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Identifying Effective Scaling Modalities

To test and adapt productive, resilient and scalable Conservation Agriculture-based intensification options for sustainable smallholder maize-legume production systems.

The fourth objective was to identify effective scaling modalities to inform programs that were used to accelerate the uptake of these novel Conservation Agriculture-based farming practices beyond project sites to reach wider geographic coverage for true impact.

Work Done

  • Developed policy options and organizational models for the delivery of CA-based intensification options (also building on existing Innovation Platforms [IP])
  • Strengthened multi-stakeholder interaction mechanisms for uptake and scaling out of CA-based intensification options (incl. innovation platforms, agribusiness and value chain interventions)
  • Mainstreaming of gender sensitivity in research activities in the five primary program countries. (gender mainstreaming activities of SIMLESA-1 now integrated in objectives 1-4; gender training in objective 5)
  • Functioning M&E system integrated into the program, providing information system assessments to national and regional program managers. (M&E related activities strengthened and integrated into project management)
  • Knowledge of relevant program innovations. Effective knowledge transfer or “spillover” was underpinned by analyzing past experiences and bottlenecks for maize-legume system knowledge and product spillovers among ASARECA member countries and SADC countries. Low cost for scaling-out approaches to stimulate knowledge and technology spillovers were tested, and linked to other projects and programs of governments, NGOs (including AGRA), or the private sector.

    Cross-participation in annual research workshops between program members and other projects in the region and West Africa was fostered and interchange of maize and legume germplasm within sub-Saharan Africa region was facilitated with enhanced knowledge on germplasm adaptation.

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