On 10th -11th October 2012 ACT held the Research and Academia community of practices workshop in Nakuru,Kenya.
The workshop aimed at: (a) bringing together agricultural researchers and the academia in Africa to meet and exchange knowledge and information on the adoption and scaling of CA; and (b) establishing a mechanism for research and academia community of practice to build a sustained professional network around identified domain and practice issues related to Conservation Agriculture in Africa.
The objectives of the workshop were:
1. To share and document knowledge and information in the latest developments in CA from within and outside Africa.
2. To identify individual Professionals, Research Institutions, Universities and Colleges under-taking education, research and development activities in CA and initiate formation of a permanent CoP platform for networking and information sharing.
3. To identify key areas of CA research for development and develop methodologies/approaches for effectively engaging academia and research students.
4. To mobilize the research and academia community for effective participation in the 6th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture in 2014 in Canada.
5. To develop the participation agenda of the CA research and academia CoP in the Africa Congress on CA in 2013 in Kenya.
Key Outputs of the workshop were:
1. CA knowledge and information shared amongst participants.
2. Database of key Professionals, Research Institutions, Universities and Colleges involved in CA in Africa initiated
3. Research and Academia CoP platform for networking and sharing knowledge and information on Conservation Agriculture initiated.
4. Key areas of research and for curriculum development and how the academia and research students can become effectively engaged identified.
5. Prioritized new knowledge themes and titles of position papers in scaling CA for smallholder farmers in Africa identified in readiness for sharing during the 6th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture in June 2014 in Canada.
6. Researchers and the academia are involved and participate in the planned 2013 pre-Canada Africa Congress on Conservation Agriculture in Kenya.
The workshop was attended by 33 participants from agricultural research and related higher learning institutions in Africa and Europe.