Prolinnova–Burkina Faso is celebrating IFID at a workshop on soil quality with a group of farmers that work on improving degraded soils. The idea is to bring together different actors in the field of agriculture. It will be an interactive event in which local innovations will be identified, thus providing an opportunity to celebrate farmers’ innovativeness.
Prolinnova–Cameroon is planning to celebrate IFID through a Farmer Innovation Fair (FIF). One part of the fair consists of presentations about farmer innovation in ARD. The other part will involve farmer innovators presenting their innovations at stands to a broad public. The main objective is to integrate stakeholders into the process of ARD. The FIF will stimulate exchange between farmer innovators in the region L’Adamaoua, identify innovations to be exhibited at the West African Farmer Innovation Fair in Burkina Faso in 2015 and present local innovators to the local authorities.
Prolinnova-Ethiopia will celebrate the International Farmers Innovation Day in Hawassa on 16 December with a theme called “The contribution of innovative farmers to enhance soil health”. An innovative farmer who improved composting processes from bioslurry will present his experience. The event will bring researchers, farmers and professionals from the field of agriculture and food security.
Prolinnova–India will, as in previous years, celebrate IFID in Chinoni and in Uttarakhad at the INHERE campus. It will be a big gathering of farmers who are involved in innovation and joint experimentation, government functionaries, research scientists, people’s representatives, and Members of the Parliament and State Legislative Assembly. In the gathering, innovators and experimenters will be heard and honoured.
Prolinnova–Kenya is part of the national committee organising the International Year for Family Farming launch in November 2014 that is being coordinated by INADES Foundation Kenya. During this time, INADES Kenya will also organise INADES day in which Prolinnova–Kenya plans to arrange that farmer innovators exhibit their innovations, to present a paper on farmer innovation and to display posters and other visual materials.
Prolinnova–Mali is organising a Farmer Innovation Fair. The International Day of Family Farming and IFID will be celebrated together on 28 and 29 November at the Palais de la Culture de Bamako by PROFEIS and l’Association des Organisations Professionnelles Paysannes (AOPP).
Prolinnova-Mozambique organized a two-day sharing workshop for innovator farmers and other stakeholders in ARD on 27 and 28 November in the city of Xai-Xai. The event brought together about twenty-five farmers and development agents from the three Southern provinces of Maputo, Gaza and Inhambane.
Prolinnova–Nepal is prepared to celebrate the IFID this year, after having to miss last year’s celebrations due to political disturbance. Prolinnova–Nepal will organise the event at the Regional Agriculture Development Directorate Office in Pokhara. Best innovative farmers/farmer groups will be selected for the event. Different Prolinnova partners and other governmental and NGO stakeholders and media will be invited.
International Support Team–Netherlands members are organising a morning with lectures, stories from innovative farmers, and an excursion to Wageningen University experimental farm on 29 November in Wageningen, the “city of life science”. It is organising this event together with Boerengroep (http://www.boerengroep.nl/), Otherwise (http://www.st-otherwise.org/) and RUW (Rural Wageningen Foundation) (http://stichtingruw.nl/). These critical student organisations are part of Wageningen University but play an independent role in arranging events for students in agriculture-related topics.
Prolinnova–Philippines will celebrate IFID in 2014 for the second year. The International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR) in partnership with the local government of Guinayangan, Quezon, will honour farmers who continue to promote sustainable approaches and innovation in their farms and in managing natural resources. On 9 November, an exhibit of these approaches will be made to raise awareness and knowledge on these available innovations. There will be expositions of rice farmers with low-external-input techniques ranging from green leaf manure to rainwater harvesting. Other farmers will present their innovations in low-cost livestock farming through alternative housing and feeding. Also fishermen will share their good practices in mangrove reforestation. Family Farming will also be celebrated!
