Pct13

Africa RISING PCT meeting
18 November 2015
Virtual 1600-1730(EAT)

Participants

Boni Moyo (BM) - chair
Peter Thorne (PT)
Irmgard Hoeschle-Zeledon (IHZ)
Bernard van Lauwe (BvL)
Carlo Azzarri (CA)
Peter Ballantyne (PB) - notes

Apologies:
Jerry Glover (JG)

PCT page

Agenda

Phase 2 writing team activities and actions
External evaluations process and updates/actions
Phase 1 science symposium? - reconfirm previous discussion: DEFER TO THE START OF PHASE 2 (Oct/Nov 2016). But regions can do own as needed.
Other business
Next PCT meeting - 9 or 10 December?

SI Overall action points
Action	Status	Notes and Actions update
Phase 2 proposal	Largely addressed in program strategy workshop See also timetable and milestones for this Suggested writing team: Project coordinators (PT, IHZ, BvL, CA + PB). Lead author: Peter Thorne. Updated Schedule from Peter T: 20/11 – PT to circulate brief format for proposals; umbrella programme document + individual project proposals (x3) for comment / agreement. 27/11 – Feedback on format from writing team 04/12 – PT to produce zero draft of umbrella document (including various contributions from Washington, Wageningen and Bamako) and circulate to writing team 31/12 – Inputs received from writing team. No element of the private sector Takes scientist time for development Sustainability? Needs project funds The culture of listening to the radio is going down	SEE ALL ACTIONS BELOW +: ACTION: PCT team to review all outputs ACTION: Connect Boni with a USAID champion writer ACTION: The PCT needs to devise a consultation process. ACTION: Involve the SAG in the phase 2 proposal
External evaluation reviews and updates	regional proposals will be very similar (structure etc) with some local customizing Need to be sure we work towards what USAID really want. Raw content more or less there - PT will point to any gaps in zero draft. Research questions need some work still; maybe some others? need to recruit a specialised writer to assist with proposal Need to get SAG inputs to the proposal, once we have a reasonable draft - right timing and role is critical. See link to resources Visit to West Africa - review team writing up notes Ethiopia planning for Feb-Mar visit; but no updates. Need to prepare the documentation well ESA planning
Theory of change and impact pathways	By and large finalized. Not many comments on the document that was generated in Wageningen and presented in Bamako	Integrate as part of proposal ACTION: PT to provide clean template to insert xyz (see more notes on that above)
Systems research	Well covered at program strategy workshop in Bamako. see results Proposal phase2 work Ongoing collection of stories/possible briefs - to check continually at PCT (what could be added to this pipeline) ESA/WA: We have 11 draft evidence briefs, need to be re-formatted and approved by chief scientists, some still pending, all will be completed by early January	Integrate as part of proposal
Integrate as part of proposal	Smallholder small ruminant productivity and livelihood can be improved markedly through feed and health interventions Doubled-up legume technology: Boosting land productivity by intercropping two grain legumes with different growth habits Small Ruminant Corralling Density, Plant Density and Nitrogen Rate Effect on Maize Yield Situation analysis and operational feasibility of promoting the production and consumption of locally available micronutrient-rich foods in northern Ghana Reducing the high cyclical losses after harvest: the neglected input in the production chain How are Africa RISING Interventions Affecting Production Diversity and Dietary Quality? Evidence from Northern Ghana Web-Based Project Monitoring and Data Management: What did we learn from Africa RISING? Soil Nitrogen Management and Farming Systems Analysis in Malawi Diversify Production, Improve Diets? Evidence from Malawi Targeting and Bias in Participatory Research: Evidence from Malawi A comparison of statistical and participatory clustering of smallholder farming systems - a case study in Northern Ghana	ACTION: ELB to share template and criteria with chief scientists ACTION: PCT to table, on an ongoing basis, the identification of potential brief topics.
Cost-benefit analysis	Nearly there. Good model for Ghana and the methodology is there but we need to improve this. Once we improve it it's usable.	ACTION: IHZ will be working on this with Patrick Okori and Gundula Fischer next week: done
Engaging multi-stakeholders into program activities	Nearly there. IHZ has a revised version. Final version of 1/2 page text available. Engagement standards expanded to beyond farmers revised. Final draft almost done.	ACTION: IHZ to work with MB and Regis for ESA guidelines for payment, and with Asamoah and Birhanu for Mali: Not done ACTION: BvL could ask Marc Schut (who works on M&E of platforms in HumidTropics) what is possible for a program like Africa RISING ACTION: CA and Jeroen to circulate the typologies report in November
Typologies	We will be producing the first typologies by end November and we will circulate these typologies to research teams.	ACTION: Chief scientists to (ask their scientists to) provide a rationale about: "Under what circumstances are inputs provided that are subsidized or not"? including data to back this up. We need a trials list with 3 rows: inputs provided, subsidized, not provided.
Targets and SI benefits	Real progress made there but we need to be able to explain how we came up with target figures. Integrated with vision of success	ACTION: KM to circulate a format to chief scientist. ACTION: Carlo & Bernard to work further on this (DONE) ACTION: Develop a brief on the targets.
SI framework and indicators	Sieg and her group took this on and refined the template, the framework (added indicators), refined definitions, dropped some indicators. They made progress but we need to keep on eye on the complexity. They're working on a more complex data collection for the research teams. It may make them reluctant to collect so we may have to balance these objectives with the capacity we have on the ground.
Research questions	Not progressed much in Bamako - work pending on taking stock of all other inputs into phase 2 proposal	ACTION: Writing team to revisit these research questions once all other work streams have been reviewed by the team and brought together again.
Nutrition	All outputs delivered	ACTION: PCT team to review these outputs
Gender & diversity	All outputs delivered	ACTION: IHZ & PT to ask Annet, Gundula, Mariama and Caroline Sobgui to look into the nutrition experiences in Mali. ACTION: PCT team to review these outputs
Data management and M&E	Plans elaborated with participants. See more details in the Bamako pages	ACTION: Specify, in the proposal, the data that will be collected and uploaded onto the data platform.
Comms	All outputs delivered	ACTION: PCT team to review these outputs
USAID commissioned external evaluation	Ongoing	ACTION: Project coordinators and chief scientists to ensure all key documents are made available for the evaluators
Strengthen relations with AID missions	To discuss Had discussions with Ghana Mission	ACTION: Boni to table this high up on the next PCT agenda (PCT13)
Strengthen national partners	To discuss	ACTION: Boni to table this high up on the next PCT agenda (PCT13)
administrator/manager for program level work packages	To discuss	ACTION: Boni to table this high up on the next PCT agenda (PCT13)
Farm typologies work


Action	Discussion points/actions	Format	Team
Document and contextualize impact/adoption through data. Explain/document R&D impact and institutional impact. Carry out socioeconomic analysis ad risks.		reports,flyers, materials with evidence, case studies per country, some for symposium? Selling our key USPs - systems, the 5 SI domains	Carlo+4, Bekele, Asamoah, Mateete, Peter T., Jonathan, Simret, Peter B.,
Identify and document technology packages and protocols (link to farmer typologies)		database of technologies; some other types of derivative products (factsheets)	ALL through the PMMT, Peter T., Jeroen, Carlo, bernard
Develop and use system-wide SI indicators; AR own small group to speed this up.	Discuss at October workshop		Irmgard, Peter T., Bernard, Jerry, Carlo
Data management: farm/farmer data; queryable database of AR farmers	LATER	PT/CA to discuss soon	IFPRI team, ILRI, in collaboration with the research teams
Boosting cross-project science learning, science symposium	LATER		Peter B., Irmgard, Peter T.
Projects to clarify R4D/IPs roles, objectives and approach - especially to IP members and participants. ESA and WA to document their platforms and guidelines and practices		useful for the external review team / include in symposium maybe	Mateete, Asamoah, Peter T.
Recruit AR manager/administrator for program level work packages	LATER	July/aug pct meeting discuss further.	Irmgard, Peter T., Peter B., Carlo
Recruit M&E data staffing/people into each regional project	LATER	include in phase 2 based on phase 1 experiences. TOR by Carlo; recruitment joint effort	Irmgard, Peter T., Peter B., Carlo
Strengthen relations with AID missions	LATER	do streams B and C for missions. Use Tracey in Ethiopia	chief scientists; PT, IHZ
Strengthen national partners	LATER	YES	Mateete, Asamoah, Peter T.