PABRA Social Network Map

Context of group interactions existing within the map;

As you would see in the 'PDF' attachment provided in the hyperlink, interactions exist between different groups and we have considered that to happen at 5 main levels.

At LEVEL 1 (GREEN arrows)

1. PABRA links with CIAT, donors, Sub-Regional Organizations (SROs) and the National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS).

a) Interaction with CIAT involve
• Discussions about the bean research agenda
• Exchange of information and knowledge (research results, prospects etc)
• Exchange of germplasm
• Capacity building

b) Interaction with donors
• Development agenda
• Financial support
• Exchange of information and knowledge (accountability in terms of progress made, achievements etc)

c) Interaction with Sub-Regional Organizations (SROs)
i) SROs stemming from PABRA (ECABREN, SABREN and WECABREN representing bean research networks covering 18 countires in East, Central and Southern Africa. The Western Africa network is growing). Interactions involve;
• Regional priorities
• Allocation and disbursement of funds
• Coordination of implementation processes
• Exchange of germplasm
• Exchange of information and knowledge (research results, needs etc)

2. SROs with other SROs
• Wider regional agenda
• Exchange of information and knowledge (policy environment, trade etc)

3. NARS with SROs and government ministries of Agriculture

a) Interaction with SROs
• Implementation
• Exchange of germplasm
• Exchange of information and knowledge (research results, needs etc)
• Disbursement of funds
• Capacity building

b) Interaction with ministries of Agriculture
• National agenda
• Infrastructure support (hosts and technical resources )
• Human capacity
• Exchange of information and knowledge (policy environment, trade etc)

At LEVEL 2 (PINK arrows)

1. NARS links with farmer organizations and CBOs, NGOs, private and public sector, individual farmers, government ministries of health. Interactions with these groups involve processes that advance the development of bean based technologies that are demand-driven. Some of these include;

• Identifying needs and demands
• Exchange of information and knowledge (farmers’ indigenous knowledge, research findings, promotional materials etc)
• Participation in technology development processes (identification, selection, testing and adoption).
• Empowerment in use of technologies
• Wider distribution of technologies

At this level, there exists interlinks between farmer organizations, NGOs, private and individual farmers.

2. SROs link with academic institutions
• Identification of research needs
• Knowledge transfer through capacity building of NARS, scientist and students
• Exchange of germplasm

3. PABRA links with institutions

• Disbursement of funds.

At LEVEL 3 (RED arrows)

1. Wider dissemination of bean technologies (seed) involving farmer organizations and CBOs, individual farmers, private and public sector.
• Exchange of information and knowledge about technologies (promotional materials, market trends etc)
• Dissemination of bean technologies


At LEVEL 4 (BLACK arrows)

1. This level involves groups acquiring bean related information and knowledge from reliable sources.
• FAO obtains data from ministries of agriculture and avails it to the public (PABRA and CIAT as of our map). The NARS provide some of this information to the ministries.

At LEVEL 5 (YELLOW arrows)

PABRA, CIAT, donors, ‘other’ SROs inform the public through media (websites, BBC, regional and international meetings, parliament) about their efforts and achievements with the aim of influencing the global, regional and local policy environments.


The following insights and questions are raised by Rachel (PABRA's M&E coordinator) in light of the social network map;

Issue #1

Comments: Stronger links ( the green) ideally indicate emphasis in KS strategy.

Current situation : KS flow is centralized and limited, constraints of technology, skill and decentralized capacity

The first question that follows is: How necessary is it to decentralise the KS, what would be the expert advice on a strategy for decentralizing if this is viewed as an absolute necessity? What options exist ?

Issue#2

Comments: Its clear that the KS information flowing from the nodes requires a variety of strategies and tools adapted to the KS users.
Current situation: Strategies for delivery of information such as information to promote specific agricultural technologies ranging from publications, to professional meetings, to village information centers, and mass media are defined and carried out by the specific scientists involved. Hence within that particular project related to that technology there is KS flow of some sort.
The question that follows is: Would the development of a KS strategy not build on these experiences already in practice? determine the gaps? and then device means of upgrading as is necessary?
Follow up question is, Beyond the specific projects where KS of some sort exists, and one specific to the technologies, what would be the network agenda for KS ? is it an assembly of all that is happening in the distinct projects? What would be the role of the KS initiative being proposed at the PABRA node?

Issue#3
PABRA has this year laid out a proposal to set up a theme for knowledge management, capacity building for policy and advocacy theme for the whole network, in its next funding period for 2009 to 2013

the theme is driven by the demand for utilization of M&E generated research, studies and findings from the preceeding phase ( The past phase i.e 03-08 was characterized by a rigorous Monitoring against indicators, evaluation studies to deliver against outcomes and several information sets both published and non published ; We experienced a classic case of an informatin overload, halfway through the last phase we initiated a database to store this data, and we started a website for PABRA --both are still at the teething phase)

In moving forward we realized the need to effectively have the information coming out of the network available readily and utilized by users in the network.

KM was introduced to us, thanks to interactions with Simone staiger

In seeking to move forward in the phase ahead of us 09 to 013:

I realise the first step is to carry out an assessment, what I now know is called a KS/KM audit

Beyond that we need to have a clear strategy on how to proceed.

Your advice is therefore welcome on the basis of the information provided here.

Thanks!