In 2013, AFAAS and European Union (EU) have signed a grant agreement for 4 years (2013- 2017) MDTF II Project. The objective of this Project is to reform and strengthen Agricultural Advisory Services (AAS) in accordance with the Framework for African Agricultural Productivity (FAAP) principles towards increasing agricultural productivity and food security.
The project consists of the following parts:
1- Support to Country AAS for engagement in CAADP Pillar IV
Carrying out a program aimed at supporting all AAS stakeholders guided by the FAAP principles in their engagement in the implementation of the CAADP Pillar IV in their various countries, including:
A. Establishment and strengthening country For a (CFs) through:
- Supporting existing CFs in developing and implementing their strategic plans, and supporting the emergence of new CF through the provision of technical support and guidance;
- Preparing guidelines for- and providing training/ coaching to – national level actors for their engagement in CAADP activities with a view to supporting the national roundtable processes and the development national Compacts;
- Providing human resource development support for advisors and farmers in all AFAAS activities and supporting related strategic planning processes at country level through mentoring and coaching; and
- Providing sub-grants, through Host Institutions, to Beneficiaries to support AAS innovation activities, these activities to include without limitation, testing, adapting and piloting of innovation and technologies; scaling up and out innovations from research ; capacity strengthening of AAS ; studies on climate change and gender; holding joint conferences and workshops; conducting action research in AAS (Innovation Sub-projects).
B. Supporting regional and continental collaboration in AAS through:
- Developing and implementing an information and communication management strategy including: the maintenance and update of the AFAAS website, the management of the virtual social networking platform, the production of regular newsletters, and the design and implementation of a system for financing collaborative innovative projects;
- Developing criteria for country-level public or private institutions to become centres of advisory service (CAS), and building such centres’ capacity through the provision of start-up Sub-grants, said projects to include, without limitation, supporting food security policy dialogues, producing briefs, piloting and adaption of market orientation and climate change, financing advisory services through proposal development, scaling up and out ICT tools, farmers/advisor education through training and networking (CAS Sub-projects) and the development of training modules;
- Engagement in the design of CAADP Pillar IV implementation structures at continental level, and developing a supplement to the FAAP document; and
- Developing a partnership strategy covering institutions that support AAS at the sub-regional, continental and world level including the carrying out of partnership development workshops and the provision of Sub-grants to Beneficiaries for Sub-projects.
2- AFAAS Governance, Management and Secretariat Activities
Strengthening AFAAS Secretariat’s governance and administration systems, including updating its manuals, recruiting staff required for its efficient functionning ; developing and maintaining a monitoring and evaluation system ; carrying out syntheses and strategic studies, and developing and maintaining a database AAS in Africa.