Africa RISING Archives - Page 2 of 3

Africa RISING guidelines for capturing gender-sensitive stories in agricultural research and development

Gender-sensitive story writing is not only a professional and ethical aspiration but it can also improve development efforts and co-create more gender-balanced and inclusive societies.

Picture of an extension agent talks to farmers during one of the self-organized field days in Babati District. Photo credit: Job Kihara/CIAT.

Africa RISING success story: Empowering agricultural extension agents to deliver improved farming technologies

Why aren’t agricultural innovations and technologies that could improve livelihoods not quickly adopted by smallholder farmers? Various arguments have been made to explain the problem on a technology-by-technology basis, but few assess the role played by agricultural extension.

Picture of Aaron and Mavis Mumba with their two children in front of their house. Photo: Simon Mudenda, CIP.

Africa RISING success story

Farmer finds a sweet spot producing orange-fleshed sweet potato vines and roots during the dry season in Zambia.

Picture of Hon Dr Charles Tizeba, Tanzania’s Minister for Agriculture Livestock and Fisheries (far left), when he visited the Africa RISING Project farmer demonstration site at Kigugu Irrigation Scheme in Mvomero District.

Tanzanian Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries cites Africa RISING-NAFAKA project scaling model

The Africa RISING-NAFAKA project’s model for scaling and disseminating improved technologies has been lauded as “exemplary” and the kind of approach needed to ensure sustainability of improved agricultural interventions for farmers said Tanzania’s Minister of Agriculture Livestock and Fisheries, Hon Dr Charles Tizeba. The Minister made the remarks during his visit to the Africa RISING-NAFAKA…

Picture of Africa RISING – NAFAKA project partners pose for a group photo during the end-of-phase meeting. Photo by Gloriana Ndibalema, IITA.

Africa RISING–NAFAKA Project legacy under the lens as partners meet for end-of-phase one review meeting

On 3-4 July 2017, partners involved in the Africa RISING-NAFAKA project implementation came together to review achievements made during a largely successful run of the project’s initial 3-year phase. Partners present at the meeting reported on the milestones made on key intervention areas of the project like the introduction of improved crop varieties, good agricultural…

Picture of Africa RISING management team delegation in Zambia during a visit to Good Nature Seed Ltd.

Africa RISING management completes monitoring visits to project sites in East and Southern Africa

The leadership team of the IITA-led Africa RISING project in East and Southern Africa recently concluded monitoring visits to project sites in Malawi, Zambia, and Tanzania to assess the status and progress of implementation of various project activities by partners. These took place between 15 and 22 February in Malawi and Zambia, and 21 and 31 March in Tanzania

Participants at the Africa RISING science for impact event in Dar es Salaam.

Africa RISING partners kick off phase 2 with a science for impact event

Approximately 80 people representing different organizations and a diverse group of partners in agricultural research and development gathered in Dar es Salaam to participate in the Africa RISING science for impact event. The 17–19 January meeting also doubled up as a launch event for a second 5-year phase of the USAID-funded Africa RISING program. The…

Picture of Irmgard Hoeschle-Zeledon, Manager Africa RISING East/Southern Africa and West Africa projects.

Africa RISING partners kick off phase 2 with a science for impact event – Long version

Connecting the research-in-development dots and investing in dynamic scaling pathways – main themes of discussion as Africa RISING partners kick off phase2 with a science for impact event Approximately 80 people representing different organizations and a diverse group of partners in agricultural research and development gathered in Dar es Salaam to participate in the Africa…

Picture of Participants who took part in the Africa RISING training on farming systems research design

Twice smarter for phase 2: Africa RISING partners pore over farming systems research design

“There aren’t any “grab and go recipes” in participatory farming systems research design. It can only benefit from iterative improvements with time and we get better at it.” This was according to the participants at the end of a recent training on farming systems research design for Africa RISING scientists held 3 to 4 October…

Picture of Matilda Msangila, a farmer in Mahutanga Village, Kilombero District, Tanzania, harvests salt tolerant rice variety from her paddy field

Boosting smallholder farmers’ access to sustainable agricultural technologies as USAID announces $50 million Africa RISING Phase 2

The US Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Bureau for Food Security in Washington, DC has announced funding for a second 5-year phase of the Africa Research in Sustainable Intensification for the Next Generation (Africa RISING) program beginning October 2016. Funded through the agency’s Feed the Future initiative, the second phase of Africa RISING will focus…