PCT5
Program coordination team meeting #5 18 July 2014 Venue: Farmers club, London Time: morning
Contents
Agenda
- 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
- AOB: Next Learning Event date and place
- Next PCT meeting
- Possible joint activity with SIMLESA around scaling, joint capacity building, and research knowledge sharing
- Discuss site visits to CSISA
Overall action points
Action | Status | Status |
Develop the regional logframes | logframe for ESA completed; WA Project document with kogframe under preparation for the WA external evaluation. Ethiopia in preparation. | |
Update online events lists | See events list. Send updates to Simret THE EVENT PAGE HAS BEEN RESTRUCTURED |
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Science Advisory mechanism | See details Peter and Annet have a complete draft gender strategic plan for Ethiopia to be discussed and finalised for circulation next week. |
First meeting 17-18 July |
Gender strategy | It was suggested to have an overall strategy The Humidtropics gender strategy has been circulated. The USAID gender specialist made consrtuctive comments which were forwarded to Humidtropics. ESA and WA were trying to recruit a gender specialist through GIZ/CIM. No candidate identified yet. Process ongoing. |
Jerry to connect with the USAID gender person Peter ,Annet and Irmgard to meet with USAID person to look in to a program level strategy |
Formation of small working group on sustainability to come up with a 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
We needs to be focused
-Before USAID commission an external evaluators |
Irmgard to follow up with Asmoha (from the learning event ) -Iain to ask the convener to come up for a draft report by March |
General Assembly, Scientific Conference and Exhibition to take place 9-13 December in Bujumbura | Simret and Catherine to follow up with ASARECA. Irmgard to provide contact. | This meeting has been conducted , we have sent some Africa RISING materials to be displayed . |
Formation of small working group on sustainability to come up with a 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 |
Irmgard to follow up with Asmoha (from the learning event ) -Iain to ask the convener to come up for a draft report by March |
Preparation for project program review? | it was suggested to have an evaluation Before USAID commission an external evaluators WA evaluation will take place September to October 2014. Ch. Okali is part of the review team. ToR were discussed with PCT and SAG. ESA evaluation is planned for February 2015. |
Suggested to sure that the first advisory committee picks this up for their first meeting |
New fund allocation | Oct 2013- Sept 2014(USAID financial year ) -Peter talked to Eric and he said that we will get the same amount of allocation of the last year |
Jerry to check with Eric an give us update |
USAID Update
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 | |
Funding for scaling up | Various opportunities via missions that we are exploring on a continuing basis. | |
SI Innovation Laboratory | Announcement by the end of August. | Jerry to keep the team in the loop |
ESA Update
Enter MAJOR ongoing/planned and completed tasks
Task | Status | Notes for PCT review |
Oct 2013 - March 2014 report | REPORT PREPARED AND SUBMITTED | |
2013 -2014 workplan and budget | work is being implemented, field season is over; entire budget including carryover from last year committed | |
USAID FIELD VISIT TO TANZANIA | ASARECA AND COSTECH (STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBERS) WILL BE INVITED. Steering committee members were not available at the time when USAID visited the fields. ASARECA and Chair of Steering committee attended launch of R4D platform in Babati in April and in continuation went on a 2-days field visit. |
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Africa RISING - SIMLEZA | AGREEMENT WITH SIMLEZA SIGNED, FUNDS DISBURSED. DATA SHARING STILL TO BE DISCUSSED (LED BY TRACY). MATEETE AND I WILL VISIT THE SITES LATER THIS MONTH. Mateete, Sieg and I went on field visit to Chipata in January. Critical feed back was provided on some of the CA trials. SIMLEZA baseline survey data were shared with Wageningen after long discussion. RALS data compiled by MSU and national partners could not be obtained because they are protected by an MSU-USAID mission agreement. Wageningen team had 2 trips to Chipata to implement activities and farming systems analysis. |
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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. 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) |
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Field visit in Tanzania ---- |
USAID Washington, Tanzanian mission and IITA DDG Research visited implementation sites in Tanzania in 17-22 March. ---- |
---- ---- ---- ---- ---- |
Scientist Exchange visit | Scientists from Zambia and Tanzania visited field experiments in Mali in March |
WA Update
Enter MAJOR ongoing/planned and completed tasks
Task | Status | Notes for PCT review |
Annual review and planning meeting | MEETING TOOK PLACE 3-5 FEBRUARY IN BAMAKO | |
Sept 2013 - March 2014 report | PREPARED AND SUBMITTED TIMELY | |
Scientist visit to Tanzania | Did not take place due to lengthy preparation of new workplan; Visit of Mali scientists to Ghana planned for August has to be postponed | |
Project document | under preparation, will be ready for the project evaluation | |
Implementation of workplan ---- New project component in Mali |
Field activities are starting slowly in Ghana a because of lack of rain ---- USAID mission Mali provided $9m for three years to ICRISAT to disseminate sorghum and millet technologies, the scaling project operates and reports under Africa RISING |
Ethiopia Update
Enter MAJOR ongoing/planned and completed tasks
ask | < 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 | Fertilizer project (Ethiopia mission, partner / led by CIAT); Barley / Beans (BFS, partner / led by ICARDA or ATA). JG to keep PT in loop. PT to follow up with potential partners. | |
Oct 2012 - Mar 2013 report | < Completed | |
April 2013 - Sep 2013 report | < Completed | |
October 2013 - March 2014 report | In preparation | |
2013 -2014 workplan and budget | < Complete. I will insert links when I can find the files. c.20 research protocols implemented by multi partner teams | |
IP establishment | All IPs established (Woreda and Kebele level). Training of local facilitators in IP maintenance and comms tools planned for 6 - 7 September. | |
Planning meeting | < November 2014. Major focus on Meher season activities leading into an initial broad plan for scaling |
M&E Update
Enter MAJOR ongoing/planned and completed tasks
Task | Status | Notes for PCT review | |
Joint Africa RISING (AR)-Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA) M&E meeting: | Completed | Custom indicators | |
Web-based mapping and monitoring platform (Project Mapping and Monitoring Tool -PMMT-) Version 2.0 demo at the M&E meeting PMMT updated based on feedback at the M&E meeting AR data management protocol Actions: Version 3 to be ready by end of June PMMT seminar at USAID; internal M&E training PMMT training end of July/beginning of August in all countries/sites Finalize data management plan by March (for April PCT meeting) |
Completed Completed Completed Draft for discussion Completed Completed Ongoing Draft for discussion |
Level of reporting for FtF indicators | |
AR baseline surveys (Implementation) * Malawi * Tanzania * Ghana * Mali * Ethiopia Data cleaning and documentation for Malawi and Tanzania Data cleaning and documentation for Mali, Ghana, and Ethiopia Actions: Follow up with Zambia and Wageningen team (for SIMLEZA data access); with Thom Jayne (MSU) (for RALS data access) |
Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Under completion Close to completion Ongoing Ongoing |
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Collaborations: Wageningen team FAO: Memorandum of Understanding signed Vital Signs VS shared documentation on indicators, data use policy, shape files for TZ and Ghana * Chief scientist to review VS agricultural intensification thread and select key indicators * IFPRI aligned AR control sites with Vital Signs sites in northern Ghana * But access to VS's household-level data can become a problem |
Done/ongoing Done Done Done Done, data on 250+ plots completed |
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Site/field visits * Tanzania, Ethiopia * Ghana, Mali |
Completed | ||
Update Talks b/n IFPRI Finance and IITA/IWMI for WA and ESA M&E coordinators (positions) M&E coordinator for Ethiopia (consultant) A survey resident for Ghana (consultant); a survey resident for Mali (consultant) A consultant/programmer to assist with electronic data collection for all the surveys Actions Finalize negotiations and sign contracts for the new positions in January |
ESA position advertised, CVs under review ;WA canceled for lack of funds Hired Hired Hired Hired Done |
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Comms Update
Enter MAJOR ongoing/planned and completed tasks
Task | Status | Notes for PCT review |
ESA poster | finalized | |
WA poster | under preparation | |
ESA brochure | finalized | |
WA brochure | finalized | |
Malawi video | finalized | On agro-ecological intensification options to be used in training workshops for extensionists and development partners |
Program generic presentation en and fr | drafted and will be shared to the concerned people for review | |
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 |
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 | 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 | |
Blog updates | 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 captions |
Presentations shared on slideshare | regularly updated | |
ARISING calendar updating | regularly updated | |
Branding Guidline | Finalized | |
Template and banners revison | due to the ftf logo change we have revised most of our templets and logo banners | |
Website revision | the website now has a new look , still open for comments | |
wiki revision | we have revised the wiki | See above |
Photojournalist work -Next year, Ethiopia | Informed the PCT that the Next Photographer will be commistion to take pictures in ethiopia and planned for October 2014 | |
Key things to be considered by the PCT | - PCT to look at the global communication plan ( http://africa-rising.wikispaces.com/program_comms_plan_2014 )and comment - the three project pages in the wiki to get updated() - what to be done about the action points from the learning event -to comment on the institutional history (also on Yammer ) - to see the new websit and give feedback/comment |
Simret to send all the links for the PCT - PCT to give comment on the communication plan by the end of January - To Update the project page of the wiki – mid February and WA and EA mid-march - Simret to circulate the action points from the learning and PCT to look at them and decide how to go about them - Simret to send the institutional history link and the website and the PCT members to send feedback as soon as they can |
Next Learning Event (when and where ) | Tanzania , September | Irmgard and her team to come up with the date |