Despite frequent gender-sensitivity training given to staff members of agricultural research and development (ARD) organisations, many of them still seem to regard agriculture – growing crops / trees and keeping livestock – as primarily the domain of men. Still today, most scientists in research stations, teachers at universities or agricultural colleges, and advisors in agricultural …
Voir la traduction française ci-dessous Introduction to Phase 2 of Proli-GEAFaSa The project ”Promoting local innovation in water management in family farming in the Sahel” (Promotion de l’innovation locale dans la Gestion de l’Eau en Agriculture Familiale au Sahel, Proli-GEAFaSa) ran from January 2020 to December 2022 in two West African countries of the international …
A farmer innovation fair (FIF) is an event that recognises and celebrates the creativity, ingenuity and innovativeness of smallholder men and women farmers. By bringing together regional or national farmer innovators in one place for several days, they have a rare opportunity to get to know each other, share their experiences and learn from each …
Prolinnova–Cameroon organised the first Farmer Innovation Fair in the country on 27–29 May 2021. A total of 50 farmers, including 21 women, from 10 regions in the country displayed their innovations and networked with other farmers, formal researchers and agricultural advisors. Local innovators and other stakeholders in agricultural research and development also took part in panel discussions …
The project NaviNut “Enhancing women’s agency in navigating changing food environments to improve child nutrition in African drylands” (Sept 2020–Oct 2023, extended with additional budget to Dec 2024) takes a transdisciplinary research approach: co-creating knowledge across different scientific disciplines and societal stakeholders. The German Institute for Tropical and Subtropical Agriculture (DITSL) coordinates the work together …
NaviNut: Promoting women’s innovation in child-feeding in Benin & Kenya Read More »
Farmer-led joint research with other actors in agricultural research and development is central to the Prolinnova approach. It builds on local innovation processes by farmers and is often referred to as “Participatory Innovation Development” (PID). Although PID is integral to all projects and initiatives under the umbrella of the Prolinnova network, some projects focus specifically …
At the International Partners’ Workshop in Cambodia in 2006, Prolinnova partners decided to give more attention to curriculum development and the integration of Participatory Innovation Development (PID) approaches into higher education systems. They asked the Centre for International Cooperation of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (CIS-VUA), then a partner in the Prolinnova International Support Team (IST), to facilitate …
Ethnovet Project: Promoting Ethnoveterinary Medicine for Sustainable Livestock Husbandry in Northern Ghana Introduction The 3-year Ethnovet Project (2019–2022), funded by Misereor/KZE (Catholic Central Agency for Development Aid, Germany), is being implemented by the Association of Church-based Development Projects (ACDEP), an NGO in northern Ghana. It is working in four districts in the Northern, North East …
Traduction française ci-dessous New (3rd) project : ELI-FaNS (1 Jan 2023 – 31 Dec 2025) Current ELI-FaNS CP-level coordinators / Coordinateurs actuels d’ELI-FaNS au niveau CP : Benin: (Ms) Nicole Sarah (sanitah04@yahoo.fr) Burkina Faso: Siaka Bangali (siakabangali@yahoo.fr) Ghana: Samuel Atia Ayamga (samuelatiaa@gmail.com) Kenya: Vincent Mariadho (mariadhovincent@yahoo.com) South Africa: Richard Chuene (chuener@agric.limpopo.gov.za) Overall project coordinator / …
Engaging youth in agriculture and related businesses can keep rural areas vibrant and counteract the tendency of migration of youth from rural to urban areas. It is vital that young people are offered education and training in agriculture, have a voice in influencing agricultural and rural policy, and are encouraged to engage in rural innovation. …
Promoting innovation by youth in agriculture & agri-food enterprises Read More »
The International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA), the African Development Bank and the CGIAR Consortium organised a workshop on 8-9 September 2015 in Montpellier, France, on “Mobilizing Youth within Phase 2 CGIAR Research Programs (CRPs)”. One member of the Prolinnova International Secretariat, Ingrid Flink, took part in this meeting, representing both theProlinnova network and the Royal Tropical Institute (KIT), which now hosts the Prolinnova International Secretariat. With growing numbers of …
Prolinnova at Workshop on Mobilising Youth in CGIAR Research Programs Read More »
An increasing number of projects promote the role of farmers – smallholders, herders, forest people, fisherfolk and other local resource users – in conserving natural resources and agricultural biodiversity. However, these projects often do not recognise the efforts made by local people themselves to make new uses of and enrich genetic resources. The long history …
Farmer-led documentation (FLD) is an empowering process in which local communities take the lead role in the documentation process. The results are used by community members for learning within the community and for exchange between communities (horizontal sharing) and among communities, development agents and policymakers (vertical sharing). Many development agents are interested in FLD but are …
During the International Partners Workshop in Cambodia in 2006, Prolinnova partners expressed their interest in looking into the link between climate-change adaptation and participatory innovation development (PID). After all, if farmers are constantly having to adapt to changes in local conditions, whatever the cause of these changes may be, some of their innovation efforts will …
The role of local innovation in supporting climate-change adaptation Read More »
Prolinnova piloted a new mechanism to make funds for agricultural research and development accessible to farmer experimenters and local agencies supporting them. The Local Innovation Support Funds/Facilities (LISFs), as described in IK Notes 85 and a policy brief, are managed and used by farmers and community-based organisations (CBOs). The LISFs give farmers a chance to …
The 3-year LINEX-CCA project supported by Misereor in the group of three Asian countries – Cambodia, India and Nepal – was completed in December 2014. The Prolinnova Country Platforms (CPs) in these three countries were engaged in facilitating local innovation and experimentation as a means of helping smallholder farmers adapt to climate change. Women’s innovation was a …
The first national Farmer Innovation Fair (FIF) was held in Kathmandu, Nepal, on 2-4 May 2009. LI-BIRD (Local Initiatives for Biodiversity Research and Development), the local NGO that coordinates the Prolinnova network in Nepal, organised this event together with several partner organisations, with support from the Prolinnova International Secretariat at ETC Foundation in the Netherlands. …
Learning from the National Farmer Innovation Fair in Nepal, 2009 Read More »
Building on the experiences and lessons from the Farmer Innovation Fair (FIF) in Nepal in 2009, the Eastern African FIF took a step further to include farmer innovators from several countries in a region: Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda – a challenge that demanded even more collaboration and coordination than the fair in Nepal. The …
Eastern African Farmer Innovation Fair, Kenya, 2013 Read More »
In collaboration with CGIAR Research Programs for Aquatic Agricultural Systems (AAS) and Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), the Prolinnova International Support team made a study of the longer-term impacts of various farmer-led research and development approaches facilitated by civil-society organisations (CSOs). Background Many of the efforts to transform scientific knowledge into sustainable agriculture …
Study on impact of farmer-led research and development Read More »
An initiative funded by the McKnight Foundation (USA) under the umbrella of the Prolinnova community of practice seeks to strengthen and support farmer-led research networks (FaReNe) in which small-scale farmers take the lead in joint experimentation by farmers and formal researchers for agro-ecological intensification, building on local knowledge and innovation. FaReNe objectives are: to …
Strengthening Farmer-led Research Networks in the Sahel Read More »
Local innovation and experimentation: an entry point to climate-change adaptation for sustainable livelihoods in Asia Progress report from INHERE / Prolinnova-India for January-June 2013. PDF file: 95 KB
Members of the Prolinnova Country Platforms in Cambodia, India and Nepal involved in the LINEX–CCA (Local INnovation and EXperimentation for Climate Change Adaptation) project supported by Misereor, Germany, met on 25 May 2013, before the Prolinnova International Partners Workshop (IPW). Suman Manandhar (LI-BIRD, Nepal), Sonali Bisht (INHERE, India), Sam Vitou (CEDAC, Cambodia) and Chesha Wettasinha …
During the first year of implementation of the LINEX-CCA project, partners in Cambodia, India and Nepal were involved in: selecting appropriate sites, conducting studies to assess the perceptions of local communities on climate change and identifying local innovations to adapt to climate change. They also had meetings with local-level stakeholders and conducted awareness sessions on …
LINEX-CCA regional project progress report for 2012 Read More »
Local innovation in the development of smallholder agriculture: a literature review and case study in the Department of Cochabamba Bolivia by Markus Frank, BSc thesis, University of Kassel / German Institute for Tropical & Subtropical Agriculture, Witzenhausen. 2012. The first part of the thesis is a review of literature on different approaches to understanding and …
Vincent Mariadho, Prolinnova–Kenya (PK) coordinator, attended two events in October and November 2024 in which he presented Prolinnova’s approach and achievements: the Farmer Research Network (FRN) Convening organised by McKnight Foundation and the first National Agroecology Symposium hosted by PELUM (Participatory Ecological Land Use Management) Kenya. The FRN Convening included a visit to local innovators …
Farmer Research Network Convening & National Agroecology Symposium in Kenya Read More »
The closing workshop of the NaviNut transdisciplinary research project, under the banner of “Together for Better Child Nutrition”, was held on 5–7 November 2024 in Marsabit in northern Kenya. This was an opportunity for the Kenyan and German researchers and the local Kenyan women involved in the project to share their results with various other …
Final NaviNut workshop / Atelier final de NaviNut Read More »
The multistakeholder platform Prolinnova–Kenya organised an International Farmer Innovation Fair & Conference on the theme “Two decades of promoting farmer-led participatory innovation development (PID) for enhanced climate change resilience, food and nutrition security and sustainable natural resource management” in Nairobi in April 2024. The report is now available here. Farmer innovators from 11 African countries …
Report on International Farmer Innovation Fair & Conference 2024 Read More »
The September 2024 issue of the Appropriate Technology (AT) magazine features two articles on Prolinnova activities: International Farmer Innovation Fair: a platform for promoting local innovation, by Vincent Mariadho & Brigid Letty, with photos by Janish Wettasinha (AT 51(3): 36-39) “We share knowledge until one becomes an expert” – learning through the eyes of local …
Report available on Webinar 3, focussed on “Networking and resource mobilisation to support the process of integrating PID concepts and practices into universities and research institutions”. In 2023-24, the Prolinnova network held a series of three webinars for network members to share experiences in integrating the Participatory Innovation Development (PID) approach into instititions of research …
Webinar 3 report from series “Linking with universities & research in PID” Read More »
Two articles were published in June 2024 in the Prolinnova section of the Appropriate Technology magazine (Vol 51, No. 2): Action funds stimulate mutual learning about child nutrition in Benin by Paul Jimmy, Honorat Edja, Brigitte Kaufmann & Ann Waters-Bayer Ghanaian experience in helping women farmers improve sales of a local innovation by Joseph Nchor …
Articles from Benin and Ghana in June edition of Appropriate Technology magazine Read More »
Prolinnova–Mali a travaillé en 2023 principalement dans le cadre des deux projets PROFEIS (Promouvoir l’expérimentation et l’innovation paysannes pour améliorer la sécurité alimentaire et la conservation des ressources au Sahel) et FaRENe (Soutenir et renforcer les réseaux de recherche des producteurs et productrices pour améliorer leur résilience face au changement climatique au Burkina Faso et …
Prolinnova–Mali rapport annuel /annual report 2023 Read More »
Through the ELI-FaNS project, a workshop on participatory innovation development (PID) was held at the African Enterprise Conference Centre in Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Province on 10-13 June 2024. The objective of the workshop was to build a common understanding of key concepts and involved participants from Limpopo and KZN. Joe Nchor, the ELI-FaNS project …
Au cours de l’année 2023, la plateforme Prolinnova–Sénégal Prolinnova-Sénégal a mené plusieurs activités, notamment : l’élaboration et à la soumission d’une proposition pour une nouvelle phase du projet Proli-GEAFaSa (Promotion de l’innovation locale dans la Gestion de l’Eau en Agriculture Familiale au Sahel) ; conceptualisation d’une observatoire de l’eau agricole ; participation à deux webinaires …
Prolinnova-Sénégal rapport annuel / annual report 2023 Read More »
The Prolinnova Country Platform in Ghana was very active in 2023. The National Steering Committee, technical support team and local multistakeholder platforms at the action-learning sites remained highly functional in supporting two externally funded Prolinnova projects in Ghana. These are Expanding the Promotion of Local Innovation for Food Security and Healthy Nutrition to Strengthen Resilience …
