Develop a Network for Cross-Country Technology Verification and Transfer, and to Build Mechanization Capacity among End Users and Service Providers

Transcription

1 2015/ATCWG/014 Agenda Item: 8 Develop a Network for Cross-Country Technology Verification and Transfer, and to Build Mechanization Capacity among End Users and Service Providers Purpose: Consideration Submitted by: International Rice Research Institute 19 th Agricultural Technical Cooperation Working Group Meeting Iloilo, Philippines September 2015

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3 Project Title: Develop a network for cross-country technology verification and transfer, and to build mechanization capacity among end users and service providers Fund Source (Select one): General Project Account TILF Special Account APEC Support Fund For ASF: As per Guidebook Ch. 3, list ASF Sub-fund if appropriate for this project: APEC forum: Proposing APEC economy: Co-sponsoring economies: Expected start date: January 2016 Expected completion date: December 2018 Project summary: Describe the project in under 150 words. Your summary should include the project topic, planned activities, timing and location: (Summary must be no longer than the box provided. Cover sheet must fit on one page) Total cost of proposal: (APEC funding + selffunding): USD 550,000 The project aims to develop a network for cross-country technology verification and transfer, capacity built among end users and service providers on various aspects of mechanization. The project will establish a hub for technology verification and optimization at the International Rice Research Institute, Philippines and support national partners in Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Vietnam in satellite hubs. The main objective is to identify and optimize options for sustainable mechanization of rice production, particularly, but not limited to, identifying the appropriate scale for machinery for crop establishment as well as for fertilizer or pesticide applications. The project will facilitate annual workshops for sourcing promising technologies from APEC members such as Japan, Korea, and China, Australia and the U.S. that have advanced mechanized farming systems. This will enable sharing of learning from technology developments and dissemination of suitable mechanized options in the partner economies, and will also link similar mechanization initiatives. Total amount being sought from APEC (USD): 500,000 By category: Travel: 30,909 Labor costs: 231,382 Hosting: Publication & distribution: Other: 237,709 (See Guidebook on APEC Projects, Ch. 9 to ensure all proposed costs are allowable.) Project Overseer Information and Declaration: Name: Ms. Corinta Quijano-Guerta Title: Director for External Relations Organization: International Rice Research Institute Postal address: Los Baños, College, Laguna Tel: c.guerta@irri.org/drpc-irri@irri.org As Project Overseer and on behalf of the above said Organization, I declare that this submission was prepared in accordance with the Guidebook on APEC Projects and any ensuing project will comply with said Guidebook. Failure to do so may result in the BMC denying or revoking funding and/or project approval. I understand that any funds approved are granted on the basis of the information in the document s budget table, in the case of any inconsistencies within the document. Ms. Corinta Quijano-Guerta / 17 September 2015

4 Project Synopsis 1. Relevance Benefits to region: What problem does the project seek to address? What is the relevance of the project? Does it have sustained benefits to more than one economy? While land preparation and harvesting of rice are mostly mechanized in APEC member economies, other critical operations such as land leveling, crop establishment, crop care (application of fertilizer or pesticides), and irrigation are often still done using labor-intensive traditional methods. Labor shortage as a result of urban migration leads to severe bottlenecks, inefficiency, and high costs in farm operations. Scale-appropriate mechanization of rice production and postharvest operations will increase productivity and income of rice farmers, thus improving their livelihoods and making rice farming an interesting career option for young men and women. The proposed project will have benefits for all rice-growing Southeast Asian member states as, despite being on different mechanization trajectories, face similar problems. Relevance Rank: Which Rank in the annual APEC Funding Criteria does this project fall under? Briefly explain why. Is it also linked to other Ranks? If so, briefly explain which/how. The project will support the national economies through appropriate mechanization of rice-based systems and provide capacity building programs as well. The concept being proposed is thus linked to Rank 2 (Directly support the APEC Leader's Growth Strategy specifically, Innovative Growth, Agricultural biotechnologies, including promotion of sustainable agricultural development). 2. Objectives: Describe the 2-3 key objectives of the project. (e.g. ensure workshop participants will be able to...; to create a framework...; to develop recommendations...; to build support...; to revise strategies...; to create an action plan;...to increase knowledge in; to build capacity in etc.) The general aim of the project is to support national economies in Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Vietnam in their efforts to develop scale-appropriate mechanization of rice-based farming systems and rice postharvest value chains. Specific objectives of the project are to: 1. Establish and implement mechanization technology hubs at the IRRI Experiment Station for optimizing different mechanized technology options for rice-based cropping systems under different conditions. 2. Develop a network and facilitate technology transfer and verification for APEC partner economies and exchanges with non-member economies. 3. Implement capacity building programs on promising mechanization options for operators, service providers, and extension agents. 3. Alignment APEC: Describe specific APEC priorities, goals, strategies, workplans and statements that the project supports, and explain how the project will contribute to their achievement. Investing in human capital and building sustainable and resilient communities are two of APEC s priorities in In addition, APEC will also work toward enhanced food security. The proposed project supports these priorities by building capacity among operators, service providers, and extension agents on farm mechanization, which in turn will boost rice production in APEC economies. Alignment Forum: Briefly explain how the project is aligned with your forum s workplan / strategic plan. The concept note aligns with the following priorities of the ATCWG: Improving human and institutional resource capacities in agriculture through education and training, and Improving aspects of environmental and natural resource management, infrastructure development related to food security 4. Methodology: How do you plan to implement the project? In this section, briefly address the following: Workplan: Project timelines, dates of key activities and deliverable outputs. 2

5 The workplan is outlined in the table below; detailed workplans will be established with partners during the initial workshop. Output / Activity Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Establish and implement technology verification hub at IRRI Establish hub, link with Ecological Intensification platform Identification of promising technology options (with partner economies) Technology verification and optimization Establish and facilitate technology verification network with partner economies Identify national partners Initial workshop to establish network Support national technology verification hubs Mid term workshop Final workshop Facilitation of network Develop capacity building program Develop training curriculum and materials Training implementation Inclusion of training modules in the IRRI Rice Knowledge Bank and national RKBs Beneficiaries: The proposed selection criteria for participants, beneficiary profiles (e.g. workshop participants, end users, policy makers, researchers/analysts, gender) and how they will be engaged. Final beneficiaries (end users) will be farmers and other members of the rice value chain in participating APEC economies. Direct beneficiaries (first users) are research and extension partners from public and private sectors, e.g., machinery contract service providers, of participating economies. Policy and decision-makers of national systems will benefit from improved mechanization policy recommendations. Evaluation: Potential indicators developed to measure progress, project outcomes and impacts/successes. Where possible provide indicators which could assess impacts on women. Indicators for progress will be qualitative and quantitative information on: Technologies identified and verified at IRRI and in partner economies, Adoption of new technologies by first-adopter end users, manufacturers, and service providers, Curricula developed for capacity building and implemented at IRRI and in franchises in partner economies, Upgrading of first users (training of trainers), Recommendations for national policies and rice sector strategies, and Initial data on the impact and benefits mechanization and postharvest pose for women and youth. Linkages: Information on other APEC and non-apec stakeholders and how they will be engaged. If and how this proposal builds on (but does not duplicate) the work of other projects. How will this activity promote cross fora collaboration? Major stakeholders of the technology verification and transfer network will be the national mechanization centers, universities, and private-sector partners in Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand. The project will complement the national mechanization programs of these economies and add value to them. The network will include Advanced Research Institutes and companies from economies with advanced rice mechanization systems such as Japan, Korea, China, the US, and Australia, to facilitate learning from the experiences of more advanced mechanization systems and trajectories. The project will link to and complement the FAO/ESCAP-led Center for Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization (CSAM) based in Beijing and its Network on Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization for Asia and the Pacific Region (SMAACNET). The mechanization network will also link to other IRRI mechanization initiatives to facilitate exchange, e.g., to a new USAID-funded value chain project in Bangladesh. 3