - Avoid re-testing technologies
- Make the partners full engagement in the research activities
Site coordinators are overwhelmed overload - Assistant site coordinators needed
- Proper planning of activities by IRIs
Lack of ownership of the activities by local partners - Assignments of focal person at partners level
Staff turnover at partner level is too frequent - Proper handover mechanisms
Limited capacity of site coordinators to respond to demands from the implementing teams - Support staff to site coordinators better equipment e.g vehicles
- Clear role identification for all partners
- Each project should have focal person in the action sites
Limited capacity building of local partners : training ,assets - Expertise sharing , budget
Joint planning /issues - Planning /action plan / should be finalizing and disseminate /shared to site partners timely so that seasons are not missed
Integration - MoU between partners activity specific
- Proposal need integration from the start before funding
Stakeholder time demanding AR versus other - Joint planning at all steps
- Ahead planning
Competition on the group resources (car, staff, how ,when upscaling) - Phase II is about support not implementation on the ground
Resource mobilization - Mapping the key actors
- Discuss and ensure commitment with partners
Integration of intervention - Advisory group
- Use regional ,national and woreda level platformes(ADPLC)
Partnership identification - Identify key partners based on their role
- Be strategic in the creation of partnership
Partnerships
- Commitment and work overload
- Incentive expectations
- Inclusiveness regional partners
- Clear roles and responsibilities /MoU/
- Regional/Zonal IP
- Include AGP
- Resource mobilization
Gender participation gaps – focus on male and female - Gender analysis
Participation of CGIAR centers in implantation process (at site level )
- Shoulder on site coordinators
- CG partners should participant in the important process
Weak partnership seed supply - Ensure all relevant partners are on board from the beginning
- Availing resources for functional partnership
Lack of equal commitment from partners(CGIAR ,Non CGIAR) - Action oriented M&E for agreed outputs
- partnerships facilitated by IPs
Staff turnover - ensure partnership commitment
- institutional awareness