These Proceedings report on the second International Conference of the Convergence of Sciences (CoS) programme in Elmina (2009). The first International Conference was four years earlier in the same location, where it was discussed how to follow up on the findings of the first CoS Programme phase (entitled CoS1 running from 2001 to 2006). The Conference was intended to introduce the focus on “innovation systems”, and how to enhance these systems for smallholder farmers’ development.
West Africa’s smallholders are dynamic and innovative and, if given the opportunity, could easily and sustainably double or treble their productivity. This would have a huge impact on the region’s food security and economic growth. The Convergence of Sciences programme has spent the past decade exploring new pathways for agricultural innovation that focus on enabling smallholders to capture opportunity.
The book contains seven chapters that exhaustively covers the Innovation Opportunities in Mango production in Mali and make a smart proposition on the plausible pathway to ensure that agricultural technologies delivers a vibrant and economically sustainable agrarian sector. This book make an analysis about the mango food chain in Mali and discuss about the constraints regarding the production, productivity, and profitability
This report aims to analyse the rice innovation platform in Mali. Starts showing the most recent data about production, area, importation and exportation. Discuss about the importance of the rice in the Malian economy, describe the main frameworks of the rice sector including changes in policies and perform a deep analysis in the rice food chain of the country
This study presents detailed examples of how repeat Sénékéla users have changed their farming and marketing practices, and the reasons underpinning these changes. Data was collected through a series of semi structured interviews with repeat Sénékéla users. The findings of the case study serve to complement quantitative data about customer behavior change that was collected through a structured survey with 50 customers from Mali
The study is conducted in Sikasso, Koulikoro and Mopti regions on small scale irrigation systems for providing information and proposing solutions to decision makers. The expected outputs/outcomes of the project include: (i) Documentation of water resources available in Mali, (ii) identification of small scale irrigation technologies available in Mali, (iii) selection of technologies suitable for different regions in the country, (iv) Assessment of social and economic profitability of selected technologies
The paper sets out the general concepts and principles of the Agricultural Innovation Systems approach, and its application to agricultural research and development, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. It is intended for those interested in applying new approaches to research with farmers, NGOs and the private sector that lead to developmental outcomes.
This book documents a study on the concept of Integrated Agricultural Research for Development (IAR4D) that was developed by the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA). The IAR4D concept forms the basis for the Sub-Saharan Africa Challenge Programme (SSA CP), which is the only CGIAR Challenge Programme limited geographically to a particular region of the world. The focus of SSA CP is to facilitate substantially greater impact from agricultural
This review seeks to assess the usefulness of innovation systems approaches in the context of the Integrated Agricultural Research for Development (IAR4D) in guiding research agendas, generating knowledge and use in improving food security and nutrition, reducing poverty and generating cash incomes for resource-poor farmers. The report draws on a range of case studies across sub-Saharan Africa to compare and contrast the reasons for success from which lessons can be learned.
This book documents the proof of the Integrated Agricultural Research for Development (IAR4D) Concept that was developed by the Forum for Agricultural Research for Development in Africa (FARA). The IAR4D concept forms the basis for the Sub Saharan Africa Challenge Program (SSA CP) which is the only CGIAR Challenge Program that was limited to only one region in the world.