CDAIS (2015-2019)

Capacity Development for Agricultural Innovation Systems

Location(s):

Angola, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Honduras, Laos and Rwanda

Linked to iCRA service(s):

Organisational Strengthening and Agribusiness Coaching


Many initiatives promoting agricultural innovation focus on immediate results, training of individuals and the transfer of technical skills; and insufficiently emphasis organizational capabilities and the skills required to shape the enabling environment driving agricultural innovation.

Such skills for example include the capacity to collaborate, to reflect and learn, and to engage in strategic and political processes. The CDAIS project was launched to address and promote these elements in eight pilot countries – Angola, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Honduras, Laos and Rwanda. The ultimate goal of the project is to make agricultural innovation systems more efficient in meeting the demands of farmers, agribusiness and consumers.

In 2016, CDAIS initiated an assessment process to identify the specific needs of 38 value chains and innovation partnerships across the eight countries. These assessments analysed the degree to which different actors in each value chain functioned as effective partners, leading to a tailor made capacity development programme for each partnership. CDAIS brings the key actors in these partnerships together to address identified challenges and opportunities. Jointly the actors develop capacity development- and implementation plans for their innovation partnerships.

The project is coordinated by iCRA on behalf of Agrinatura, which is implementing the project in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) with financial support from the European Union Commission for International Cooperation and Development. iCRA is responsible for project implementation in Ethiopia and Guatemala. More specifically, we train and coach the national innovation facilitators and leading organizations of these countries in collaborative and reflective leadership.


iCRA presents: CDAIS Stories of Change – Chickpeas in Ethiopia

Partners:

Agrinatura and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) – with funding from the European Union Commission for International Cooperation and Development

Keywords:

Innovation, Agribusiness, Knowledge Sharing, Partnerships


CDAIS recently published a series of practical working documents regarding “Innovation Niche partnerships”

These publications were made possible with the support of Agrinatura and the FAO.

More information about the CDAIS project can be found here


This project is an example of icra’s work on Organisational Strengthening and Agribusiness Coaching.
To find out more about iCRA services click here.

Another example of icra’s work combining ‘Organisational Strengthening’ and ‘Agribusiness Coaching’ is: