Mobilization and Awareness

The different partner institutions have participated in stakeholder mobilisation and creation of awareness of the current and adapted Push-pull technology. Awareness, interest and ownership have been created among key stakeholders in order to establish suitable conditions for development and dissemination of the Push-pull technology to smallholders in the target areas and beyond, and to lay the foundation for improved exchange of information, experience and knowledge through respective stakeholder networks and stakeholder platforms. This was achieved through a number of complementary activities:

• Key stakeholders were contacted and introductory stakeholders’ meetings held in each country to establish project implementation structures including work plans, monitoring and evaluation frameworks and to formulate a structure for communication and information exchange to ensure inclusive participation of all stakeholders at all stages of project implementation.
• A project steering committee has been formed to provide the overall guidance on policy and strategy for the effective coordination, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the Project . The committee has held two meetings at icipe Mbita and Mwanza, Tanzania. The ADOPT project Partners and Associates in Kenya (KARI, HPI-K) and Tanzania (LZARDI, HPI-T) have also established inclusive country-level steering. In Ethiopia EIAR and ISD are still in the process of forming such a committee,
• Training workshops have been held to discuss detailed functions of each Partner and Associate institutions, and equip the project teams with practical skills on the project implementation.
• The EU ADOPT project was formally launched at icipe Mbita with regional stakeholders and 400 farmers at Yenga Village, Kisumu District on 30 March 2011. The event was widely covered by print and electronic media, raising substantial public awareness.

The ADOPT project Partners and Associates have also held stakeholder meetings to create awareness and to identify additional institutions and collaboration opportunities in the target areas. This is enabling strong linkages and synergy among the stakeholders for subsequent technology refinement, deployment, resource mobilization, and policy advocacy. More public awareness has been created through demonstration sites and field days in each participating country.