Scaling out project outcomes requires a 'special chemistry'

ILRI. 2010. Scaling out project outcomes requires a 'special chemistry'. Video. Nairobi (Kenya): ILRI.

After a session of the the November 2010 Fodder Adoption Project (FAP) workshop in Laos, we recorded 'notes' of three world cafe hosts who collated cross-project lessons (from Ethiopia, Syria, and Vietnam) on three issues: Innovation approaches, feed assessment, and scaling out. Here Werner Stür, formerly with CIAT in Vietnam, reports back on the discussions about scaling out in the project. The group talked a lot about the 'starting point' of scaling out - everybody agreed that a 'success story' is needed - a technology, perhaps a process, that at a particular site has provided a benefit for farmers and people see a potential for many others to take advantage of the success... He raises the issue of where scaling out should be done, who decides this and who is responsible for the scaling out. It seems there is no fixed methodology, but some guiding principles could be identified: - Many more stakeholders and actors need to be involved. We are not talking just of a technology, it is a process that needs other actors like traders, private sector, credit, etc - Political support is needed, from government, also excitement from the NGO sector and others - Many specialized capacities are needed, eg for targeting, facilitating, bringing together the actors - There is a big role for media and communications to get get the story out and help build consensus among all the actors Finally, he drew attention to some 'special skill' and motivations that are necessary to bring the stakeholders together: "The chemistry of the key stakeholder has to fit; if that's not working it becomes very very difficult."