The module “Identifying your (potential) contributions to AIS strengthening and related challenges” was the first one in a series of activities of the course “Conducting Action-Research for strengthening Agricultural Innovation Systems (AIS): Successes and challenges of DeSIRA projects”, implemented by DeSIRA LIFT SA1.

Two sessions were carried out on March 21st with the aim to provide for lively interactions between English speakers in the first session and French and Spanish speakers in the second session. 

During these intense two-hour discussions, 73 professionals from DeSIRA projects shared their significant contributions to improve AIS, as well as the challenges they face at the niche level when working with service providers, and in their endeavors to influence policy.

To introduce the topic, Aurelie Toilier, DeSIRA LIFT´s project leader, indicated that the purpose of AIS thinking is to approach innovation from a systemic perspective by paying attention to the way in which innovation emerges from complex interactions between a wide range of actors in particular conditions. 

The project’s representatives remarked on their activities to increase farmers’ capacities to deal with the challenges they face at the niche level. Thus, several projects provide training to farmers and their organizations (IRFFS in Liberia, ESSA in Ethiopia and Kenya, InACC in Nigeria, ABRIGUE in Colombia, TRANSFORMA-INNOVA in Costa Rica) and to the extension services (IRFFS). ABRIGUE and  ESSA carry out participatory research, and Malawi DeSIRA is developing and deploying climate-smart agriculture technologies. 

To the same extent, the projects are aware of the need for flexibility in their tasks and the roles they perform: researchers will need to step outside of their area and respond to concrete problems in the niches; agricultural advisory service providers have to switch from extending research outputs to users and to facilitate collaborations among multi-stakeholder partners. These changing roles require a set of new skills to navigate the complexity of AIS.

All projects seemed to agree that connecting with development actors, including NGOs, is a must in order to better understand and respond to realities regarding how innovation and change occur. For this purpose, several projects are setting-up multi-stakeholder innovation facilities, such as Living Labs, innovation platforms and innovation poles, such as the projects Santés&Territoires (in Laos, Cambodia and Benin), Malawi, and INV-Niger. Various initiatives work in non-formalized multistakeholder processes (GRAPE in Nepal, FO4RI, ABRIGUE), while others are facilitating dialog among AIS actors (InACC, ABRIGUE). Also, several projects indicated that they have sought specific partnerships through contractual arrangements of the involvement of private sector providers to facilitate support to farmers for acquiring inputs such as seeds and small machinery.

Several challenges at the managerial level were highlighted. For example, the project ABRIGUE, indicated the need for methodologies and tools to promote the exchanges to better incorporate diverse local knowledge. Also, FO4RI, a global project with 13 subprojects working in very dissimilar conditions, stressed the necessity to work more effectively to strengthen capacities for agroecological transition. Several projects are promoting dialogue among AIS stakeholders (ABRIGUE, TRANSFORMA-INNOVA) in an attempt to help coordinate the many interventions that frequently occur in the territories, which often have similar objectives but are disconnected. 

There were also multiple action points pointed out during the webinar, for example: using communication about AIS thinking and the development and dissemination of AIS-related knowledge products to enhance the embracement and implementation of AIS thinking in the future.

Finally, several of these topics will be further discussed during the upcoming modules: 

• Module 2: Acting at the innovation niche level (28th of March)
• Module 3: Acting at the level of innovation support services (4th of April)
• Module 4: Acting at the level of institutional and policy environments of innovation (20th of April)
• Module 5: Conclusion and joint reflection on action research strategies to strengthen AIS in the DeSIRA Initiative (TBD)

For more information and registration to these modules, please see here

For more information: community@desiralift.org

Please see the PowerPoint presentations from the session below

Conducting Action-Research interventions for strengthening national Agricultural Innovation Systems: ​successes and challenges in DeSIRA projects​. INTRODUCTORY MODULE –French/Spanish-speaking session​ 

Image 1: Screenshot Spanish group discussion, photo Ricardo Ramirez

ICRA has various courses starting in September 2023, which are highly aligned with the DeSIRA-LIFT C4SSIS course learning objectives

The upcoming ICRA courses are:

• Making Agribusiness Work
  1 Sept 2023 – 1 June 2024 | 8-month blended course: online/part-time and
  including one week Face-to-Face group training:  5 to 13 February 2024
• Making Agribusiness Work – Executive
  1 Sept 2023 – 1 July 2024 | 9-month blended course: online/part-time and
  including one week Face-to-Face group training:  5 to 13 February 2023

For more information and scholarship application, please check the ICRA website

The course consists of five modules. By attending the first module (Module 1) you will be able to identify the follow-up training modules that fit your needs.

Module 1: Identifying your (potential) contributions to AIS strengthening and challenges

This module is replicated two times on March 21st, 2023 (also see our training and coaching calendar)

• 10.00-12.00 a.m. CET: English-speaking session for projects based in Asia and Eastern and Southern Africa
• 3.00-5.00 p.m. CET: French and Spanish speaking session for projects based in Latin America and West Africa

Registration link here

Once registration is closed you will receive a confirmation by email and information to access the course.

This first module will be given by the senior experts in AIS and Action-Research of the DeSIRA-LIFT team. The follow-up training modules will be delivered by a pool of international experts specialized in specific Action-Research methodologies for AIS strengthening.

We invite the project coordinators, managers and M&E officers of the interested DeSIRA projects to attend together.

Contact for more information: service@desiralift.org

For detailed course information, please see here

This course is for you!

Through interactions with experts on innovation design and through participatory workshops tailored to the DeSIRA projects, this course will help you to test, apply and refine a set of methods for co-creating innovation through participatory approaches.

Module 2 – ‘Applying co-creation mindset, approaches and tools to your own DeSIRA project’

Live online training sessions, are scheduled as follows:

• Spanish-speaking workshop on 5 and 6 April 2023 ⇒ Register here

This two-day online workshop, with a one-hour individual follow-up session with DeSIRA-LIFT experts. In particular, the following items will be proposed:

1. Approach to problem definition and mapping of relevant actors to engage into co-creation
2. Approach to envision alternatives and co-development: use of a set of tools (SISCODE®) to explore and co-create solutions with engaged actors
3. Application of the tools and methods to your own project/activity
4. Development of a mid/long-term co-creation strategy adapted to your project
5. Sharing results among participants and feedback
6. Get individual advice on ongoing or planned activities of your DeSIRA project

Check out more details about the scheduled workshops here.

Module 3 – ‘Adapting and improving the use of co-creation approaches and tools in your DeSIRA project’- On request mentoring program

The learning objectives are:

• Raising awareness of the importance of having an innovation strategy for impact,
• Getting insights into the different strategies to design and manage open, social and responsible innovation projects,
• Using frameworks and tools to make managerial choices towards a more open, social and responsible innovation strategy.

The course comprises 3 modules:

Module 1 – ‘Introduction to innovation strategies: how to be open and responsible in time-bounded projects?’ (1h30 on-line training session)
Module 2 – ‘Reflecting and refining my innovation strategy’ (2h workshop for peer-to-peer interactions with other DeSIRA projects to learn from other strategies)
Module 3 – ‘Take-home toolkits to design and manage your open and responsible innovation strategy’ (1h30 on-line or physical training session)

Download detail here

Registration for module 1