RESILIENCE OF INNOVATION PLATFORMS WITHIN ARMED CONFLICTS: THE CASE OF INTEGRATED AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH FOR DEVELOPMENT FROM NORTH KIVU PROVINCE, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

The North Kivu Province in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has sporadically, and more recently, been disrupted by ethenic wars. These wars have caused displacement of people and destruction of economic resources in the Province. Many development initiatives have been arrested and others completely derailed. The Sub-Saharan Africa Challenge Program moved into the Province in 2008 and established four innovation platforms (IPs) under Integrated Agricultural Research for Development concepts, in Masisi and Rutshuru districts. The objective of this study was to identify mechanisms and strategies used by IPs to continue operating in amidst of wars and limited partner support. It is clear that the IAR4D concepts are functional even in times of conflicts, and without interventions of partners. The involvement of local authorities in the activities of IPs helped to preserve the property of the latter. The various mechanisms that were put in place to ensure continuity of IP activities included regular meetings at the antennae (sub-IP) levels, adoption of perennial crops to fight crop-raiding, moving seed stocks storage into more secure environments, solidarity among members of the IP and establishment of a communication system for securing people and property among others. It is observed that the IAR4D concept is a practical framework and a model for development of agricultural research for impact and provides a means of resilience that strengthens the cohesion of the population even in situations of conflicts.La province du Nord Kivu dans l\u2019Est de R\ue9publique D\ue9mocratique du Congo, a sporadiquement, et plus r\ue9cemment, \ue9t\ue9 perturb\ue9e par des guerres d\u2019ethnies. Ces guerres ont caus\ue9 les d\ue9placement des personnes et la destruction des ressources \ue9conomiques dans la province. PLusieurs initiatives de d\ue9veloppement ont \ue9t\ue9 arr\ueat\ue9es et d\u2019autres ont completement \ue9chou\ue9. Le programme d\u2019Enjeu de l\u2019Afrique du Sub-Saharienne a \ue9t\ue9 amen\ue9 dans la province en 2008 et mise en place pour les plate-formes d\u2019innovation sous les concepts de Recherches Agricoles Int\ue9gr\ue9es pour le D\ue9veloppement, dans les districts de Masisi et Rutshuru. L\u2019objectf de cette \ue9tude \ue9tait d\u2019identifier les m\ue9canismes et strat\ue9gies utilis\ue9s par les IPs pour continuer \ue0 op\ue9rer au beau milieu des guerres avec de supports limit\ue9s des partenaires. C\u2019est clair que les concepts de IAR4D sont fonctionnels m\ueame en p\ue9riode de conflits; et sans interventions des partenaires. Les implications des autorit\ue9s locales dans les activit\ue9s des IPs ont contribu\ue9 \ue0 pr\ue9server les propri\ue9t\ue9s de ces derni\ue8res. Les divers m\ue9canismes qui ont \ue9t\ue9 mis en place pour assurer la continuit\ue9 des activit\ue9s de l\u2019IP comprenaient des rencontres r\ue9guli\ue8res aux niveaux des antennes (sub-IP), l\u2019adoption des cultures p\ue9rennes pour lutter contre les ravages de cultures, les d\ue9placements des stocks de semences des magasins vers des lieux mieux s\ue9curis\ue9s, la solidarit\ue9 entre les membres de l\u2019IP et l\u2019\ue9tablissement d\u2019un syst\ue8me de communication pour la s\ue9curit\ue9 des personnes et des biens entre autres. Il a \ue9t\ue9 observ\ue9 que le concept de IAR4D est un cadre pratique et un mod\ue8le d\u2019impact pour la recherche agricole et de d\ue9veloppement et fournit un moyen de r\ue9silience qui renforce la coh\ue9sion de la population m\ueame en situations de conflits

Principles, design and processes of integrated agricultural research for development: experiences and lessons from LKPLS under the SSACP

With increasing recognition holding the promise of overcoming the outstanding problems faced byAfrican agriculture, IAR4D faces the danger of being ‘blurred’ by past approaches and falling short of its potential to deliver the desired impacts in diverse multi-stakeholder, biophysical, socio- economic, cultural, technological and market contexts unless its actualisation and working is clearly understood. In this paper, we present the conceptualisation and principles of and knowledge-based experiences and lessons from the implementation of the sub-Saharan Africa Challenge Programme (SSACP) in the Lake Kivu Pilot Learning Site (LKPLS). The presentation covers the formation and facilitation of IPs for the actualisation of IAR4D to evolve mechanisms for the early recognition of interlinked issues in natural resource management, productivity and value addition technologies, markets, gender and policy arrangements. These have autonomously triggered flexible, locally directed interactions to innovate options from within or outside their environment for resolving the challenges, and have moved along a new institutional and technological change trajectory. Emerging lessons point to the endowment of IP members with selfhelp knowledge interactions, training in IAR4D, quality of facilitation and research to be key determinants of the power behind of self-regulating mechanisms

Principles, design and processes of integrated agricultural research for development: experiences and lessons from LKPLS under the SSACP

With increasing recognition holding the promise of overcoming the outstanding problems faced by African agriculture, IAR4D faces the danger of being ‘blurred’ by past approaches and falling short of its potential to deliver the desired impacts in diverse multi-stakeholder, biophysical, socio-economic, cultural, technological and market contexts unless its actualisation and working is clearly understood. In this paper, we present the conceptualisation and principles of and knowledge-based experiences and lessons from the implementation of the sub-Saharan Africa Challenge Programme (SSACP) in the Lake Kivu Pilot Learning Site (LKPLS). The presentation covers the formation and facilitation of IPs for the actualisation of IAR4D to evolve mechanisms for the early recognition of interlinked issues in natural resource management, productivity and value addition technologies, markets, gender and policy arrangements. These have autonomously triggered flexible, locally directed interactions to innovate options from within or outside their environment for resolving the challenges, and have moved along a new institutional and technological change trajectory. Emerging lessons point to the endowment of IP members with selfhelp knowledge interactions, training in IAR4D, quality of facilitation and research to be key determinants of the power behind of self-regulating mechanisms