FARA Reports
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Item AIRTEA agribusiness and private sector training workshop: Consultancy to test Agribusiness Learning Alliances (ABLA) proof of concept towards enhancing the economic value derived from innovation platforms(FARA, 2024-06) Buruchara, RobinFARA held a three-day agribusiness workshop in Nairobi with 33 participants from the consortium, third-party projects, IP facilitators and private-sector partners. It combined two days of agribusiness training to support ABLAs with a one-day business consultative forum on mentorship and innovative financing for agricultural research businesses, and engaged projects in identifying women and youth to train as business development support personnel. Sessions covered the IP concept and its gaps, agribusiness opportunities, gap analysis and action planning per project, and a synthesis of a FARA learning event. Conclusions ask digital extension projects (TPP004, TPP007 and TPP009) to extend services to more IPs, and call for a central support platform for IP leaders, simpler training materials, direct market links, reporting of unexpected outcomes, and FARA–ASARECA action plans and tools to assess IP functionality and maturity.Item AIRTEA Project Implementation Plan(FARA, 2021-08) ASARECA, EAFF, FARAThe Project Implementation Plan sets out how the consortium and its stakeholders, including the OACPS and the EU, will deliver AIRTEA's objective of sustainable agrarian livelihoods and rural transformation in East Africa through inclusive research and innovation. It restates the project's theory of change: a research–policy interface creating a conducive policy environment for knowledge exchange, technology transfer and business development. The plan gives an indicative half-yearly work plan for Year 1 and a work plan for the following years, organized by task and activity across the four work packages: institutionalizing innovation platforms and virtual research–user platforms (WP1); collective learning and capacity development of women and youth as advisory service providers (WP2); Agribusiness Learning Alliances and agribusiness incubation (WP3); and partnerships, governance, calls for proposals, communication and M&E (WP4). Each activity names its implementing body and timing.Item Final report on Agribusiness Learning Alliances workshop: Feedback and recommendations from stakeholders(FARA, 2024-03) Buruchara, RobinAIRTEA found that private-sector involvement in its innovation platforms was weak, and adopted the Agribusiness Learning Alliance (ABLA) approach to co-create business solutions and strengthen entrepreneurship in third-party projects. This report consolidates stakeholder feedback from three activities used to build an ABLA proof of concept: a brainstorming meeting in Accra (28–29 August 2023), a baseline assessment of AIRTEA projects, and the Agribusiness and Private Sector Engagement training workshop (17–19 October 2023). It traces the approach to FARA's IAR4D concept and PABRA's demand-led bean model. Consolidated recommendations call for a stronger commercial focus with off-takers and financiers, business-skills training, structured knowledge exchange, strategic partnerships, an M&E framework built on the baseline, policy advocacy for private-sector engagement, support tailored to IP maturity, stakeholder mapping, clearer governance, and incentives for commercialization.