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 identify and analyse existing local innovation processes and innovations and to improve and spread them through Participatory Innovation Development (PID) and Local Innovation Support Funds/Facilities (LISFs)
- to create / strengthen farmer-led research networks that take the lead in PID, LISF management and related innovation activities
- to gain deeper insights into the praxis of farmer-led research networks and to spread and share lessons widely.
In November 2015, the first phase of the project was launched after a year-long inception phase to strengthen the partnerships for the project between the Prolinnova International Secretariat and the network’s main members in Burkina Faso (World Neighbors, Diobass, Réseau-MARP and Centre National de Recherche Scientifique et Technologie/CNRST) and in Mali (ADAF-Gallè, Institute d’Economie Rurale/IER and the farmer organisation AOPP).
In Burkina Faso, the project works in the Passoré and Gnagna Provinces in the Northern and Mouhoun Regions; in Mali, the project works in Ségou and Mopti Regions.
A report of the initial training workshop on PID and LISFs can be found (in French) here.
A more detailed introduction to the project and a report from 2016 can be found here.
A second phase of the FaReNe project started in mid-2019 and continues until 2022.
Contact persons
Diakité Bourama (diakitbourama@yahoo.fr), ADAF-Gallè, Mali
Do Christophe Ouattara (ochristophe@wn.org), World Neighbors, Burkina Faso
