LIVES research framework

LIVES Research Framework

Berhanu Gebremedhin

LIVES Research Planning Workshop

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 26-28 March 2013

Presentation Outline• LIVES research objective and research statement

• The research impact pathway

• LIVES action-oriented research approach and process

• The types of research, research areas and outputs

• Research partnership and implementation

• Role of graduate students

• Promotion of R4D outputs

LIVES Research Objective

• To generate knowledge through action-oriented research and synthesis of results/lessons learnt about value-chain development

LIVES Research Statement• Research in the LIVES project will be conducted

on priority research topics for each commodity in relation with:– value chain stages, – input supply and service provision support functions, – value chain institutional environment, and– cross cutting issues of gender, knowledge management

and capacity building, food safety and the environment

• Aimed at generating and synthesizing knowledge to scale out and up best practices in market oriented agricultural development.

The Research Impact PathwayResources

(Staff time, finance, equipment/materials, transportation etc.)

Activities(Problem identification,

research design, implementation,

evaluation)

Outputs (technologies, institutional/

Organizational/policy recommendations,

publications, briefs etc.)

Outcomes (Research

outputs are taken up/adopted by intended users)

Impact (economic,

social and environ-mental changes)

Technology generation

Lab-based On-station On-farm

Experimental (controlled setting)

Technology application Organizational issues Institutional issues

Diagnostic research Action research Impact research

Developmental (uncontrolled setting)

Focus

Methods

LIVES Action-oriented Research Approach

The Types of Research• Diagnostic

– Research conducted to identify, describe, quantify value chain constraints and opportunities, and technological, organizational and institutional intervention requirements

• Action Research– Research aimed at generating qualitative and quantitative

knowledge on the development process and performance of a single or combination of interventions, which can be used to modify the interventions, and/or identify context specific adoption factors that can be used to scale out/up best practices

• Impact research– Research aimed at generating qualitative and quantitative

knowledge on the impact of interventions on economic, social and environmental conditions of farm households.

LIVES Action-oriented research Process

• Priority setting and targeting within target areas to best address needs and opportunities

• Identifying and piloting technology and other interventions to improve productivity and market performance

• Outcome and impact assessment to evaluate the benefits emanating from project investments

• Analysis of innovation processes to better refine and design capacity building and scaling out of activities

• Complementing this action-oriented research will be the RBME&L framework from which the strategic lessons will be learnt about the processes and innovations

Research Focus •Action-oriented research will be required:

• how to improve productivity and • How to strengthen the functioning of value chains and

associated business development services,

• Hence both technical and socio-economics research

• Research on the gender implications of the different value chains, technologies, and organizational and institutional innovations

• Research on the environmental implications of value chain development

Research Areas

• Input supply and services– Input supply– Credit

• Extension– Knowledge management– Capacity building– Market information and linkages

• Production– Production technologies– Production management– Production systems

Research Areas (2)• Post harvest handling, processing and

marketing– Post harvest handling and management

– Processing – Marketing and distribution

– Consumption and food safety

• Cross cutting issues– Gender in market oriented development

– Environmental implications of market oriented development

Research partnership• Collaborative research between LIVES, IWMI,

ILRI programs, ICARDA, EIAR, RARIs, and universities

• Joint supervision of graduate students (MSc/MA).

• Collaborative research expected to contribute to building capacity within the knowledge systems of the regions– strengthened capacity of Ethiopian researchers and research

institutions – promote results to policy makers, implementers, farmers and

investors.

Project Manager

Research Coordinator

Research Officer

RBM&E Expert

Regional Coordinators

(Livestock & Irrigation Experts/Coordinators)

LIVES Scientists

(ILRI, IWMI)

Zonal Coordinators

Research Assistants

Database Analyst

GIS Analyst

Research Implementation- LIVES Structure

Research Implementation

• Research team by commodity composed of– National coordinator(s)– RARI Scientists – LIVES HQ Scientists– IWMI Scientists– LIVES regional expert– LIVES research assistant– ILRI/ICARDA Scientists

Overall implementation frameworkResearch Partners

Role Dairy Beef Shoats Poultry Apiculture

Irrigated ag.

Cross-cutting issues

National Coordination

Methods, syntheses , backstopping

Implementation-Tigray

Implementation, analysis, write-up

XX X X XX XX XX

Implementation-Amhara


XXX XX X XX X XXX XXX

Implementation-Oromia


XX X XX XX XX XXX XXX

Implementation-SNNPR


X X XX XX XX

Role of Graduate Students• A key component of capacity building is the

strengthening of adaptive research through graduate training• 100 students fully sponsored for tuition and Theses

• 100 students supported for theses only

• Selection criteria to identify suitable candidates

• Research topics fit into LIVES research priorities

• Ensure Gender balance• Joint supervision of students

Research Outputs• Working papers- series• Electronic publications• Book chapters and Conference proceedings• Case studies and syntheses papers• Manuals and guides• Journal articles• Briefs and leaflets• TV and Radio programs• Videos

CIDA

PROJECT STEERING COMMITTEE(PSC)

PROJECT COORDINATING TEAM(PCT)

REGIONAL PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION

COMMITTEES (4) (RPIC)

Project Committees (that will facilitate promotion of R4D outputs)

Promotion of Research Outputs

• Briefings to policy/decision makers• National and Regional conferences• Technical support to our national/regional

partners for strategy/policy/curriculum development

• International conferences• LIVES Website• Ethiopian Agricultural Portal• Published hard copy materials• Mass media programs• Videos

THANK YOU!!