Key themes - progress towards outputs and impact
RIU Best Bets

The new RIU Best Bets programme resulted in five new projects being funded in early 2010, each of which aims to put research products into use through partnerships in which the private sector plays a significant role. The five Best Bet projects funded through the first call, which focused on East, Central and Southern Africa, and their achievements to date are summarised below:

• New approach to control of Striga (a parasitic weed) in western Kenya through use of a novel bio-pesticide that was developed through previous DFID support during the RNRRS
  • StopStriga brand name registered and packaging designed to meet relevant regulations
  • short films on project made by RIUtv and posted on RIU website and a radio story distributed throughout Africa via DFID-supported Agfax service
  • plans for 50 demonstration plots in western Kenya have been made
  • plans underway to link initiative to FIPS-Africa project and Shujaaz (see below)

Improved supply of seed for NERICA rice varieties in Uganda through better linkages between and capacity building for small-scale outgrowers and commercial seed companies
• 3 tonnes of NERICA rice seed produced for distribution to small-scale outgrowers for multiplication to produce certified seed
• extension staff from private seed companies trained to support farmer outgrowers
• training materials for farmers on quality seed production being produced

Improved supply of farm inputs (small packs of seeds and other planting materials of improved varieties; small packs of fertilizer; advise; poultry vaccines) to small-scale farmers in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda
• new districts for FIPS-Africa activities have been identified and recruitment of networks of village-based advisors commenced in Kenya and Tanzania
• on-the-job training of new staff has begun
• shops in some newly targeted districts are now selling improved maize varieties
• a business manager, supported by RIU, has been appointed to help FIP-Africa become more sustainable

Shujaaz: multimedia messaging and entertainment aimed at Kenya youths (monthly comic books, daily FM radio broadcasts, SMS interactivity, website), including agricultural information and story lines
• 500,000 copies of first issue of a monthly comic published and distributed on 27 February 2010 via Daily Nation newspaper and later via Safaricom's Mpesa dealer network
• daily FM radio broadcasts began
• approximately 100 SMSs received daily soon after launch
• GTZ interested in doubling the size of the monthly print run of Shujaaz comic
• a comic strip has been commissioned from Well Told Story to tell the story of how Shujaaz came into being and how RIU became involved in the initiative.

  ShujaazFM - the story so far A comic strip July 2010 (PDF 2MB)


Community-based armyworm forecasting combined with control using a biopesticide that was developed through previous DFID support during the RNRRS
• land has been purchased on which the biopesticide production facility will be built by the private sector partner
• 16 people have received 'training-of-trainers' training in community-based armyworm forecasting in Kenya, and have in turn trained 160 farmers, frontline extension staff and local administration representatives

A second round of Best Bets, focused on West Africa in early 2010, resulted in just two proposals being shortlisted: registration of biopesticides in Ghana; and supply of clean planting material for yams. The first of these builds on experience in Kenya and capacities of the Real IPM Company, which is the lead agency for the Best Bet funded in round one dealing with Striga control using a novel biopesticide. The two shortlisted proposals have been supported to write business plans, which are due for submission in early April 2010.

RIU support to the exemplar Best Bet on sleeping sickness control in Uganda focused on developing long-term sustainability for the Stamp Out Sleeping sickness (SOS) campaign through a public/private partnership designed to create small veterinary businesses. The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Makerere University, Uganda is attempting to do this by creating a new Institute for Strategic Animal Resource Services (AFRISA) linked to (but financially independent of) the university. Part of this new institute's programme is a body designed for in-training community service delivery. The university sees this as a generic mechanism for equipping graduates for a labour market that is no longer satisfied by the supply of traditional university degree-holders. Under this programme veterinary students spend the final year of an undergraduate degree entirely in economically productive activity, producing at the end a project report that is assessed as a key component of the final degree. In the SOS case and in co-operation with a private veterinary company, final year undergraduates participate in block treatment of cattle and ancillary livestock spraying activities. A small number of these undergraduates have been invited to set up as small businesses under the supervision of the private veterinary company.

In January 2010 the latest phase of the SOS campaign took place in the Ugandan districts of Dokolo and Kaberamaido in response to a recent outbreak of sleeping sickness in this area. This involved block treatment of cattle with drugs to eliminate sleeping sickness parasites combined with spraying cattle with insecticide to control tsetse. The intervention was implemented by 41 final-year vet students who were supervised by 14 members of staff. A total of 3014 cattle owners participated and 58,294 cattle were treated.