1. Steering Committee Meeting WA Project 25 March 2015, Accra, Ghana I. Hoeschle-Zeledon Coordinator, ESA and WA projects

2.  Late submission of work plans for timely submission to SC despite deadline of 15 March  Respecting reporting deadlines  Poor quality reports  Lack of regular team meetings; sharing of minutes of meetings Management issues

3.  Summary report on baseline survey findings in Ghana and Mali expected by scientists; no IFPRI regional M&E specialist  Change of partner staff (IWMI, AVRDC)  Opportunities for exchange visits to Tanzania and Ghana missed  Identification of a PhD student for studies at Wageningen University and research in WA Implementation challenges

4.  Key partners not present in action countries; implementation by remote control  Lack of integration of research sites and scientists in Mali  Platforms not yet operational  Capacity/commitment of SARI  Alignment with other USAID initiatives not yet operational, e.g. with ATT and ADVANCE in Ghana, Innovation Labs (Sust. Intensification, Mechanization, Irrigation, Post-harvest)

6.  Visualization of SI: Program Comms team to come up with a suggestion  Data Management: to become part of new partner contracts  Teams need to conduct monthly meetings and disseminate minutes  IFPRI to provide gender disaggregated data for further analysis to strengthen gender research in AR  Partners not responding to reminders to submit reports ports will be contacted by J. Glover ESA Steering Committee, 10 Sept. 2014

8. 2 physical meetings held (July, November 2014):  Use of AR communication tools needs to be improved  Exploring opportunities to work with USAID mission funded projects; find ways to better present specific deliverables  Revision of WA project doc and logframe by Dec. 2014, annual revisions of all logframes  Ease access of docs on the website  Organize workshop on sustainability indicators (few specific, measurable indicators) Program C oordination Team

9.  Organize program-wide scientific symposium (Oct/Nov 2015)  Attend learning visit to CSISA project in India and Bangladesh  Hold phase 2 planning meeting  Shared approach and learning across the regions on gender  Data sharing plan approved and binding for all sub-contractors

11. Science Advisory Group Reports to and advises the PCT on the overall strategy and direction of the program, program coherence and opportunities for partnerships Two meetings (July, November 2014), field trip in Tanzania:  focus of the research: supply-driven technologies  who can be effective in scaling up?  lack of social and economic analyses of technologies to help farmers make decisions on risks and implications of technologies  revision of research hypothesis for testability and linkage to objectives

12.  more social science partners, capacity building of partners beyond formal degrees, partner with policy makers to facilitate change  agric. intensification with market orientation a viable option for resource poor farmers with no incentives given? how can they be supported to reduce their risks?  use of identified farm typologies in our research  more efforts to get private entrepreneurs on the platforms  female farmer involvement in trials

14.  New Comms officer  AVRDC’s term ending in September 2015  CSIR  CORAF  IFPRI Steering Committee membership

16.  Technical reports to donor (April)  Regional log frame and project doc need revision  Finalization of 2015/16 work plans by  Approval by Steering Committee by  New partner contracts by  PCT meetings April and June  SAG meeting ???  Exchange visit to Ethiopia on watershed/ landscape management (April) Next activities and events

17.  Program learning event (Oct.)  Program scientific symposium (Oct.)  Program retreat (May)  Contract reviews (Chief Scientist, Coordinator)  USAID commissioned Program Evaluation

18. Africa Research in Sustainable Intensification for the Next Generation africa-rising.net