Following the launch of Humidtropics in Uganda in August 2013, two Innovation Platforms were established, one in Kiboga-Kyankwanzi and another in Mukono-Wakiso. Both Platforms bring together different actors: national facilitators from Makerere University and the National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO), international research institutions, universities, local governments, international and local NGOs, farmer organizations and the private sector. These actors meet regularly to discuss the best way to implement the researchable entry points selected in their respective … [Read more...]
Testing Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping in two Humidtropics Innovation Platforms in Uganda
In the beginning of June, we - Wageningen University (WUR) and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) - tested ‘Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping’ (FCM) in two Humidtropics Innovation Platforms in Uganda. FCM is a semi-quantitative model approach, which allows stakeholders to visualise the strength of interactions between components of a system. In a next step, the FCM-software FuzzyDANCES calculates the impact of changes on the system. A nice aspect of FCM is that it can include both problems and opportunities, while taking into account feedback mechanisms. In general, … [Read more...]
Understanding, Facilitating and Monitoring Agricultural Innovation
Between April 29 and May 2, the first Humidtropics Capacity Development Workshop was organised by ILRI, Wageningen University and IITA in Nairobi, Kenya. The workshop brought together R4D and Innovation Platform Facilitators, Action Area Coordinators and other key players of Humidtropics from all over the globe. The topics covered include different approaches to agricultural innovation, designing and implementing multi-stakeholder platforms, capturing knowledge and learning in platforms, and reflexive monitoring and evaluating of platforms. The workshop’s interactive methods stimulated … [Read more...]