Ousmane Coulibaly, Helga Stamm-Berg, Jenni Heise:
Chances and Strategies of Scaling;SPMquot;=up Processes in Sustainable Agriculture Projects

<#10481#>OUSMANE COULIBALY1, HELGA STAMM-BERG2, JENNI HEISE228 <#10481#>
1International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Nigeria
2German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ), Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Division, Germany

<#501#> ``SUSTAINET -- Sustainable Agriculture Information Network'' is a joint project of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) and various German NGOs addressing the problem of increasing poverty worldwide, the expected food deficit in developing countries, and the need to produce food with ever fewer natural resources. Initiated by the German government's Council for Sustainable Development a project term of six years (October 2003 to September 2009) is planned for ``SUSTAINET''. Experience gained in development cooperation and scientific studies worldwide indicates that locally adapted sustainable agriculture systems can make a key contribution to alleviating hunger. To date these approaches and concepts for sustainable agriculture are available on a local basis, but there are barriers to their implementation and dissemination. Often, the political, social and economic framework conditions prevent adequate consideration being given to the experience on hand. Framework conditions can be distinguished into internal and external factors. Internal factors, which can be directly influenced by partners involved in the process, are for example seasonal, cultural or psycho;SPMquot;=social constraints whereas external factors such as unfavourable climatic, natural conditions or political instability cannot be influenced directly. The overall objective of ``SUSTAINET'' is to systematically evaluate possible scaling;SPMquot;=up processes of sustainable agriculture concepts by compiling structured information on success factors and dissemination constraints. Suitable best concepts are in a next step promoted: In cooperation with local intermediary organisations these strategies will be implemented and disseminated in selected pilot regions in three continents (Africa, Asia and Latin America). Impacts are anticipated on three levels. First of all local project partners will make a significant contribution to alleviate hunger in the priority countries through the dissemination of best practices in locally adapted agriculture. Then, on a scientific research level, the scaling;SPMquot;=up approach will be advanced by further defining the framework conditions for successful scaling;SPMquot;=up of agriculture projects. Lastly, recommendations concerning promising development strategies in the agriculture sector will be made to national and international decision;SPMquot;=makers. <#501#>



Keywords: Best practices, scaling;SPMquot;=up, sustainable agriculture


<#18641#>Footnotes<#18641#>

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<#8896#>Contact Address: Jenni Heise, German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ), Agriculture, Fisheries and Food DivisonPostfach~5180, 65726~Eschborn, Germany, e;SPMquot;~mail: jenni.heise@gtz.de<#8896#>