PROLINNOVA–KENYA ANNUAL REPORT 2017

Prolinnova–Kenya (PK) reports on its activities in 2017, which mainly revolved around the project “Promoting Local Innovation for Food and Nutrition Security” (Proli-FaNS), in its second of three years. This builds on experiences of PK over previous years, e.g. in the FAIR and CLIC–SR initiatives under the Prolinnova umbrella, to show the value of an alternative approach to agricultural research and development (ARD) – an approach that starts with recognising and valuing community assets, especially small-scale farmers’ creativity in their own efforts to experiment and innovate so as to deal with new problems or opportunities. Other actors in agricultural research, extension and education are thus motivated and encouraged to support farmers’ initiatives in ways that strengthen local capacities to innovate and adapt.

Link to Kenya report 2017 (PDF file; 852 KB)

Proli-FaNS + African Regional Meeting in Nairobi

Participants in African Regional Workshop of Prolinnova partners, Nairobi, May 2018 (Photo: Loren Cardeli)

As part of the regionalisation of Prolinnova outlined in the network’s 2016–20 strategy, the focus in 2018 is on strengthening the subregional and regional networks. On 22–23 May 2018, the five African Country Platforms (CPs) that are involved in the Proli-FaNS (Promoting local innovation in Food and Nutrition Security) project held their annual sharing-and-learning meeting in Nairobi, Kenya. The programme for these two days was organised by Joe Nchor, Proli-FaNS coordinator based at ACDEP in northern Ghana.

Prolinnova-Mozambique activity report 2017

Prolinnova–Mozambique implemented considerably more activities in 2017 compared to the previous year. The Country Platform (CP) carried out a refresher course on local innovation and Participatory Innovation Development (PID), renewed and strengthened its National Steering Committee, appointed focal points at provincial and district levels, published a catalogue of local innovations and planned its activities for 2018. The annual report gives a detailed account of the CP's achievements in 2017, and includes the backstopping visit to Mozambique by Brigid Letty from Prolinnova–South Africa, which was planned for 2017 but could be made only in early 2018.

Proli-FaNS progress report Nov 2017 - Jan 2018

The second year of the Proli-FaNS (Promoting local innovation in Food and Nutrition Security) is well underway. The quarterly report for the period November 2017 to January 2018 gives a concise overview of progress in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana and Kenya, particularly the innovations identified and the processes of Participatory Innovation Development (PID) that have been commenced. See the report: Promoting local innovation in Food and Nutrition Security (Proli-FaNS).

Prolinnova-Ghana annual report 2017

During 2017, Prolinnova–Ghana re-organised its National Steering Committee to strengthen the Country Platform’s governance and supported small-scale farmers in selected communities in participatory innovation development (PID) and local innovation processes under the three-year Proli-FaNS project. The host NGO (ACDEP) also organised learning events for farmers at community level as well as for institutional stakeholders and national platform members. The detailed achievements in the year 2017 are described in the Prolinnova-Ghana annual report.

Prolinnova–Peru welcomed as Country Platform

In February 2018, the Prolinnova Oversight Group (POG) welcomed Prolinnova–Peru as a Country Platform (CP) within the international community of practice.

Prolinnova activities began in Peru already in 2005, when the regional network Prolinnova–Andes (composed of partners in Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador) was created to promote local innovation processes and to learn from each other about farmer-led participatory innovation development (PID). Since then, some activities at regional and national level activities were carried out, including two regional workshops in 2005 and 2008 and an International Seminar on Participatory Methodological Processes in Peru in 2008. The activities in Peru were coordinated by the RAAA (Red de Acción en Agricultura Alternativa / Network for Action in Alternative Agriculture) based in Lima.

Cases of local innovation in Mozambique

Member organisations of Prolinnova-Mozambique contributed cases of local innovation to this catalogue that covers the period from 2008 to 2017. Most of these are cases that have been encountered during the partners' day-to-day interactions with smallholder farmers in the villages where the organisations work.

Proli-FaNS + African Regional Meeting in Kenya in May 2018

As part of the regionalisation of Prolinnova outlined in the network’s 2016–20 strategy, the focus in 2018 is on strengthening the subregional and regional networks. On 22–23 May 2018, the five Country Platforms (CPs) involved in the Proli-FaNS project will hold their annual sharing-and-learning meeting in Nairobi, Kenya. The programme for these two days is being drawn up by Joe Nchor, Proli-FaNS coordinator based at ACDEP in northern Ghana. A third day (24 May) will be devoted to sharing about experiences with regionalisation of the network and planning how to work toward a Prolinnova–Africa network. The programme for this day is being drawn up by the two subregional coordinators: Amanuel Assefa for Eastern & Southern Africa and Georges Djohy for West & Central Africa. 

All Prolinnova CPs in Africa will be invited to Nairobi. They will need to generate own funding for travel, lodging and food. In some cases, CPs in countries neighbouring Kenya may be able to arrange less costly modes of travel to be able to take part in the African Regional Meeting.

Exchange visit to Mali between FaReNe project partners

For better sharing of experiences about farmer innovation, facilitating joint experimentation, setting up farmer innovator networks and managing Local Innovation Support Funds, an exchange visit between Burkina Faso and Mali was held on 6–8 October 2017 in the villages of Zeimbougou Mangoni, Nampasso, Kanouala, Nabougou and Nayo (Mali). The delegation from Burkina was made up of 10 persons: farmer innovators, women food processors and staff from Diobass, World Neighbors and Réseau MARP. The report below is in French.

Visite d’échange au Mali entre partenaires du projet FaReNe

Farmer-led documentation of local innovation in Kenya

In 2017, the Farmer-Led Innovators Association of Kenya (FALIA) worked together with the Prolinnova partner organisation A Growing Culture (AGC) to document farmer innovations in Kisumu in Western Kenya. FALIA and AGC identified 20 promising innovations addressing a range of issues from biodiversity preservation and economic empowerment to gender equality and improved food security. Their joint activity sought to:

  • Identify and document useful innovations to be included in the Library for Food Sovereignty (LFS)
  • Amplify and spread innovations through a participatory farmer-led innovation documentation framework
  • Recognise farmers for their achievements and identify opportunities for scaling out and building on local innovations.

A description of the outcomes of the documentation can be found on the AGC website: www.agrowingculture.org/project/farmer-led-innovation-documentation-kenya/

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