CTA has provided long term leadership in an international programme on Conversion of Science – System of Innovation (CoS-SIS) that supported the use of Agricultural Innovation System approaches in ACP countries, and in Benin, Ghana and Mali, in particular, through selected national researchers receiving training and mentorship from Wageningen University (WUR) and UNU-MERIT Maastricht. CTA and WUR decided to organize an expert consultation on the results of the programme anticipating the end of its second phase in December 2013.

 

The CoS-SIS programme was developed as a partnership between universities in West Africa and the Netherlands (WUR) since 2002  and CTA wanted to obtain external experts opinion on the value of IS approaches in considering its future investments in R&D for the benefit of smallholder farmers.

 

The consultation mobilized a group of fifteen experts including Harry Palmier from the GFAR Secretariat, in addition to  members of the CoS-SIS programme.  

 

The experts peer-reviewed the results presented by national scientists involved in the programme, and discussed the value of the Innovation System (IS) approach as the Programme Theory of Change. The concept of IS used by CTA and WUR is similar to the one adopted now by most of AR4D actors which was discussed at the International Seminar on Agricultural Innovation Systems organized by the World Bank 30 May-1 June 2012, in Washington, to which GFAR also participated.

 

The Consultation  built  on the  introductory remarks from DGIS[i] which largely funded the CoS-SIS programme, and  highlighted that IS approaches should be assessed  against concrete results along value chains, putting technology into use for increasing national capacities, farmers access to credit, better institutions, research and advisory services linkages to markets, and  improving people livelihoods. There was agreement on the Programme value addition  which has provided African scientists sound knowledge on markets functioning and agricultural innovation processes e.g. the need for effective partnerships among diverse actors mobilizing diverse skills and knowledge in an enabling environment, the importance of good policies etc....

 

The  Innovation Platforms developed by the SSA-CP were presented as an efficient model of integration for sustainable production increase with substantive results in improving small farmers livelihoods.

 

The merit of  the CoS-SIS programme and its IS approach was recognized though the definition and boundaries of IS can still be debated. It was submitted that IS approaches are much more complex than building scientific capacity in markets analysis and ensuring the production and access to appropriate knowledge and technology by farmers and that future CTA interventions should pay more attention to social power relations and economical constraints faced by small farmers.

 

The CoS-SIS programme will come to an end (June 2013 for PhDs training, and December for field activities), CTA will issue a revised paper to present the results of the Programme and make plans  to co-organize with FARA and CORAF/WECARD an ad hoc meeting to discuss a possible CoS-SIS third phase.

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