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CRISAT, December 2012 - Using ICT to revitalize agricultural extension and education towards providing knowledge access to smallholder farmers was the subject of an international workshop held at the Infosys Campus in Hyderabad (India) on 3-4 December. The global consultation on Innovative ICT and Knowledge Sharing Platforms for Revitalizing Agricultural Extension and Education: Opportunities and Challenges organized by a global team led by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), brought together about 60 ICT, research, extension and education experts from India, USA and Africa. The two-day workshop was successful in laying the groundwork for the formation of a global partnership that will push the 'knowledge to the poor' revolution through ICT application in agricultural extension and education.

"CIARD, with the support of the GFAR Secretariat and FAO, organized an E-discussion from 20 October until 10 November 2014 for global participation on the Rights of Farmers to Data, Information and Knowledge. The outputs of the E-discussion and supplementary research will be used to develop a briefing paper for policy makers, actors and stakeholders on the rights of farmers for data, information and knowledge."

"The African Development Bank (AfDB) was showcased as the knowledge broker and the emerging learning hub for Africa at a recent international e-learning conference in Berlin. The 2012 Online Educa Conference in Berlin was not just a conference, it was an event. Offering a unique environment for international networking, it is the place to discover and absorb some of the world's most innovative thinking about education and technology. The event attracts and brings together experts in the vanguard of technology-enhanced learning from around the world. "

"The EU-funded project JOLISAA coordinated by CIRAD, France; the Prolinnova international network hosted by ETC Foundation, Netherlands; the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS); the AusAID-funded project Food System Innovation for Food Security (FSIFS) and other partners are to meet in May 2013to jointly discuss approaches to enhance knowledge-to-action linkages among actors in agricultural innovation systems in Africa. During WAIA, a workshop on Agricultural Innovation Systems in Africa (AISA) will take place, preceded by an Eastern Africa Farmer Innovation Fair to showcase the achievements of individual and groups of smallholder farmers in improving their farming and their livelihoods. "

The United States Agency for International Development's Maximizing Agricultural Revenue through Knowledge, Enterprise Development and Trade Project promotes more sustainable and efficient use of aquaculture and fishery resources in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region with an emphasis on the Lower Mekong Initiative countries.

"The West Africa Rural Foundation (FRAO/WARF) will organize a training workshop on knowledge management and the capitalization of experiences, in Dakar (Senegal) from the 25th to 28th June 2013."

You could benefit from up to USD 80,000 funding and exchange germplasm, innovative knowledge, and technology with counterparts at Embrapa, Brazil, learning from each other's approaches to increase agricultural productivity. Pre-proposals are due to the Africa--Brazil Marketplace (http://www.mktplace.org) by 28th February 2013 and require only short two page project descriptions."

"(20/05/2014) This year's European Maritime Day Conference held over the 19 & 20 May in Bremen, saw industry experts and policy makers from across Europe come together to discuss how innovation and research in the maritime economy can drive a European growth and jobs recovery whilst securing a sustainable future for Europe's seas. The main conclusions drawn by participants included: There is a vast potential for jobs and sustainable growth in the maritime economy. To exploit it we need to invest more in knowledge and innovation and focus on placing sustainability at the heart of Blue Growth. The issues related to seas and oceans can only be addressed at international level - more global governance is of paramount importance. The EU's Maritime Spatial Planning and Maritime Security Strategy are good examples of what can be achieved. Next year's European Maritime Day will be held by Piraeus, Greece, in May 2015."

CTA organised the CTA Top 20 cross-learning write-shop from 13-17 October 2014. The meeting brought together authors and case owners of the CTA Top 20 innovations, technical experts, editors and designers to produce: (i) Fact sheets, guidebooks and posters of the CTA Top 20 innovations for widespread dissemination in print and electronic formats; (ii) a publication/manuscript consisting of the CTA Top 20 innovations as case stories and; (iii) a technical report on the CTA Top 20 as input into a policy brief on scaling up innovations. It is expected that by increasing access to existing knowledge on the CTA Top 20 innovations, this will contribute to increasing productivity and earning potential of smallholder farmers. The write-shop was a success.

"[KUALA LUMPUR] New approaches to agricultural research and development (R&D) that support local innovation are needed in order to tackle global poverty, say agriculture experts. At a conference, Re-imagining Agricultural Research in Development Dialogue, held in Penang, Malaysia last month (29-31 January), experts from the agricultural sector convened to discuss how agricultural research could best be used to benefit the 870 million people still living on less than US$1.25 a day. "The [conference] was motivated by the realization that agricultural research was not benefiting the poorest of the poor," Boru Douthwaite, Knowledge Sharing and Learning theme leader for the CGIAR Research Program on Aquatic Agricultural Systems (AAS), tells SciDev.Net. "

IDRC and the UK's Department for International Development (DFID) are funding a new programme on climate change adaptation. The Collaborative Adaptation Research Initiative in Africa and Asia (CARIAA) began in 2012 and will run until 2019. CARIAA invites submissions of joint concept notes for the establishment of research consortia in three climate change hot spots: semi-arid regions, deltas, and glacier and snowpack dependent river basins. Find out more at http://www.idrc.ca/EN/Programs/Agriculture_and_the_Environment/CARIAA/Pages/default.aspx "

"What is the Teacher Education and Professional Development program? The Teacher Education and Professional Development program is a partnership between USAID, the Ministry of Education and the private sector. The Government's commitment to universal primary education includes a commitment to improving the quality of education even as the number of students increases. The program builds the skills and expertise of educators, and enables Kenya's public teacher training colleges to prepare teachers to deliver quality education by strengthening pre-service training and linking it to in-service professional development. USAID supports this program by transferring knowledge of international practices in teacher education and institution building, and by providing technology to enhance teacher training and the classroom experience. The Permanent Secretary of Education visited the pilot sites and evaluated the program to inform a Government strategy to roll out integration of technology in classrooms throughout Kenya. "

"The Week on Agricultural Innovation in Africa (WAIA) starts in only three months. It revolves around a regional fair to celebrate the innovativeness of smallholder farmers: the Eastern African Farmer Innovation Fair (EAFIF) to be held 28-29 May 2013 in Nairobi, Kenya."

On May 28, 2013 a ''Memorandum of Agreement'' has been signed between UNESCO-UNEVOC and the BIBB. Present were, amongst others, Dr. Shyamal Majumdar, Director of the UNESCO-UNEVOC International Centre in Bonn, Mr Borhene Chakroun, Director of TVET in UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, and Dr Eckart Lilienthal, Desk Officer BMBF and Professor Dr Reinhold Weiss, Vice President, BIBB. To honour this event, a reception was held at the UN premises in Bonn. The purpose of the Memorandum of Agreement is the prospect of a synergetic collaboration in projects pertaining to the fields of "Greening TVET" and knowledge management, which is supported by sending two experts from the BIBB to work at UNESCO-UNEVOC. The event was inspired by the rising interest worldwide in Technical and Vocational Education and Training cooperation with Germany. The need for closer cooperation, usage and strengthening of the UNEVOC network, consisting of 280 training institutions worldwide, has been emphasized as a primary aim. Mr Lilienthal stressed the great need for support of UNESCO-UNEVOC's effort to promote the areas of Youth & Skills and Greening TVET in the area of Technical and Vocational Education and Training in and outside of Germany. The two experts, who will support those areas, Dr Uta Roth and Ms Dagmar Winzier, are intended to be deployed to UNESCO-UNEVOC for one year initially.

"[LONDON] Smallholder farmers in Africa must participate in research to ensure higher crop yields and to fend off hunger as the continent's population grows, according to a report published today (18 April). A combination of traditional knowledge and modern science will be key to achieving higher productivity at lower ecological cost - known as 'sustainable intensification' - the report says. 'Sustainable Intensification: A New Paradigm for African Agriculture' was written by the Montpellier Panel, a group of international experts from the fields of agriculture, sustainable development, trade, policy and global development. "

"ICTs are always evolving and have been contributing immensely in development policies and programmes in developing countries. Appropriate application of ICTs will help the institutions, organizations, and nations in development plans. In spite of the tremendous potential of ICTs, developing countries have not adapted a sound strategy to utilize ICTs effectively. The application of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in agriculture is increasingly important. If ICTs are utilized fully in agriculture and allied fields, traditional knowledge could be improved and farmers would benefit from this new technology. "

"The Platform's work plan 2014 was endorsed by board members at the beginning of February following a consultation process of about three months. Its outcomes are orientated to attain the revised Platform goal to promote effective policy and investment in rural development. Activities are planned under four pillars: strategic initiative, targeted advocacy with policy and decision makers, knowledge sharing, and networking and cooperation. Several thematic streams from post-2015 to nutrition, land and livestock etc. as well as input, reporting and co-organising from relevant international events will be implemented. Furthermore, Platform evaluation will help define the Platform's future and the design of its new Strategic Plan. The 2014 work plan is designed in a way general enough to provide for the flexibility a network needs, but also detailed enough to allow for a neat work process."

"Africa urgently needs adequate number of quality agricultural graduates to actualize her potential in Agriculture. However, for this to be achieved, Tertiary Agricultural Education (TAE) stakeholders in the continent must work closely to leverage on their respective strengths. Pedagogy pic One of the participants of pedagogy training receives a certificate during a training workshop held in Nairobi, Kenya. In pursuit of the above objective, the African Network for Agriculture, Agroforestry and Natural Resources Education (ANAFE) is implementing a programme titled 'The Strengthening Africa's Strategic Agricultural Capacity for Impact on Development (SASACID)' which focusses on supporting TAE institutions in Africa to produce agricultural graduates with the right knowledge, skills and attitudes suited for the agricultural sector."

"Créé en 2006, le Système régional d'analyse stratégique et de gestion de connaissances (Regional Strategic Analysis and Knowledge Support System, ReSAKSS) fournit des analyses, des données et des outils adaptés aux politiques étudiées, et nécessaires à l'élaboration et à l'exécution de stratégies et politiques agricoles basées sur les résultats en Afrique."

"Toni Darbas (CSIRO, Australie) et Jim Sumberg (IDS, RU) expriment leur scepticisme à l'égard du récent discours sur les « chaînes de valeur » dans le débat portant sur le développement du secteur agricole, qui considère l'agriculture comme une activité commerciale devant être « professionnalisée ». Les auteurs pensent qu'il y a de bonnes raisons d'être sceptique sur leur capacité à répondre aux attentes placées en elles. Ils invoquent les raisons suivantes : manque d'information sur le plan administratif; évolution inconnue des coûts de transaction; intérêts du secteur privé par rapport aux intérêts publics; prise en compte des questions d'intégration; modèles d'innovation non adaptés au contexte; peu de preuves directes de l'impact positif des plates-formes d'innovation et des chaînes de valeur sur les paysans pauvres. Selon eux, il existe un risque permanent de sombrer vers des réponses trop stéréotypées, peu critiques, et inadaptées au contexte. Une approche beaucoup plus critique et réaliste de la contribution et de l'applicabilité éventuelles des approches basées sur les chaînes de valeur et les plates-formes d'innovation donnerait probablement de meilleurs résultats, concluent-ils. http://www.future-agricultures.org/blog/entry/can-value-chains-and-innovation-platforms-boost-african-agriculture-11-reasons-to-be-sceptical (Future Agricultures, 07/08/2013) "