Institute Planning Meeting
The highlight of the month was the Institute Planning Meeting (IPM) held in Addis Ababa on 16–18 September. With over 300 staff from around the world it was a fantastic opportunity for us to come together to celebrate some of ILRI’s successes, discuss how we as an organization are moving forward and connect with ILRI’s compelling mission. It was an opportunity for us all to see how everyone contributes to this great organization, no matter what their role. The organizing committees led by Iddo Dror and Gail Amare did a wonderful job in organizing the program and logistics and we were, as always, given a great welcome by our colleagues in Ethiopia.

Staff at the 2019 IPM.

While every session was important and contributed to the event, some of the highlights for me were:

Khalid Bomba’s presentation – the chief executive officer of the Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA) in Ethiopia highlighted the challenges of establishing the ATA and the need for constant change in an organization. There were many lessons for ILRI in what he had to say.

The share fair – it was amazing to see what is going on in ILRI, not just in research but across the organization including how all the service units are striving to ensure they are ‘fit for purpose.’

The ‘Dragon’s Den’ – I hugely enjoyed all the four ‘pitches’ for investment and being part of the panel critiquing the proposals.The personal posters – it was amazing to see how people in ILRI connect with the institute and to realize the breadth and depth of talent that we have here – not just professionally, but how staff use their time and talents in their personal lives.

The personal stories – every one of us has a story to tell. I will be forever grateful to the staff who stood on the stage and had the courage to share with us their personal stories. It demonstrated the power of storytelling. But more importantly, it showed us how we are all shaped by our life experiences and how we can use those experiences in our professional and personal lives to achieve our ambitions. Every single story was spellbinding and humbling and I want to congratulate everyone who told their stories. A particular congratulations to Haret Hambe who won the prize for the best story. Haret, your story of your early life in Garissa, your journey to university to become a vet and the service you give to your community were inspirational. I am proud to have you working at ILRI.

African Green Revolution Forum
The African Green Revolution Forum (AGFR 2019) was held in Accra, Ghana, on 3–6 September and attracted 2,800 delegates including 21 ministers of agriculture, and several presidents and prime ministers. The theme was ‘Grow digital’ – using digital technology to drive African agriculture forward, although not all sessions were focused on this topic.

I participated as a panelist on a session on ‘Increasing adaptation and resilience of African food systems’ which led to an AGRF Declaration on the subject. While I attended many sessions, some key ones included:

• The launch of the CGIAR Crops to End Hunger Initiative
• A session on nutrition-sensitive sustainable food systems at which Jan Low (International Potato Center) gave a strong plug for livestock and animal-source foods.
• A high-level discussion with several presidents, prime ministers, deputy presidents and deputy prime ministers, moderated by Tony Blair, on digital agriculture
• Solutions for women unlocking the potential of agriculture in Africa
• Tackling hunger and poverty in conflict environments. This session focussed on South Sudan and in particular the Partnership for Recovery and Resilience – a multi-stakeholder platform.

The report ‘Africa Agriculture Status Report: The Hidden Middle: A Quiet Revolution in the Private Sector Driving Agricultural Transformation’ was launched, highlighting the critical importance (and success) of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Africa.

The Global Farm Platform
Last year ILRI joined the Global Farm Platform, a network of 22 organizations and 13 farm research stations across the globe to promote sustainable ruminant livestock production. The platform has just launched a new website, including summaries of the 13 platforms – ILRI’s Kapiti Research Station is the only site in Africa.

International Knowledge Management Award

Shirley Tarawali received the Knowledge Management Award on behalf of ILRI.

Congratulations to our Communications and Knowledge Management team on winning the 2019 International Knowledge Management Award by Knowledge Management Austria. It is wonderful to see the pioneering work that the team has done on communications and knowledge management being recognized by this award. As a research institute we would be nothing if we did not have effective knowledge management systems and processes in place and it is great to see that we are the leader of the pack, not just in the CGIAR but among the top globally.

Till next month.

Iain.