CApacity building for SCaling up of evidence-based best

practices in Agricultural Production in Ethiopia

(CASCAPE)

Background

Agricultural Growth Programme (WB+donors)

Soil Fertility Initiative (MoA)

To make these programmes successful!

AGP and SFI in a nutshell

AGP Scale of best practices (~that what model

farmers do) to other farmers. Focus on high potential areas.

SFI Technology strengthening Best practices (~technologies from research) Capacity building (laboratory personnel)

CASCAPE: goal and objectives

Goal: to contribute to increased agricultural productivity through uptake of sustainable innovations.

Objectives: Analyse conditions for successful uptake of

innovations; Test and validate innovations (-> scale up); Support development of stakeholder and

knowledge networks to promote scaling up.

CASCAPE organization

Innovator team RARIs

Universities

DAs and extension supervisors

Farmers

Activities are focused on 20 AGP woredas across 5 clusters in 4 regional states: Tigray, Amhara, Oromiya West and East and SNNPR.

Innovation teams at 5 universities consisting of 6 interdisciplinary members from universities and RARIs.

About 100 farms per innovation team, possibly tiered approach.

CASCAPE management structure

CASCAPE approach

Integrated farming systems management Participatory action research Stakeholder & knowledge networks Monitoring and evaluation Capacity building programmes: 5 PhD scholarships,

MSc thesis support, training programmes for DAs, farmer-to-farmer days, etc.

Central to CASCAPE is the understanding that farm management is interdisciplinary and so are effects of interventions, and that there is a reason behind current strategies.

IFSM

Good seeds don’t grow on bad soils. Bad seeds don’t grow on good soils.

Multi-intervention approach.

PAR

Change will not happen without involvement of the community which is expected to bring about this change.

Stakeholder & knowledge networks

Not yet fully elaborated, first exploration of existing networks followed by an assessment of needs for strengthening and/or setting up new networks.

Monitoring & evaluation Quantitative and qualitative

Qualitative: development of evaluation programme for learning and knowledge systems, and for the project itself.

Quantitative: MonQI toolbox for integrated assessment of farm management and farm performance.

Capacity building

Cross cutting through activities.

Depending on demand and need assessment.

May range from farmer empowerment to PhD courses.

5 PhD scholarships and support for MSc theses.

Expected results

High policy impact, close cooperation with AGP. Improved knowledge sharing and trust between

stakeholders. Identification of success factors for best practices

keys for scaling-up. Quantified effects of best practices evidence

based Evaluation of long and short term effects of best

practices keys for sustainable development. Improved farm performance in >2000 farms.

Where are we now (June 2011)?

Contracts with universities have been signed.

90% of innovators is recruited and participated in a 10 day training.

Advisors of the Minister have requested us to perform YARA trials this season.

Regional elaboration of work plans. We have taken off, but are yet flying at

cruise control.

www.cascape.info

christy.vanbeek@wur.nl; arie.vankekem@wur.nl; irene.koomen@wur.nl

© Wageningen UR