During the "Proposal sharing events", held on Thursday, the following key points were discussed, according to person who headed each room and project title.
RODOLFO OSÓRIO DE OLIVEIRA
1. LAC-Brazil: Cryopreservation technology applicable to the Peanapple Germplasm Collection using droplet vitrification of apices for long-term conservation and safety duplication
2. Africa-Brazil: Identification of broad resistance sources to anthracnose and rust in common bean and resistance gene tagging using SNP markers
3. Africa-Brazil: Species identification of root-knot nematodes (RKN) through improved diagnostic techniques aimed at durable resistance in vegetables grown in peri-urban systems in Africa;
4. Africa-Brazil: Generation of virus resistant cowpea.
The sessions were focused in two topics:
- Knowledge sharing between professionals and proposal teams with similar interests (technical and technological aspects).
- Lessons that can be learned about proposal elaboration and approval.
Main outcomes for proposal approval success:
- To put oneself in the board review’s shoes: to be able to prepare a proposal that can be read and understood by people with different background.
- To work with a product or theme of broad and great interest from Africa or Latinamerican countries. The third and fourth proposals were not approved at the first Marketplace round. The third one changed the original focus in Jatropha to Cowpea bean, a important food staple for a lot of African countries.
- Write concise and clear objectives. Not clear objective was one of the reasons the fourth proposal was not approved at the first round. The objectives must show exactly what actions are to be implemented.
- The importance of broaden partnership, accordingly the challenges the future project can go through. One of the objectives of the fourth project is to develop two virus free cowpea varieties. For that reason the Ministry of Environment of Nigeria was invited to participate, foreseeing potential constraints related to commercial use of GMO material.
- Proposals tied to larger projects are more likely to be approved. One of the reasons for the third project approval on the second round was the link with a larger and ongoing project. Be part of a broader project, already ongoing and with financial support increases the chance of approval.
- Proposals must not promise to deliver more than it can. The expected results must be consistent with objectives, resources and time available.
FLORA ISMAIL
1. LAC-Brazil: Thermoterapy chamber: A rapid and eco-efficient method for cleaning and massive propagation of cassava and plantain seeds
2. Africa-Brazil: Improving Livelihoods of smallholders through implementation of sustainable small ruminant improvement programs
3. Africa-Brazil: Characterization conservation and domestication of indigenous edible and medicinal mushrooms on agricultural residues;
4. Comprehensive Molecular Genetic
Characterisation conservation among West and Brazil locally adapted Poultry
breeds: creation of a basis for germplasm exchange.
1.
·
The temperature levels of the
chambers in relation to the temperature limit for the cassava stakes was
queried.
·
It was suggested that the
researchers should consider the role of nurseries where small farmers are able
to use an IPM package after receiving clean seed to ensure no recontamination
occurs,
·
To ensure clean stakes are
maintained in nurseries it was advised that other players can be involved to
take various roles including certification and the model used for potato was
suggested as one that could be emulated.
2.
·
Prior knowledge of the
institutions facilitated the ease of the proposal. Furthermore competence built
in another capacity building initiative (AWARD) benefit the African partner
with regards skills of developing and writing the proposal.
·
It was suggested that
genotyping of the samples could be done in California where other EMBRAPA teams
had close contact with and good results. The researchers preferred to maintain
their choice of this activity which is the International consortium.
·
The benefits for Brazil were
pointed out to be the added knowledge whereby a modern approach is combined
with traditional practises to influence management.
·
The project is expected to
inform the breeding programme.
3.
·
The partners met through CGIAR
introducing the African partner to EMBRAPA Headquarters who linked her with the
correct EMBRAPA station.
·
The ease of transfer of the
technology to farmers was queried due to its high requirement for sanitisation.
Furthermore the previous ineffectiveness of the technology tested in Ghana was
questioned.
·
The choice of agricultural
waste was considered advantageous.
·
The possibility of transfer of
species/ germplasm was also discussed.
4.
·
The contribution to economy of
local breeds and/ or dependency of the same to warrant conservation was
questioned.
·
It was questioned if the
project intended to improve the productivity of the local breeds and ensure
marketing for the same.
·
It was elaborated that the
potential for local breeds exists in niche markets that can be exploited.
ADEWALE ADEKUNLE
1. LAC-Brazil: Plant Health through soil health management: boosting soils for increasing plant defenses and suppressiveness to reduce losses caused by Fusarium wilt on bananas
Miguel Angel Dita Rodriguez (Costa Rica), Fernando Haddad (Embrapa Mandioca Fruticultura) ID 174
2. Africa-Brazil: Application of DNA-markers for development of drought tolerant potato germplasm
Key issues discussed were:
- A meeting before the forum helped on
the development of the proposals
- Although we failed at first, we did
not give up, but made ajustments and were successful at second submission.
- A lot of useful advices regarding
the methodology for implementing the project, including issues of phenotyping
for drought toleration, was given and will be considered by the implementers.
- Integration of different techniques
- Toolbox of practices based on
agrobiodiversity to reduce losses caused by the disease.
- Parallel work on Costa Rica,
Nicaragua and Brazil
- On-farm participatory research
- Scaling up by using MusaLAC network
- The project is linked to regional
initiatives with plant health and with quarantine organizations.
SIMONE STAIGER
1. Africa-Brazil: Participatory evaluation and promotion of improved pepper cultivars (capsicxum spp) among smallholder farmers
2. Africa-Brazil: Enhancing Rice and maize Production by small holders using bacteria-plant extract biopesticide3. Africa-Brazil: Comprehensive Molecular Genetic Characterization among West Africa and Brazil Locally adapted Poultry Breeds: Creation of a basis for germplasm exchange;
4. Africa-Brazil: Swine improvement in Ethiopia through genetic and socio-economic characterization and development of a production system;
5. Africa-Brazil: Evaluation of anti-tick vaccine technology for adoption in strategic control of ticks and tick-born diseases in Uganda.
Key points discussed were:
· - The proposal development process is a learning curve. As you advance you learn from each other and improve.
· - Communication is key. Put your partner in copy, reply in a reasonable amount of time
· The web system works better now. One problem is the maximum number of words allowed, obliges to shrink the proposals a lot. In addition it looks like the system accepts full length but then, once submitted only a portion appears.
· - We receive lots of support from the Brazilian partners, which is great
· - The contract information came in too late before the meeting, when we already had started our trip to Brazil
· - The process of announcing the winning proposals is confusing. We should receive an email saying that our proposal was / or was not accepted, together with the invitation to the meeting.
· - The timeline that is announced on the website is not followed.
· - These projects are a great opportunity to link to local partners and communities, it is more than a two-way partnership
· - However it should be possible to involve other partners / countries formally
· - Embrapa should spend more time on deciding who is partnering with LAC or Africans
· - Embrapa should send a letter to chief executives of the organizations specifying the purpose of this money.
· - Scientific results are important (also difficult to achieve in 2 years). Most important is the relationship building that opens doors for long term collaboration.
· - Don’t hesitate to put forward all your questions to Embrapa (i.e. Paulo Duarte) but put your partner always in copy.
· - Try to build multidisciplinary teams around your proposal including for example socio economists
· - Next time you could have poster sessions with results.
HECTOR MEDINA
1. Africa-Brazil: Swidden systems for Poverty Alleviation and Provision of Environmental Services
2. Africa-Brazil: Facilitating local level dairy innovation platforms for smallholder farmers
3. Africa-Brazil: Enhancing Cowpea production and nutrition through developing drought tolerant and high protein lines;
4. Africa-Brazil: Nutritional properties and health functionality of wholegrain millet sourdoughs.
Recommendations of project implementers to the managers of new approved projects:
- Get to know your partner and build trust with him/her
- Communicate continuously and for every aspect with your partner
- Be patient
- Take in to account the gender aspect to implement projects in Africa and also in LAC
- Take in to account prices of inputs of the project and prices of travel. Be aware of exchange rate changes.
- Take into account the pro
- Take into account the language barriers specially in villages where people do not speak the official language (include in your team people that speak the local languages)
- Give special attention to the selection of your stakeholders
- Take a holistic view of your project (look to the entire value chain)
- Plan your exit strategy when the project will not have a second face (be aware of what will be the situation without the project after it is finished)
Recommendations to the Agricultural Innovation MarketPlace Initiative (AIMI):
- Coordinate the datelines of the AIMI with other datelines in Embrapa and other institutions in Africa.
- The process to find a partner from Embrapa by an a partner from Africa has to be improved.
- Make sure that the data that describes the profile of Embrapa researchers is in English.
- The online submission of proposals is good but it has to be more flexible to attach further information and to include graphs or equations.
- In this forums of the AIMI poster of approved project should be presented.
- Notify by email or other means to those whose proposal were not selected for financing.
- Provide more feedback to those proposals that where not approved (they need words rather than numbers)
