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Saa Dittoh ([saaditt@gmail.com]) Regis Chikowo ([chikowor@msu.edu]) Nicole Lefore ([n.lefore@cgiar.org]) Marc Schut ([marc.schut@wur.nl]) Annet Mulema ([a.mulema@cgiar.org])

Objective: Develop a strategy for capacity development and organisational change that increases the knowledge, appreciation and use of PAR. This can lead to: - Identifying entry points, potential interventions to increase the use of PAR; - Identifying opportunities to strengthen capacity for PAR; - Improving knowledge on PAR that will generate more support to use PAR.

Target groups: CGIAR centres and CRPs NARS Universities NGOs Donors Private Sector

Vision: Capacity development to support PAR can be seen as a complex system. The assumption is that the current state of that system is suboptimal, and that system innovation is needed to achieve a more optimal state of the system. Capacity development is broader than human resources development or training. It comprises structural elements that determine the ability of the systems to effectively support capacity development ( Klein Woolthuis et al., 2005; Wieczorek and Hekkert, 2012). Klein Woolthuis and colleagues ( 2005) analysed systems imperfections and suggested four key drivers that can enable or constrain innovation in systems: (1) infrastructure and assets; (2) institutions (policies and practices); (3) interaction and collaboration; and (4) capabilities and resources. Table 1 provides examples of these different drivers.

Table 1. Drivers that enable or constrain innovation in systems (based on Klein Woolthuis et al., 2005; van Mierlo et al., 2010; and Wieczorek and Hekkert, 2012)

Dimensions of capacity development	Description
Infrastructure and assets	Knowledge, research and development infrastructure; physical infrastructure including roads, irrigation schemes and agricultural inputs distribution; communication and financial infrastructure.
Institutions	Formal institutions including agricultural policies; laws; regulations; (food) quality standards; agricultural subsidies; Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) structures; organisational mandates; market (access) and trade agreements; informal institutions such as social-cultural norms and values.
Interaction and collaboration	Multi-actor interaction for learning and problem-solving; development and sharing of knowledge and information; public-private partnerships; networks; representative bodies (e.g. farmers association); power-dynamics.
Capabilities and resources	Agricultural entrepreneurship (agripreneurship); labour qualifications; human resources (quality and quantity); education and literacy rates; financial resources.

The drivers that can enable or constrain effective capacity development for PAR are different for different target groups. Table 2 provides examples of how different dimensions of capacity development relate to constraints of different target groups

Table 2. Examples of drivers that constrain capacity development innovation within different target groups.

	Infrastructure and assets	Institutions	Collaboration and interactions	Capabilities and resources
CGIAR	Knowledge gaps on PAR at leadership level	Incentive system for PAR not in place; no M&E for PAR in place; no culture of PAR (no recognition, value)	Limited collaboration between different CGIAR centres results in limited capacity to support farmers holistically	Funds allocated to PAR are scarce; limited human resources and expertise on PAR; general impression that PAR is costly
NARS	Poorly developed physical infrastructure in rural areas (difficult to reach farmers); poor knowledge on PAR	Incentive structure emphasize quantification of training and visitation, not quality/ impact/ change	Limited collaboration and interaction between NARS researchers and extensionists in national agricultural system	Limited resources for extension officers to travel to the field to work with farmers (fuel, means of transport)
Universities	Access to PAR limited, poorly functioning ICT infrastructure to access state of the art information	No culture of PAR; incentive structure based on publication in high impact journals	Limited collaboration and interaction between researchers from different disciplines (an important prerequisite for PAR)	Limited resources for interdisciplinary collaboration; limited human resources and expertise on PAR
Policy-makers	Limited knowledge on PAR	Poor implementation of agricultural policies that support PAR	Lack of collaboration and interaction across different ministries; limited collaboration between national and local governments	Limited resources for collaboration between researchers, extensionists and farmers; limited human resources and expertise on PAR
NGOs	Poorly developed physical infrastructure in rural areas (difficult to reach farmers); poor knowledge on PAR	Emphasis on quantity rather than the quality of researcher-extensionist-farmer interaction; projects are often pre-described with limited space to readjust objectives and activities to farmer demands	Limited collaboration and alignment of activities between NGOs using PAR approaches	Limited funds for conducting PAR; limited human resources and expertise on PAR
Donors	Poor knowledge on added value of PAR and how the impact of PAR can be evaluated	^	Focus on individual projects and their impact, rather than on processes of collaboration, interaction and learning and their impact	Lack of donor funding requirements for PAR, limited expertise on how to evaluate and validate PAR

Also between different target groups, more general enabling or constraining factors can be identified (Table 3).

Table 3. Examples of drivers that constrain capacity development innovation between different actor groups and organisations in the agricultural system.

Infrastructure	Institutions	Collaboration and interactions	Resources
Limited structural investment in physical and knowledge infrastructure that can enhance PAR; absence of a community of practice or communication infrastructure that can facilitate the exchange of PAR experiences	Lack of a coherent vision on the value of PAR across actors and organisations in the agricultural system; lack of an enabling institutional environment for PAR (policies/ PAR as business as usual)	Limited collaboration between actors and organisations in the agricultural system that work on PAR	Limited structural human and financial resource allocation to PAR in the agricultural system

Strategy: The analysis of drivers that enable (when present) and constrain (when absent or malfunctioning) system innovation can provide insight in what types of capacity development innovations within and between different target groups are needed to foster a more enabling environment for PAR.

Participatory needs assessment is required to obtain localised capacity development needs within and between actors and organisations.

Opportunities within the CGIAR

• The CGIAR has developed Community of Practice (CoP) with respect to Capacity Development in general and gender and that offers some opportunities to incorporate capacity development on PAR.
• CoP on Capacity Development has taken a systems approach for strengthening capacity within the CG and with partners. That CoP plans to develop courses for managing and using a systems approach to research, which includes PAR.
• CoP on Gender has been prioritized as a key community within the CGIAR and donors and the Consortium Office are investing in gender research toward demonstrating impact and identifying effective methodologies. As gender research often uses a PAR approach, the PAR CoP could align with the gender research CoP to strengthen PAR capacities.
• A number of CRPs and CGIAR institutions have developed strategies for capacity development on research for/in development. Those to learn from include Aquatic Systems and Humid Tropics, and recent capacity development strategy of ICRAF.

Potential Partners for Capacity Development for PAR There are a number of institutions involved in agricultural research for development and agricultural training who can be good partners in the promotion of PAR. The objectives of most agricultural training institutions as well as national and regional institutions involved in agricultural research for development converge with those of PARADE. There is no doubt that PAR can assist to achieve most the objectives but the people must have that knowledge and understanding; thus the need for capacity development.

The following are key potential partners:

• Faculties of Agriculture in Universities and other higher institutions of learning; in Eastern and Southern Africa, Faculties of Agriculture of 32 universities have formed the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM). RUFORUM is a key potential partner for capacity building for PAR.
• Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) and its associated organizations such as the Association for the Strengthening of Agricultural Research in Eastern and Southern Africa (ASARECA) and the West and Central African Council for Agricultural Development (CORAF/WECARD).
• Association of African Business Schools Agribusiness Consortium (AAC) (www.aagri.net)
• The Asian Partnership for the Development of Human Resources in Rural Asia (Asia DHRRA)
• Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Centre (CATIE) in Turrialba, Costa Rica. This is an international centre of excellence in agricultural and natural resources integrating education, research and innovation for development in Latin America.
• National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS) in developing countries
• The Ministries of Agriculture and associated ministries of developing countries.
• The International Centre for Development Oriented Research in Agriculture (ICRA) in the Netherlands is a potential provider of training courses on PAR related approaches, tools and management
• Lien social et decision (Lisode), based in Montpellier, France is an international capacity development firm that is a good potential partner for PAR capacity development.
• Global Forum for Rural Advisory Services (www.g-fras.org)
• There are several individuals who are good entry points to opportunities for partnerships in Capacity Development for PAR. A number of workshop participants can identify them.

Potential Tools for Capacity Development for PAR

The tools that could be used for capacity development will depend on the target group. The following are some suggested tools for various groups:

Policy makers/Politicians/Donors:

• One-to-one dialogues/dinners
• High level half-day workshops
• Attractive policy briefs/fliers

Researchers/Extension workers/NGOs personnel

• Formal 2-day workshops on PAR
• Syntheses of key concepts from published and unpublished materials on PAR
• Presentation of video case studies.
• Policy briefs

Schools of Agriculture and University staff and students

• Advocacy through “talks” (seminars) for staff and students
• Incorporation of PAR modules into curricula.

References:

Klein Woolthuis, R., Lankhuizen, M., Gilsing, V., 2005. A system failure framework for innovation policy design. Technovation 25, 609-619. van Mierlo, B., Leeuwis, C., Smits, R., Woolthuis, R.K., 2010. Learning towards system innovation: evaluating a systemic instrument. Technological Forecasting and Social Change 77, 318-334. Wieczorek, A.J., Hekkert, M.P., 2012. Systemic instruments for systemic innovation problems: A framework for policy makers and innovation scholars. Sci. Publ. Policy. 39, 74-87.