This course is designed for government officials, policymakers, and anyone interested in learning about agroecology. It covers key principles and practices, along with practical case studies from Africa, to show how agroecology can enhance ecosystem health, improve farm resilience, and contribute to social and economic sustainability. It also explores the challenges and solutions for scaling agroecology at community, national, and regional levels.

The course consists of four lessons, each taking 45-70 minutes to complete. Upon successful completion, participants will receive a digital certificate.

See here for more info! 

By Vuong Tuyet Nhung, Communications Officer in Vietnam

 

From January 14 to 16, 2025, the EcoFoodSystems project proudly participated in the DeSIRA Connect Days: Asia and the Pacific, hosted in Hanoi, Vietnam. This event, part of the European Union’s Development Smart Innovation through Research in Agriculture (DeSIRA) initiative, served as a platform to exchange lessons learned from project implementation and identify critical factors to sustain and scale innovation trajectories.

The DeSIRA Connect Days event showcased the institutional strengthening potential of its projects by bringing together diverse stakeholders, including research organizations, farmer-led initiatives, policymakers, civil society organizations, and the private sector. Key activities included a project fair for showcasing initiatives, thematic workshops for inter-project learning, and stakeholder round tables to drive ongoing innovation efforts.

At the project fair, Hoang The Ky, a Vietnamese researcher with the EcoFoodSystems project, highlighted the project’s objectives, key stakeholders, research priorities, and partnership-based approach. Ky underscored the project’s alignment with the event’s central themes:

“Our EcoFoodSystems project aligns closely with several key themes emphasized at this event. Firstly, our project fosters collaboration with local farmers and communities to advance sustainable food systems innovations. Secondly, by exploring agricultural practices and market linkages, EcoFoodSystems contributes to discussions on how food systems can drive innovation and ecological transitions. Lastly, the project aims to inform policymaking by building partnerships across regions, aligning with sessions on scaling innovation, multi-stakeholder collaboration, and policy development. This event provides an invaluable opportunity to share insights, learn from other DESIRA initiative projects, and work together to enhance efforts toward more sustainable food systems in the Hanoi city region.”

Another significant contribution was made by Duong Thu Hang, Good Food for Cities (GF4C) programme officer at Rikolto, who participated in Panel 3 of the event, exploring food systems as catalysts for innovation. The panel delved into the trade, processing, and consumption of agricultural produce, examining their economic and social dimensions to identify pathways for scaling DeSIRA innovations. In particular, Hang shared insights on promoting consumer access to healthy food in wet markets and schools in city regions.

She noted: “I think what the EcoFoodSystems Project and the overall DeSIRA programme emphasise is diversity. Embracing diversity in actors, key themes, and perspectives. People from different backgrounds and sectors come together to discuss shared topics related to health, agriculture, environment, diets, gender, equity, and more. The EcoFoodSystems project can contribute meaningfully to DeSIRA, moving closer to the goal of transitioning towards sustainable, affordable, and healthier diets in city regions.”

The EcoFoodSystems project, funded by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA) under the DeSIRA Initiative (Grant Ref: FOOD/2021/428-851), is managed by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) through a grant agreement with the University of Galway. The project is implemented in collaboration with Rikolto (Vietnam) and Wageningen University and Research(WUR), with support from the Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences (VAAS) and the Vietnam National University of Agriculture (VNUA).

The DeSIRA Connect Days event offered a dynamic platform for the EcoFoodSystems project to connect with other projects and food systems stakeholders, share knowledge, and explore opportunities to scale innovative solutions for more sustainable food systems in Vietnam and beyond.

Read the full publication here

As DeSIRA projects come to an end, project managers feel the pressure to document so-called ‘impact’. This pressure is augmented by the difficulty that short-term projects face in impacting systemic change. Not only is systems change hard to measure, but when it is evident it is difficult to demonstrate attribution to a single project. This is where it is useful to revisit the project’s Theory of Change (ToC). Many ToCs are developed during formulation and may be updated halfway through implementation, often as a recommendation of external reviewers (like ROM missions).  Producing a final ToC has some advantages for reporting. Here are some tips to consider: 

1. Unpack outcomes into three categories:  a) immediate ones that were easy to document (eg stakeholder satisfaction with project interventions, such as an exit survey following a field day to visit a demonstration); b) intermediate outcomes that show the types of behaviour changes by stakeholders that may lead to modified practices, relationships, advocacy (eg stakeholders committing to collaborating in a value chain, policy advisors expressing an interest in regulation changes; and c) long-term outcomes that may lie beyond the duration of the project but that signal what impact could look like (eg enabling conditions that a project may have contributed to, such as a change in narrative among researchers and policymakers).    
2. Revisit the assumptions: expressing the assumptions along the sequence of activities, outputs and outcomes of a project is central to a ToC [as explained in this Brief “What is a ToC”].  Expressing assumptions gives project managers license to flag risks, some of which their actions can minimize, and others that are contextual and hard to shift. However, revisiting assumptions is a useful way to unpack what happened, what barriers limited change, what unexpected catalysts emerged, etc.  For an example of ToCs developed at the end of a project, visit the collection here -there are two examples in the Intermediate group].    

In summary, unpacking the outcomes and revisiting the assumptions are both effective means to describe, contextualize and communicate the complex nature of the intervention. A final ToC – often referred to as a Theory of Action- is an effective way to drive this home. 

The Importance of Diverse Innovations for Transformative Change

One of Gabriela’s primary takeaways from SIF was that no single type of innovation can meet the complex demands of agroecological transitions. From technology-driven solutions to locally developed methods, all types of innovation play a role in shaping food systems that are collaborative, resilient, and sustainable. Achieving such transformative change requires aligning visions and setting foundational partnerships to enable innovation governance from both the top-down and bottom-up. For Gabriela, this includes ensuring that community-driven approaches are recognized and integrated into broader agrifood system transformations. Only through this balanced and inclusive approach can diverse innovations thrive and support a global shift toward sustainable food systems.

Rural Communities as Key Innovators and Partners

The indispensable role rural communities play in identifying and addressing pressing challenges in agriculture, was another significant insight from various of the innovative initiatives showcased during the session. Communities possess deep contextual knowledge that is crucial for adapting innovations to real-world needs. However, addressing complex social, environmental, and economic challenges also demands strong collaboration. Partnerships between rural communities, research institutions, and support organizations help transform local insights into impactful solutions that can drive broader change. For Gabriela, creating meaningful impact means not only listening to communities’ needs but also envisioning solutions that prioritize healthy, nutritious food access for all in a way that all those involved in the co-innovation process add value and purpose, contributing to the broader impact

Inclusion of All Stakeholders for a Holistic Approach

At SIF, Gabriela mentioned having renewed not only her engagement with meaningful change but also her appreciation to the critical role that everyone—from local public sectors to farmer organizations, start-ups, and civil society organizations—can play in agroecological transitions. SIF showcased how start-ups, with their human-centred designs and social entrepreneurship spirit, bring fresh energy to agri-food systems. However, achieving the scale needed to build resilient systems requires more than just financial investment. Support in forms like collaborative research, capacity-building, and organizational resources is essential to accelerate the creation and scaling of resilient agri-food systems. Gabriela emphasized that the FO-RI program serves as a model in which multiple stakeholders come together, contributing unique strengths from the early stages of co-designing the overall initiative to drive lasting change improving innovations in different value chains through joint experimentation in the fields under the farmer’s leadership with the researchers community and the technical collaboration of agri-agencies. 

According to Gabriela, this resource-intensive co-design approach was essential in shaping FO-RI as a farmer-led program and its national chapters. A comprehensive review of lessons learned and the capitalization of key outcomes—alongside the roles each partner played in adding value (e.g. in the lobby and advocacy, in the experimentation trials, broadly technical -including organisational strengthening, capacity building, etc.-), and leading the FO-RI program components—could offer valuable insights for future initiatives that aim to channel more opportunities directly to farmer-led innovation & research. Additionally, this is where DeSIRA-LIFT plays a vital role—cross-pollinating ideas across projects to ensure that the most promising innovations, which have to be diverse and of all types, have the best chance of scaling up and integrating scientific and local knowledge.

User-Centric Innovations to Guide Investment

A pivotal point Gabriela took from SIF is the essential role of user-driven innovations in making meaningful progress. Innovations that are actively used and refined by communities are more likely to succeed and be scalable & sustainable. For Gabriela, this means that investments in innovation—whether financial, in time, talent or diverse other resources—should prioritize solutions with a high likelihood of adoption and improvement through actual use. 

Looking Ahead: Institutionalizing Innovation

Gabriela Quiroga underscored the importance of institutionalizing co-innovation processes through stronger connections with governments, researchers, and the private sector. FAO’s engagement with DeSIRA has been crucial in bringing coherence and accountability to these efforts. To achieve lasting change, we need to foster dialogue between governments and local communities, ensuring that innovations can thrive beyond pilot phases.

A Collaborative Path Forward for Agroecological Transformation

In Gabriela’s experience, the FO-RI program embodies these principles, serving as an example of a farmer-led research  creating resilient, community-driven food systems. The insights she gained at SIF reinforce the value of investing in all forms of innovation and its related co-design processes, honouring rural communities as co-creators, and fostering collaboration among diverse stakeholders. As the next phase of DeSIRA projects takes shape, these takeaways will be instrumental in ensuring that collaborative, scalable, and user-centred solutions can continue to drive the agroecological transitions needed for a sustainable future.

The Southern and Central Africa Hub of WE4F has released two new Requests for Quotations (RFQ). The hub is looking for consultants and/or companies that have can full fill the needed skill sets.

The first RFQ requires expertise in integrating payment platforms and loan management systems. The second RFQ seeks quotations from those who have expertise in attaining certification for organic fertilizers in Zambia.

Please submit questions about the RFQs by September 16th to the email address,  WE4FAfricaBids@tetratech.com

Responses to the RFQs should be submitted by September 27th at 4pm CAT.

For more information, see here

Please read it here

This collection of stories highlights transformative agricultural initiatives across Africa, Asia, and Latin America, driven by the EU-funded DeSIRA Initiative.

The book brings together impactful stories of change from DeSIRA projects across the globe, showcasing how participatory research and co-innovation are helping to create more sustainable agricultural systems. The different stories also highlight the importance of collaboration across individuals and organisations, and the positive outcomes achieved on the ground.

Explore these stories to see how innovative approaches are driving meaningful change in communities across the globe.

Africa Food Systems Forum 2024