On behalf of the Prolinnova network, Suman Manandhar from Prolinnova–Nepal was invited to take part in the DeSIRA CONNECT Days Asia & the Pacific held in Hanoi, Vietnam, on 14–16 January 2025. A total of 76 participants from 17 countries in the Asia–Pacific region joined the event.
DeSIRA (Development-Smart Innovation through Research in Agriculture) is an initiative funded by the European Union (EU). The main aims of the event were to share lessons learnt from implementing DeSIRA projects, particularly concerning the role of research within them, and to identify the main project results and how these could be taken to scale in support of agrifood system transformation and agroecology transition.
In the panel discussion on “Regional dynamics in farmer-led and community-based innovations, bringing diverse perspectives from across the Asia–Pacific region”, Suman spoke about “Agroecological transition and innovation in the Himalayan context”. He highlighted the importance of farmer-led joint research based on the farmers’ own innovations and research questions.
His report on the event can be found here.
