Work programme
In addition to the work programme listed below RIU Nigeria noted at the end of the programme a number additional work programme elements:
Activities that were not planned but occurred included:
These programme elements have helped to leverage greater impact, they were part of the flexible approach encouraged by RIU to maximise opportunities that emerged. RIU had discretionary funds available - but these elements usually attracted funding streams for RIU Nigeria.
The development of stakeholders' capacity to sustain linkages and foster synergies amongst themselves was an additional element of the programme.
Changes to the original work plan included:
Several pragmatic changes were made to the original work plan. These constitute significant changes - but this flexibility was part of the reason why RIU Nigeria was successful.
The Aquaculture Innovation Platform was not located in the south west as stated in the country strategy/work plan. Aquaculture is already well developed in that region, so RIU to target the parts of the country where fish farming was in its infancy. They hoped this would make the impact of interventions more observable. .
The decision to relocate the platform from south west to the hinterland was strategic. It enabled greater impact to be achieved and allowed for larger geographical spread. Zonal workshops held at strategic locations brought the programme closer to the people. The realisation that aquaculture is led by private sector effort rather than by the government (as is the case in crop sectors) was capitalised upon by many small-scale entrepreneurs, thereby reflecting the way the platform conducted itself. The high cost of fish feed (70% of total operating costs) was a challenge to all segments of the value chain; addressing this problem generated collective action and sustained the interest of both the private and public sectors in the platform
The emphasis of the cassava platform was shifted from production of high quality cassava flour to production of starch and odourless fufu, This was because the production of high quality cassava flour needs flash dryers and electricity neither of which are not readily available and are too expensive for smallholders.
The RIU Nigeria programme aimed at achieving impact at scale and in the process generating lessons about putting research into use. The main way it did this was through establishing and facilitating innovation platforms.
At RIU Nigeria, until 2011, these experiments will be focused around three main areas: legumes (cowpea and soybean), cassava and aquaculture. Before the mid-term reviewin 2009 RIU Nigeria was also active in livestock.
RIU Nigeria worked through a series of innovation platforms. These were networks of individuals and organisations active in the commodity supply or value chains. By bringing together all the parties they looked at issues which impacted on the sector as a whole. They facilitated meetings to draw out key issues and then used a range of techniques, including networking (creating linkages between people or groups) and brokering solutions. They saw their role as being innovation brokers. In addition they had flexible funds which could be used to build sustainable capacity.
Cowpea/Soybean Innovation Platform
Based in Kano City, platform members are drawn from both Kaduna State and Kano State.
RIU atempted to improve the uptake of dual purpose (human food pulses/animal feed crop residues), medium maturing varieties. Critically, however, these varieties of soybean were resistant to Striga and rust. The work involved linking seed companies with input distributors, farmers, research institutes, Agriculture Development Programmes (ADPs) and lead adopters.
The key challenge of the cowpea sector was identified as storage loss due to weevil infestation. This has economic implications for household producers and marketers as well as health concerns (cases of death due to use of chemicals in cowpea storage has been reported severally).Intervention in this area was widely accepted and brought about a multi-stakeholder inter agency collaboration. Using existing institutions and structures helped to leverage greater impact at scale.
At a policy level the platform is looking at the impact of the importation of cooking oil on the cowpea and soybean sectors.
Cassava Innovation Platform
Hosted in Umuahia, platform members are primarily from Abia State.
The cassava work programme involves networking and linkages between IITA, agricultural development programmes, input distributors, farmers and lead adopters of cassava innovations. This includes facilitating market links involving major starch producing companies and farmers, and product diversification for export.
The RIU Cassava Innovation Platform presented information during the public debate stage of the privately sponsored Cassava Bill at National Assembly.
The platform is facilitated the uptake of cassava mosaic disease-resistant varieties of cassava (a pure white - 419-variety) by supporting commercial out-growers.
The Aquaculture Innovation Platform
Hosted in Abuja platform membership is drawn from the landlocked states adjoining the Federal Capital Territories.
Through the Aquaculture Innovation Platform, RIU will facilitate linkages between input distributors, farmers and lead adopters. They are exploring the uptake of smallholder innovations in fish drying, packaging and marketing. They are tackling the issue of growth hormones and producing a set of good farm management guidelines. The platform will be collaborating with the Federal Department of Fisheries on certification of fish farmers and service providers. A further project will look at the availability of locally produced, high-quality affordable fish feed; working with the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMDRC), National Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research (NIOMR) and National Institute for Freshwater Fisheries Research, and the private sector.
In addition to the work programme listed below RIU Nigeria noted at the end of the programme a number additional work programme elements:
Activities that were not planned but occurred included:
- collaborating with International Society of the Red Cross, the Nigerian Red Cross and the US Embassy on access to certified, high-quality seeds and implements for rural farming families affected by religious war in Bauchi and Plateau states
- collaborating with the office of Abia State First Lady on facilitating access of rural women to CMD-resistant cassava varieties
- building capacity of processors on post harvest value addition and inclusion of a socially excluded group in platform activities.
- development of a microenterprises in the fodder sector
- value addition for cassava into starch and odourless fufu instead of cassava flour
- Nigeria/Sierra Leone collaboration on supply of poultry feeds and brokering of franchise arrangements between Feed Masters Ltd (a member of Cowpea/Soybean Value Chain IP) and NARECO-SL (a member of the PAID IP in Sierra Leone).
These programme elements have helped to leverage greater impact, they were part of the flexible approach encouraged by RIU to maximise opportunities that emerged. RIU had discretionary funds available - but these elements usually attracted funding streams for RIU Nigeria.
The development of stakeholders' capacity to sustain linkages and foster synergies amongst themselves was an additional element of the programme.
Changes to the original work plan included:
Several pragmatic changes were made to the original work plan. These constitute significant changes - but this flexibility was part of the reason why RIU Nigeria was successful.
The Aquaculture Innovation Platform was not located in the south west as stated in the country strategy/work plan. Aquaculture is already well developed in that region, so RIU to target the parts of the country where fish farming was in its infancy. They hoped this would make the impact of interventions more observable. .
The decision to relocate the platform from south west to the hinterland was strategic. It enabled greater impact to be achieved and allowed for larger geographical spread. Zonal workshops held at strategic locations brought the programme closer to the people. The realisation that aquaculture is led by private sector effort rather than by the government (as is the case in crop sectors) was capitalised upon by many small-scale entrepreneurs, thereby reflecting the way the platform conducted itself. The high cost of fish feed (70% of total operating costs) was a challenge to all segments of the value chain; addressing this problem generated collective action and sustained the interest of both the private and public sectors in the platform
The emphasis of the cassava platform was shifted from production of high quality cassava flour to production of starch and odourless fufu, This was because the production of high quality cassava flour needs flash dryers and electricity neither of which are not readily available and are too expensive for smallholders.
The RIU Nigeria programme aimed at achieving impact at scale and in the process generating lessons about putting research into use. The main way it did this was through establishing and facilitating innovation platforms.
At RIU Nigeria, until 2011, these experiments will be focused around three main areas: legumes (cowpea and soybean), cassava and aquaculture. Before the mid-term reviewin 2009 RIU Nigeria was also active in livestock.
RIU Nigeria worked through a series of innovation platforms. These were networks of individuals and organisations active in the commodity supply or value chains. By bringing together all the parties they looked at issues which impacted on the sector as a whole. They facilitated meetings to draw out key issues and then used a range of techniques, including networking (creating linkages between people or groups) and brokering solutions. They saw their role as being innovation brokers. In addition they had flexible funds which could be used to build sustainable capacity.
Cowpea/Soybean Innovation Platform
Based in Kano City, platform members are drawn from both Kaduna State and Kano State.
RIU atempted to improve the uptake of dual purpose (human food pulses/animal feed crop residues), medium maturing varieties. Critically, however, these varieties of soybean were resistant to Striga and rust. The work involved linking seed companies with input distributors, farmers, research institutes, Agriculture Development Programmes (ADPs) and lead adopters.
The key challenge of the cowpea sector was identified as storage loss due to weevil infestation. This has economic implications for household producers and marketers as well as health concerns (cases of death due to use of chemicals in cowpea storage has been reported severally).Intervention in this area was widely accepted and brought about a multi-stakeholder inter agency collaboration. Using existing institutions and structures helped to leverage greater impact at scale.
At a policy level the platform is looking at the impact of the importation of cooking oil on the cowpea and soybean sectors.
Cassava Innovation Platform
Hosted in Umuahia, platform members are primarily from Abia State.
The cassava work programme involves networking and linkages between IITA, agricultural development programmes, input distributors, farmers and lead adopters of cassava innovations. This includes facilitating market links involving major starch producing companies and farmers, and product diversification for export.
The RIU Cassava Innovation Platform presented information during the public debate stage of the privately sponsored Cassava Bill at National Assembly.
The platform is facilitated the uptake of cassava mosaic disease-resistant varieties of cassava (a pure white - 419-variety) by supporting commercial out-growers.
The Aquaculture Innovation Platform
Hosted in Abuja platform membership is drawn from the landlocked states adjoining the Federal Capital Territories.
Through the Aquaculture Innovation Platform, RIU will facilitate linkages between input distributors, farmers and lead adopters. They are exploring the uptake of smallholder innovations in fish drying, packaging and marketing. They are tackling the issue of growth hormones and producing a set of good farm management guidelines. The platform will be collaborating with the Federal Department of Fisheries on certification of fish farmers and service providers. A further project will look at the availability of locally produced, high-quality affordable fish feed; working with the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMDRC), National Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research (NIOMR) and National Institute for Freshwater Fisheries Research, and the private sector.
| Ian Maudlin, RIU Director, introduces Research Into Use, explains its aims and outlines the impacts the programme hopes to achieve. November 2009 (3:55) |  |
Related information
 |
Brokering in practice: The experience of the RIU Malawi Country Programme Author: Maija Hirvonen July 2011 (PDF 2MB) |
