Proposals for Agricultural Innovation Projects could be more attractive
San José, Costa Rica, March 25, 2014, (IICA).Some ten agricultural research institutions in 11 Latin American and Caribbean Countries (LAC) are now equipped with the tools to draft competitive innovation proposals with a view to adapting small-scale agriculture to climate change, better positioning them to access sources of project financing.
At one of the training sessions organized by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the Regional Fund for Agricultural Technology (FONTAGRO), in Costa Rica, representatives of nine LAC agencies implemented some effective techniques for drafting research projects. This will enable them to draft convincing proposals for FONTAGRO that will compete for funding this year.
Profiles for the initiatives must be submitted no later than May 7via the FONTAGRO website. Projects must demonstrate how innovation will better enable family-based agriculture to adapt to climate change and underscore what collaborative efforts will make this objective attainable.
According to IICA innovation technology management specialist, Priscila Henriquez, there are eight key principles for drafting proposals:
• Developing a proposal involves using imagination and science to find solutions to problems.
• Alliances are crucial. Various stakeholders and groups of colleagues, including producers, must be involved.
• Projects must demonstrate the positive impact they seek to achieve in the fight against significant problems such as poverty, food insecurity and environmental degradation.
• Everyone has different aptitudes and areas of knowledge, which is why projects must always be prepared in a group setting.
• Projects are rarely approved upon presentation. Given that there are always comments and revisions that delay approval, patience and perseverance are essential.
• Failure is always a possibility, but project design skills improve with practice.
• Solving problems requires not one, but rather many perspectives.
• Large projects should be subdivided into smaller segments, so as to more readily obtain financing.
According to Rafael Pérez Duvergé, President of FONTAGRO, training is provided to support countries that are less likely to spearhead projects financed by the Fund, as is the case with Honduras, Nicaragua, Paraguay and Peru.
Henríquez and Pérez emphasized the extent to which forging strategic alliances ensures successful projects and efficient mobilization of financial resources, given that research skills often do not reside in a single entity.
According to Carlos Covarrubias, project specialist at Chile’s National Institute of Agricultural Research (INIA), alliances facilitate the establishment of multifaceted and synergetic work teams. They also enable greater integration with the agricultural sector and accelerate the implementation of research findings.
José Rafael Corrales, Executive Director of Costa Rica’s Institute for Agricultural Innovation and Technology Transfer (INTA) stated that training will facilitate the expression of good ideas and will establish a link between research and innovation. He indicated that this would prove vital in ensuring a stronger negotiating position when seeking potential sources of funding.
Other participants in the meeting were Hugo Li Pun and Eugenia Saini, Executive Secretary and Administrator, respectively, of FONTAGRO; Tania Anmour, Independent Project Consultant for LAC; and delegates from Bolivia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay and Peru.
FONTAGRO is an alliance of countries that jointly finance regional agricultural research and innovation projects. The Fund focusses on family-based agricultural activities and seeks to provide assistance in poverty reduction, increased competitiveness of agri-food chains and the sustainable use of the region’s natural resources.
For further information:
priscila.henriquez@iica.int