Unravelling value chains through participatory modelling: part 3

Posted on Tuesday 9 July 2019 by Judy Kimani • Leave a comment

We have been using the participatory system dynamics modelling technique to map out the pig and paddy value chains in Myeik and Palaw townships in southern Myanmar. Through the involvement of value chain actors in group modelling, it became evident that small-scale pig farmers are in effect ‘price takers’, exerting limited influence on the price of live pigs. Continue reading →

Article / Bangladesh / Gender / India / Innovation Systems / Interview / Livelihoods / Livestock / LIVESTOCKCRP / PIL / Research / South Asia / Value Chains

Unravelling value chains through participatory modelling: part 2

Posted on Wednesday 3 July 2019 by Judy Kimani • Leave a comment

The MINI project is investigating how to increase the availability of fruits and vegetables in nutritionally vulnerable markets in Bihar, India. The barriers to this goal are numerous, ranging from the inferior prices offered to farmers in smaller markets, to the typically weaker purchasing power of rural consumers. Continue reading →

Article / Bangladesh / East Africa / Ethiopia / India / Innovation Systems / Livestock / LIVESTOCKCRP / PIL / Research / Southeast Asia / Value Chains

Unravelling value chains through participatory modelling

Posted on Friday 28 June 2019 by Judy Kimani • Leave a comment

Recently, ILRI and partners have implemented participatory processes in the construction of SD models. Such techniques (termed “group model building” or “mediated modelling”) involve the careful organization of several focus group sessions with 10-15 value chain stakeholders. The participants articulate value chain problems, structure, and data that are then used to parametrize working models from which scenarios can be jointly developed and discussed. Continue reading →

Agriculture / Article / Capacity strengthening / Central America / Gender / Impact Assessment / Innovation Systems / LIVESTOCKCRP / Nicaragua / PIL / Research / Smallholder / Value Chains

Role of trust and collaborative networks in developing smallholder farmers’ agribusiness capacities

Posted on Tuesday 13 November 2018 by Judy Kimani • Leave a comment

A recent study in Nicaragua shows that despite the growing popularity of learning alliances, it is difficult to quantify whether they increase the capacity of partners compared to other networks with similar goals. Researchers from ILRI and the Georg-August-Universitåt in Germany evaluated the business relationship constructs of trust and capacity development in the Nicaraguan Learning Alliance. Continue reading →

Award / Crop-Livestock / East Africa / Impact Assessment / Innovation Systems / Livelihoods / Livestock / LIVESTOCKCRP / PIL / Research

ILRI data analyst wins award for presentation on new procedure for mapping livestock keeping patterns

Posted on Friday 7 September 2018 by Judy Kimani • 1 Comment

Stephen Oloo, a spatial data analyst with the Policies, Institutions and Livelihoods program at the Nairobi headquarters of the International Livestock Research institute (ILRI), has won the ‘best student presentation’ award at a ‘Free and Open Source Software for Geospatial’ conference (FOSS4G) held in Dar es Salaam 28 Aug–3 Sep 2018. Continue reading →

Capacity strengthening / CapDev / Gender / HUMIDTROPICS / ILRI / Innovation Systems / Research / Women

Tools and training materials to help mainstream gender in Humidtropics activities

Posted on Wednesday 8 March 2017 by Peter Ballantyne (ILRI) • Leave a comment

To support mainstreaming of gender into Humidtropics research, the program developed four classroom-training modules to be used by facilitators of innovation platforms, covering: Control of Assets (CoA); Power & Decision-Making (PDM); Needs, Priorities and Perceptions (NPP); Barriers to Participation (BtP) Continue reading →

ILRI policies, instititions and livelihoods program