LIVES Action-oriented Research and Capacity Development

Berhanu Gebremedhin, Azage Tegegne and Dirk Hoekstra

LIVES Project Launch Workshop Addis Ababa, 22 January 2013

Action-Oriented Research in LIVES

Technology generation

Lab-based On-station On-farm

Experimental (controlled setting)

Technology application Organizational issues Institutional issues

Diagnostic research On farm action

research Impact research

Developmental (uncontrolled setting)

Focus

Methods

LIVES Action-oriented Research framework

What does action-oriented research in LIVES look like?

• Piloting interventions combined with careful monitoring and evaluation of the outcomes and impacts

• Complementing this action-oriented research will be the RBME&L framework from which the strategic lessons will be learnt about the processes and innovations

• The learning activities will include process-monitoring and evaluation to conduct comparative analysis and synthesis of lessons from the value-chain level M&E

Action-oriented research in LIVES (2)• Priority setting and targeting within target areas to best

address needs and opportunities

• Identifying and piloting technology and other interventions to improve productivity and market performance;

• Outcome and impact assessment to evaluate the benefits emanating from project investments

• Analysis of innovation processes to better refine and design capacity building and scaling out of activities.

• The data and learning generated by these activities will also support the project RBME&L.

• Hence: Diagnostic, Action and Impact research

Research partnership• Collaborative research with EIAR, regional

research institutes and universities

• Joint supervision of graduate students (MSc/MA).

• Collaborative research expected to contribute to building capacity within the knowledge systems of the regions– strengthened capacity of Ethiopian researchers and research

institutions – promote results to farmers, policy makers, implementers, and

investors.

Research areas •Action-oriented research will be required on:

• how to improve productivity and • Strengthen the functioning of value chains and associated business

development services,

•Hence, research on both technical and socio-economic constraints are expected to be important.

•Research on the gender implications of the different value chains, technologies and institutional innovations

•Research on the environmental implications of the market oriented interventions

Enhancement of Impact through action-oriented research

• Capacity development– Trainings– Guides

• Knowledge management/communication– EAP– Knowledge centers

• Promotion of research outputs– Working papers– Conference presentations– Journal articles– Other

Capacity Building in LIVES

Capacity development Strategy-LIVES

Principles of capacity building

•Working with and through partner training organizations

•Focus on the key actors along the value chain

•Integrated with related projects in the same locations,

•Bulk of the training will be aimed at District level

•Make use of relevant training materials

Key training topics- Public sector development staff

•market oriented extension •participatory extension approaches/tools •gender mainstreaming •knowledge management•irrigation, crop and livestock technologies• skills and knowledge on post-harvest aspects and • environmental management

Key training topics- Farmers•irrigation crop and livestock technologies and practices •production of inputs such as seedlings and seeds.•marketing of outputs•feed resources development •Post-harvest handling

Key training Topics –Service providers and producer organizations

• para-veterinary skills, • agro-chemical supply and use, and • repair of irrigation equipment.

•leadership and management,

•business planning and book-keeping

•ICT

Training Modalities • Training-of-Trainers (ToT) as the principal approach to

achieve both scaling-out within the selected Zones/Districts and the target regions.

• The ToT will focus on training of TVET instructors (and NGO and private sector staff as appropriate) and University staff, and regional agricultural experts

• LIVES project staff and specialised staff from IWMI and ILRI, and staff from MOA and EIAR will be responsible for training the trainers.

• The trainers streamline the fields of training in the curricula for up-scaling to national level.

Training Modalities (2)• In each region the zonal trainees will provide training to

the Woreda level trainers

• The woreda level trainees will train the Development Agents (DAs) in a given Woreda.

• Support will also be given to update and strengthen the curricula and to develop tailor-made courses for groups of DAs.

Postgraduate training

•A key component of capacity building is the strengthening of skills in adaptive research through MSc training.

•100 students fully sponsored for tuition and Theses

•100 students supported for theses only

•ILRI and IWMI will provide selection criteria to identify suitable students for the MSc program.

Postgraduate training (2)

•will strive to ensure gender balance.

•ILRI, IWMI and EIAR staff will co-identify research problems with partners and national universities •ILRI, IWMI and EIAR provide co-supervision with national universities

www.lives-ethiopia.org

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