AICCRA Books
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10568/124993
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Item Facilitation tools to enhance the alignment of scientific technical assistance with agribusinesses and create buy-in among key stakeholders: Mutual interview protocol(Manual, 2024-12-30) Peterson, NathanialEffective agribusiness support requires bridging gaps between scientists and companies while addressing two major challenges: scientists’ limited understanding of business realities and the lack of stakeholder alignment within agribusinesses. To improve scientist-company collaboration, we created a mutual interview protocol that fosters efficient, productive discussions and informs future matchmaking. Simultaneously, we developed a communication framework to help companies present scientific insights effectively to key stakeholders, ensuring alignment and securing financial support. These tools aim to improve the adoption of technical assistance, scale CGIAR innovations, and enhance the impact of agribusiness support programs. In developing agribusiness support programs and aligning high-quality scientific technical assistance, two significant challenges emerge. First, top-tier scientists often lack an understanding of the specific business challenges faced by companies, particularly in complex, high-risk contexts like sub-Saharan Africa. Scientists may assume that businesses can prioritize and address potential risks highlighted in their recommendations. However, most companies lack the capacity and financial resources to implement these recommendations. Providing scientists with sufficient context about the business environment is crucial for ensuring their advice is both actionable and tailored to the company’s needs. Programs within the CGIAR system, such as the CGIAR Food Systems Accelerator, aim to bridge this gap by connecting scientists and agribusinesses and providing sufficient time for engagement. However, these programs are highly resource-intensive and difficult to scale, limiting the broader impact CGIAR scientists can have on agribusiness outcomes. Initial attempts to improve efficiency through facilitated meetings proved time-consuming and relied on participants arriving without pre-meeting preparation. To address this, we developed a mutual interview protocol that takes about one hour to complete and can be reviewed by the other party in approximately 20 minutes before their meeting. This approach has, anecdotally, significantly improved meeting efficiency, enabling discussions to progress to outcomes that would typically require 4–6 hours of dialogue. Beyond facilitating immediate collaboration, this instrument also collects data to enhance future matchmaking efforts. The second issue and tool is described in a second submission, linking to that tool. In addition to these tools, solving discrete problems, we also developed an Accelerator Playbook to guide organizations on the development of programs.Item Facilitation tools to enhance the alignment of scientific technical assistance with agribusinesses and create buy-in among key stakeholders: Communication framework(Manual, 2024-12-30) Peterson, NathanialEffective agribusiness support requires bridging gaps between scientists and companies while addressing two major challenges: scientists’ limited understanding of business realities and the lack of stakeholder alignment within agribusinesses. To improve scientist-company collaboration, we created a mutual interview protocol that fosters efficient, productive discussions and informs future matchmaking. Simultaneously, we developed a communication framework to help companies present scientific insights effectively to key stakeholders, ensuring alignment and securing financial support. These tools aim to improve the adoption of technical assistance, scale CGIAR innovations, and enhance the impact of agribusiness support programs. A pressing challenge lies in the communication and adoption of technical assistance by agribusiness stakeholders. Agribusinesses are often guided by funders and board members who may not fully understand or appreciate the technical recommendations—particularly when those insights suggest transformative strategic shifts, such as changes in supply chain management or new product development. Even when the initial scientist-company collaboration succeeds, these relationships can falter if the company cannot secure financial support for sustained engagement or if stakeholders feel threatened by the proposed innovations. Paradoxically, the most groundbreaking innovations often generate the greatest resistance. To address this issue, we developed a communication framework enabling companies and scientists to package insights effectively and present them to key stakeholders, including executives, boards, and investors. This tool, currently in early testing with agribusinesses and impact investors in the Nairobi market, takes the form of report template as well as a slide deck template designed to integrate scientific insights into a company’s strategic narrative. The goal is to achieve three levels of buy-in: from company executives, board members, and external investors or grant funders who can support and de-risk scaling CGIAR innovations. By incorporating this communication framework into companies’ investor pitch decks, we hope to enable more effective adoption of scientific insights and foster long-term collaboration. In addition to these tools, solving discrete problems, we also developed an Accelerator Playbook to guide organizations on the development of programs.Item Playbook for the design and implementation of food systems-focused accelerator programs in Africa(Manual, 2024-12-30) Hauke, Dahl; Peterson, Nathanial; Nguvi, CarolineAfrica’s food systems face the dual challenge of addressing climate change and feeding a rapidly growing population. Small-scale farmers, pivotal to African agriculture, struggle with limited access to climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practices and climate information services (CIS). Agribusinesses can bridge this gap by bundling CSA solutions with products and services, leveraging their networks to scale innovations. This playbook offers a comprehensive framework for designing climate-smart accelerators, emphasizing market alignment, financial sustainability, and capacity building. By fostering innovation and investment, the playbook aims to transform Africa’s food systems into resilient, sustainable, and equitable ecosystems capable of meeting future demands.Item Investor Deal Book(Book, 2022-10) Dahl, HaukeThe agriculture sector is the economic backbone for most developing countries and is crucial for strengthening food security, increasing incomes and driving inclusive and sustainable growth. However, the sector remains largely untapped due to low levels of productivity exacerbated by the effects of climate change. To strengthen resilience to climate change and efficient functioning of food systems, significant financial investment is required. The public sector and donors cannot handle this alone; the private finance and investment sector needs to increase its financial commitments. Under the World Bank-funded AICCRA project, we have set up Zambia’s first science-driven accelerator program for climate-smart agribusinesses, where the aim is to provide technical assistance as well as de-risking funds to scale climate-smart agricultural research innovations as well as to catalyze private finance into these agribusinesses to increase their impact tailor-made technical assistance to strengthen the commercial capacity as well as the sustainability performance of our Accelerator Partners. After having onboarded a diverse portfolio of high-profile agribusinesses earlier this year, I’m proud to share with you the results of our efforts. The following deal book presents an overview of our project, our approach and our portfolio. If you are an investor looking to create financial returns alongside sustainable impact in Zambia’s climate-smart ag sector, I encourage you to get in touch with myself and our amazing entrepreneurs.