The LEAP-Agri Knowledge Sharing and Stakeholders Engagement Matchmaking event was held online on December 15th and 16th 2021.
The coordinator of LEAP-Agri, Isabelle Hippolyte, in her opening remarks after welcoming all participants stated as follows:
LEAP Agri has been committed since its inception to an approach that considers the impact pathways, an approach that places stakeholders at the heart of the projects for the adoption of research results in terms of outputs and outcomes in the medium term and trying as much as possible to assess the impact of projects and their beneficiaries in the longer term.
6 months before the end of the R&I projects, this meeting is fully in line with this approach since, we invited the stakeholders identified by the project PI to come and discuss the results that the projects have obtained and the way to valorize them in the best and quickest way by these actors.
The coordination of LEAP agri is convinced of the importance of involving stakeholders in projects, and beyond this ERA NET which is entering its last year of existence, we are convinced of the importance to federate to get the best of the results of the funded research in the FNSSA sector in recent years. We hope to involve them as well in preparing the research and development programs of the coming years.
Thanks to all my partners of LEAP Agri but especially Maroun El Moujabber Nohran El Dallal and the work package in charge of the follow up of the projects for the organization of this meeting.
After the welcome address, WP5 Co-Leader Maroun El Moujabber presented the scope of the meeting and the way to proceed in the presentations, the discussions as well as the Breakout in innovation Rooms.
The Meeting was concluded by the coordinator by thanking the PIs for the great job done and all the participants.
Some points raised by the meeting that seem to me important:
- the presentations showed results issued from the necessary mix of upstream and more focused or applied projects. The field of FNSSA requires innovation and research and LEAP-Agri call is successful on this point.
- in most focused projects the results are used, ready to used or almost ready to be used by the final users especially farmers.
- Most of results are addressed to African stakeholders but some outcomes of the projects should also be very useful for European users since they target global questions and challenges. It is the case for ICT innovations like the one for phone users, the participative organization process to distribute innovation, and all the platforms and disposals allowing exchanges among actors
- The discussion rooms showed that despite their involvement in the projects, and their interest for the workshop the active participation of stakeholders to the meetings is difficult likely due to remote meetings’ tools. For future initiative this parameter has to be considered
- The discussion rooms showed that researchers working in the same or similar areas would be very interested in mutualizing their results, methods, networks. Even not planned in the ERA net as it is, this will be an avenue of reflection for us.