Enabling poor rural people to overcome poverty IFAD’s approach to developing knowledge systems in agriculture Mohamed Béavogui

Outline 1.Why agriculture and rural development requires Knowledge Management strategies 2.IFAD response to the challenge: Knowledge Management & Innovation 1.Knowledge Management in Agriculture 2.Examples of IFAD experience 3.Solid Knowledge Management & Innovation requires strategic partnerships 4.Conclusion and questions to be addressed

Why Knowledge Management? (2)  Knowledge is needed to improve development effectiveness: IFIs and partners active in the agricultural and rural sectors need to learn systematically and collectively from: -their own programmes; -the experience of their partners; -rural poor people and their organizations …to deliver high quality services and to find new ways to overcome poverty and influence policies

Why Knowledge Management?  Knowledge is needed to understand and adapt to a rapidly changing environment in agriculture:  Liberalization and globalization with opportunities and threats related to market access (agri- and supermarket industry), ICT…  World agriculture transformation: biotech., biofuels, climate change, natural resources depletion vs. more sustainable practices (conservation agriculture, organic farming)  Transformations in rural development and poverty: feminization of agriculture, HIV/AIDS, migration/remittances, unemployed youth

Knowledge management and innovation at IFAD IFAD’s new (2007) KM strategy has four strategic components: (i) Strengthening knowledge-sharing and learning processes; (ii) Supportive knowledge-sharing and learning infrastructure; (iii) Fostering partnerships for broader knowledge-sharing and learning; (iv) Promoting a supportive knowledge-sharing and learning culture

Knowledge management and innovation at IFAD (2) Retooling the project cycle to integrate KM throughout; Testing a knowledge-based policy development process; Scaling up of specific local learning activities Regional networks Thematic networks Learning events - policy seminars, round-table conferences, Farmers’ Forum, informal seminars and workshops, etc.

Knowledge management and innovation at IFAD (3) Strong IT including KM platforms such as: -the Rural Poverty Portal, a web-based KM tool -FIDAfrique – a network devoted to facilitating exchange of knowledge & information and dissemination of innovation among IFAD/PA’s project community and partners ( Sound information management Specific KM tools for collaboration

Scouting and sharing innovation to improve livelihoods IFAD’s new (2007) Innovation Strategy fosters: Institutional mapping- Identification of key local/regional institutions and networks promoting agricultural innovation Scouting, harvesting & recording promising innovations with high potential impact on poor smallholder livelihoods Sharing innovations- database, website & FidAfrique; national and regional innovation workshops; M&E Development of an innovation sharing mechanism to up-scale & replicate innovations and to facilitate systematic incorporation of innovation

An example: Niger – Aguié Promotion of Local Initiatives Project IFAD operations in Maradi have focused on: valuing local knowledge stimulating pro-poor innovation in agricultural, social, organizational and economic areas Action-research-training methodology aims at creating equal relationships between stakeholders through 3 steps: (i)identifying and recognizing local innovations (ii)selecting the innovations that are relevant and accessible (iii)conducting joint trials & demonstrations and upscaling them Knowledge sharing among neighbouring villages and creating synergies between local knowledge and scientific knowledge

Partnerships for knowledge management and innovation Long-term collaborative frameworks Systematic methods to benefit from the insights and experience of peers Tools to find others in other organizations who have the knowledge and expertise for a particular task or project Four strategic KM partnerships with selected partners: one CGIAR centre (IFPRI) one development agency tripartite collaboration with FAO and WFP a network of stakeholder institutions (for example, NGOs, farmers’ organizations, rural microfinance institutions)

An example of a learning partnership: Burkina Faso – PICOFA action-research

Conclusion and questions to be addressed Conclusion - Harmonisation and alignment agenda provides momentum New aid architecture provides for multiple, more flexible types of interventions, better adapted to rapid changes Exciting developments in agriculture make knowledge ever more precious, KM ever more important Questions - Whilst conventional projects can be laboratories for innova- tion, how to maximise their impact on system-building? How to link agricultural knowledge systems with pro-poor service delivery systems? How to embed KM within challenging operations such as value chain market linkage development?