Participants in the NaviNut LI/PID training in Marsabit (Photo: Diba Tari)
Prolinnova–Kenya (PK) conducted a training on promoting local innovation (LI) and participatory innovation development (PID) for stakeholders of the NaviNut project in Marsabit County, Northern Kenya. NaviNut is a 3-year project funded by the German Federal Ministry of Agriculture (BMEL), implemented by a consortium of institutions in northern Kenya and northern Benin, coordinated by the German Institute for Tropical & Subtropical Agriculture (DITSL) and including Prolinnova as partner.
The training was convened by a local partner, Center for Research & Development in Drylands (CRDD), from 30 August to 3 September 2021 at Gof Hotel in Marsabit town. It was facilitated by Makonge Righa, Programs Officer at World Neighbors, and Vincent Mariadho, PK Coordinator. It was attended by 24 participants (16 women, 8 men) drawn from the Kenya Agriculture & Livestock Research Organization (KALRO), Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Health, Community Health Volunteers, community-based organisations and women’s groups involved in food processing and nutrition. Also staff members of CRDD and the Tropical Institute of Community Health were involved as well as students in the project – two PhD and three Masters students.
The participants were taken through various sessions with specific attention to local innovation and PID related to food processing and nutrition: Local innovation, Documentation of LIs and PID, Gender mainstreaming in promoting LI/PID, Participatory M&E, and Multistakeholder partnerships. As part of practical aspects of innovation identification, the participants also visited a women’s group that processes various foods and recipes such as coconut cakes, improved porridge and mango fruit preservation.
