Eva Ludi ODI

1. European Union and African Union cooperative research to increase food production in irrigated farming systems in Africa Eva Ludi ODI

2. EAU4Food • European Union and African Union cooperative research to increase food production in irrigated farming systems in Africa • 5 countries: Ethiopia, Mozambique, South Africa, Mali, Tunisia • 4 years (7/2011 – 6/2015) • Consortium with many partners

3. Objectives of EAU4Food • To exchange, co-design, adapt and test innovative soil and water management strategies and techniques and improved practices to increase food production in irrigated farming systems • To quantify specific limits for intensification of irrigated agriculture within given environmental and socio-economic conditions

4. Targeted Outcomes • Innovation: Co-development of technologies, techniques and practices on irrigation and soil conservation • Integration: Development of sustainable production thresholds for selected agro-ecological systems • Dissemination: Development of site specific, concrete support tables for different user groups. These tables will provide guidance for inputs of water, fertilizer, and structural improvements of soils.

5. Central research question • How to adapt and develop a methodology based on the use of platforms (at various levels involving multiple stakeholders) and participatory research approaches in such a way that the innovative potential of farmers in Africa can be enhanced, supported by science, and later embedded into an effective policy process?

6. Why this research? • In many African countries, agricultural productivity has only slightly increased in recent years • Irrigation will increase in importance • Water and soil resources are becoming increasingly scarce or degraded • Previous attempts to improve irrigated food production were only partially successful • Limited stakeholder involvement • Ill-understood socio-economic and institutional structures and constraints • Technology focused • Mono-disciplinary approaches

7. Source: Solomon Habtu

8. Source: Nebo Jovanovic

9. EAU4Food Approach • Participation and inclusion of all relevant stakeholders • Transdiciplinary approach: • Involving all relevant disciplines • Combining scientific and traditional knowledge systems • Starting with what is already being done and searching for improvements • Considering from the start environmental sustainability limits

10. WP1: Methodology for WP1: Methodology for WP2: System analysis and WP2: System analysis and transdisciplinary approach transdisciplinary approach monitoring monitoring ODI ODI CSIR CSIR WP5: Information, dissemination WP5: Information, dissemination and knowledge sharing and knowledge sharing University of Zambia University of Zambia WP3: Transdisciplinary WP3: Transdisciplinary WP4: Upscaling and guidelines WP4: Upscaling and guidelines development and development and for lasting improvement for lasting improvement implementation of innovations implementation of innovations ALTERRA ALTERRA CIRAD CIRAD WP6: Management and coordination ALTERRA

11. Activities • Baseline (primary and secondary data): • Bio-physical parameters • Land and water use / Farming system • Socio-economic parameters • Institutions in relation to land and water access and use • Irrigation scheme management • Current constraints to sustainable food production and NR management

12. Activities • Establishing Learning and Practice Alliance (LPA) at regional level • Establishing Community of Practice (CoP) at irrigation site level • Visioning exercise by LPA and CoP -> how should the irrigation site look like in 10 – 15 years • Identification of barriers, challenges and opportunities to achieve this vision

13. Activities • CoP and LPA together with EAU4Food research partners • Identify specific research questions based on visioning exercise and exercise identifying barriers, challenges and opportunities • Identify actors to involve in the research • Define research approach

14. Why platforms? • Involve stakeholders in the research and innovation process and enhance commitment to research processes, ownership of research results and strengthening of research capacities • Ensure that research results are translated into policy and practice by involving the direct users (e.g. decision makers) in the research process

15. Why platforms? • Create conditions for long term cooperation and coordination in the sector • Link up the local level where research usually takes place with the sub-national / national arena where policies are formulated

16. LPA NGOs Government experts Local researchers Academics Policy makers Private sector Researchers EAU4Food Consortium CoP / LPA representatives Extension workers Local Technical Experts Farmers Local researchers Researchers EAU4Food Consortium CoP

17. ODI is the UK’s leading independent think tank on international development and humanitarian issues. We aim to inspire and inform policy and practice to reduce poverty by locking together high-quality applied research and practical policy advice.The views presented here are those of the speaker, and do not necessarily represent the views of ODI or our partners. 111 Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7JD T: +44 207 9220 300 www.odi.org.uk Initial.surname@odi.org.uk

18. Participation & Transdisciplinarity • Bringing together the different disciplines and expertise • Bringing together different stakeholders with different knowledge systems • Thereby • Going beyond multi- or inter-disciplinary approaches • Helping EAU4Food achieve impacts that are innovative, sustainable, and at-scale

19. Multi-disciplinary Inter-disciplinary Trans-disciplinary

20. Benefits of having LPAs For LPA members • Breaking down knowledge barriers between different organisations and disciplines, enabling stakeholders to see things from different angles • Empowering government officials at lower level to voice their concerns and opinions to higher levels • Creating ownership of the results • Creating capacity to conduct research and analyse data • Crating an understanding of the importance of evidence for planning and policy making “Now I have come to believe that we can influence decision making (on sustainability) at regional level if we provide strong evidence. This is a new way of thinking I have developed in the LPA”

21. Benefits of having LPAs To the project • Research results are considered credible and legitimate, by using LPA as validation mechanism • LPAs create a mechanism for scaling out and up of research recommendation • LPAs foster uptake of research results into policy and practice • LPAs enable access of researchers to policy makers • LPAs can give a project more clout & visibility • LPAs promote collaboration and learning across work-packages

22. Benefits of having LPAs For policy and practice • LPAs make uptake easier as results are presented in an understandable form, providing space for questions and debate • Policy makers / practitioners are be confronted results to which they have to react • LPAs can be a platform to hold policy makers & NGOs to account • LPAs can support the willingness of policy makers / practitioners to innovate / experiment