Review
The review team's findings on the RIU Asia projects
There are 13 projects in Asia, with a diverse portfolio: seeds, markets, micro-credit, etc.
The review team considered whether all these projects will have impact at scale and generate lessons. They found that some will not deliver impact on the scale needed. Some are good, but there are no mechanisms in place to build lessons on research into use.
The projects have no way to share experiences; there is no mechanism for them to interact. The major challenge is that there are too many projects: some need to be dropped, others modified.
The projects need mentoring support and need a research plan to draw out the lessons
In Asia there is no equivalent of country coordinators as in Africa. There is a need to find way to cluster the projects and mentor them. Need slightly different approach to Africa.
Comments
Asia is more advanced than Africa in some areas e.g. aquaculture: Malawi has a fish farming platform.
Q: Is there an opportunity for synergy, to benefit from the Asian experience?
A: South-south learning is a big theme but we need to find a way to operationalize it. Is there added value in bringing the two together? A challenge for the CRT is to look into modes and mechanisms for cross-country and cross-regional learning.
The 13 projects need repackaging by research into research into use questions. There are currently three distinct experiments going on:
The aim is to keep the projects, but to add an 'intellectual overlay': proactive research into processes with research fellow allocated to different research clusters answering specific research into use questions.
There are a number of clustering opportunities e.g.
Rasheed Sulaiman
Lead for Asia programme
rasheed.sulaiman@researchintouse.com
The review team's findings on the RIU Asia projects
There are 13 projects in Asia, with a diverse portfolio: seeds, markets, micro-credit, etc.
The review team considered whether all these projects will have impact at scale and generate lessons. They found that some will not deliver impact on the scale needed. Some are good, but there are no mechanisms in place to build lessons on research into use.
The projects have no way to share experiences; there is no mechanism for them to interact. The major challenge is that there are too many projects: some need to be dropped, others modified.
The projects need mentoring support and need a research plan to draw out the lessons
In Asia there is no equivalent of country coordinators as in Africa. There is a need to find way to cluster the projects and mentor them. Need slightly different approach to Africa.
Comments
Asia is more advanced than Africa in some areas e.g. aquaculture: Malawi has a fish farming platform.
Q: Is there an opportunity for synergy, to benefit from the Asian experience?
A: South-south learning is a big theme but we need to find a way to operationalize it. Is there added value in bringing the two together? A challenge for the CRT is to look into modes and mechanisms for cross-country and cross-regional learning.
The 13 projects need repackaging by research into research into use questions. There are currently three distinct experiments going on:
- taking forward participatory varietal selection
- how to put research into use to support development of value chains
- how to put NR management research into use
The aim is to keep the projects, but to add an 'intellectual overlay': proactive research into processes with research fellow allocated to different research clusters answering specific research into use questions.
There are a number of clustering opportunities e.g.
- innovation platforms - whole set of questions around this
- PPPs - how to organize these to put research into use in a pro-poor way
Rasheed Sulaiman
Lead for Asia programme
rasheed.sulaiman@researchintouse.com
| Rasheed Sulaiman V, RIU Research Fellow. November 2010 (03:27) |  |
External resources
