Futures of inland aquatic agricultural systems and implications for fish agri-food systems in southern Africa

The CGIAR Research Program on Aquatic Agricultural Systems (AAS) is collaborating with partners to develop and implement a foresight-based engagement with diverse stakeholders linked to aquatic agricultural systems. The program’s aim is to understand the implications of current drivers of change for fish agri-food systems, and consequently food and nutrition security, in Africa, Asia and the Pacific. Partners include the Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR), the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) and the African Union’s New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AU-NEPAD). A key part of the program was a participatory scenario-building workshop held in July 2015 under the theme of "futures of aquatic agricultural systems and implications for fish agri-food systems in southern Africa." The objectives for the workshop were (i) to engage local stakeholders in exploring plausible futures of aquatic agricultural systems, and (ii) to broker and catalyze collaborative plans of action based on the foresight analysis. This report presents technical findings from the workshop. The CGIAR Research Program on Aquatic Agricultural Systems (AAS) is collaborating with partners to develop and implement a foresight-based engagement with diverse stakeholders linked to aquatic agricultural systems. The program’s aim is to understand the implications of current drivers of change for fish agri-food systems, and consequently food and nutrition security, in Africa, Asia and the Pacific. Partners include the Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR), the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) and the African Union’s New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AU-NEPAD). A key part of the program was a participatory scenario-building workshop held in July 2015 under the theme of "futures of aquatic agricultural systems and implications for fish agri-food systems in southern Africa." The objectives for the workshop were (i) to engage local stakeholders in exploring plausible futures of aquatic agricultural systems, and (ii) to broker and catalyze collaborative plans of action based on the foresight analysis. This report presents technical findings from the workshop

Social and gender analysis report: Barotse Floodplain, Western Province,Zambia

There is increasing awareness that integrating gender into development frameworks is critical for effective implementation of development strategies. In working to alleviate rural poverty, the CGIAR Research Program on Aquatic Agricultural Systems (AAS) recognizes that “business as usual” gender integration approaches will not deliver lasting and widespread improvements in agricultural productivity, poverty reduction and food security. In response, AAS operationalized a gender transformative approach. The approach is informed by conceptual frameworks that explicitly recognize the potent influence of social relations on creating and perpetuating gender inequalities. In this way, AAS aims to address the underlying causes of rural poverty and gender inequality in Zambia’s Barotse Floodplain, where people rely extensively on riverine and wetland ecosystems for food and livelihood security. A central question guiding the research program is “How do social norms and gendered power relations influence agricultural development outcomes?” The findings presented in this report provide insights that help answer this question. The report presents a review of literature relevant to livelihoods, ecosystem services, and gender and social relations in Zambia, with a specific focus on Western Province, where AAS is currently implemented. It also presents a synthesis of findings of a social and gender analysis conducted in 2013 in 10 focal communities situated in and around the Barotse Floodplain

Using theory of change to achieve impact in AAS

The CGIAR Strategy and Results Framework sets out four system level outcomes (SLOs), namely: reducing rural poverty, improving food security, improving nutrition and health and sustainable management of natural resources. In pursuit of these objectives the CGIAR has developed a set of sixteen CGIAR Research Programs (CRPs), each of which is expected to make specific contributions to a range of intermediate development outcomes (IDOs) linked to the SLOs. As part of this work the CRPs are developing impact pathways and theories of change designed to explain how the programs will achieve IDOs. The purpose of the present paper is to explain the approach that the CRP on Aquatic Agricultural Systems (AAS) is taking to using these programmatic tools to help achieve impact

CGIAR Initiative on Diversification in East and Southern Africa and CGIAR Initiative on Gender Equality: Stakeholder Consultation Workshop

A stakeholder consultation workshop was conducted by the CGIAR Initiatives on Diversification in East and Southern Africa (Ukama Ustawi) and Gender Equality on 31 January 2023 at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The workshop aimed to identify and address barriers that limit participation of women and youth and how these are addressed in an ongoing "Veggies for People and Planet" program at the World Vegetable Center. The workshop also sought to investigate existing opportunities and recommend possible integrated solutions for more equitable and inclusive value chain development

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Not AvailableThis report elucidates the opportunities that exist for livestock and forage development in the East India Rainfed Farming Project areas in Ranchi district of Bihar in India. The various steps in the Agricultural Research for Development (ARD) approach followed and, the different participatory tools that were employed for gathering information are described in detail. The farming households from three clusters are typologised into three farm types based on their livestock holding pattern. The changes in the agroecosystems in the study villages from the past to the present brought out through agro-ecosystem mapping are described in detail. The partners who were responsible for these changes are identified. The visions of different types of farming households about the desired future farming models are elaborated. The stakeholders whom the households consider as potential partners who can help them realize their future visions are identified. The results of the brainstorming exercise done involving the farming households, researchers and development workers on the alternative pathways to realize their visions to develop farm models for the three types are described and discussed. The report gives the desired future farming system models for each of the farm types. The plausible research and development options are identified and targeted for each farm type. They are then subjected to a process of screening for environmental sustainability, social equity and economic competitiveness. The process and the results are elaborated in the report. The report gives the organizational linkages required to implement some of the important screened options, roles of each of the organizations involved and action plans to achieve the same. The report ends with the training needs identified for the development workers and communities and the areas identified for adaptive and new research.Not Availabl

Desarrollo de la capacidad de sistemas de innovación agrícola : ¿Instrumentos, principios o políticas?

Uno de los cambios más notables en materia de desarrollo agrícola ha sido la creciente aceptación de las teorías de sistemas innovadores, en lugar de limitarse a la investigación. Persiste el antiguo problema de la escasez de forraje: ganado en Nigeria septentrional. Una persistente crítica de la investigación agrícola, expresada por una generación de profesionales del desarrollo rural y teóricos de sistemas, ha sido que la investigación no ha respondido a las cambiantes necesidades de los agricultores; y también que, si bien la investigación es eficaz para desarrollar tecnologías, la adopción de éstas ha sido débil. Al centrarse en la innovación y no en la investigación, el énfasis pasa a la aplicación de conocimientos y tecnologías, en lugar de limitarse a su producción. Aunque, al parecer, esta lógica es cada vez más aceptable entre los investigadores del desarrollo, hay menos claridad sobre cómo la idea de un sistema de innovación puede traducirse en la práctica. La dificultad reside en la naturaleza de las capacidades a desarrollar, que son específicas para cada contexto. Actualmente, los investigadores están considerando varias maneras de promover el desarrollo de tales capacidades