The purpose of this meeting was to get feedback from example end users on the form and content of key project information products, which had been drafted during the preceding data analysis in-week, with the aim of ensuring final project information products meet the needs of end users as closely as possible. Potential end users and project information products had been identified as part of the development of the project communications strategy in June 2002. A range of these end users from Ethiopia were invited to the to comment on a presentation by the project team of draft good practice guidelines and policy lessons. Click here to see the presentation (Acrobat pdf 194kb)

A range of helpful comments were made on the good practice guidelines, touching on the need to emphasise the importance of using an integrated approach covering technology, marketing, and capacity building. Specifically, the importance of dialogue between grass-roots on-farm conservation projects and government extension services was mentioned, as was the need to include effective technical messages on improved sustainable agriculture techniques, and market-based incentives to ensure long-term project sustainability. The need to include an exit strategy in initial project planning, developed in consultation with all project stakeholders, was highlighted.

In the session on policy lessons, there was considerable discussion of the implications of decentralisation for grass-roots support of on-farm conservation, in terms of both administration and service delivery such as decentralised/participatory plant breeding. Fundamental points were also made about the kind of information necessary to convince policy makers. It was agreed that such information must show clearly the contribution grass-roots support for on-farm conservation makes to designated national priorities (for example, sustainable agriculture, food security, export earnings) and be presented in an accessible way to key decision makers. This might include exposure visits, videos, etc as well as conventional reports. Other desirable information products identified at the meeting included: brochures for local administrators and national policy-makers, highlighting what farmers want in terms of support for on-farm conservation and the experiences of different projects in providing this; implementation guidelines for district officials, NGO staff, and donors planning projects to support on-farm conservation; and short policy briefs for senior national policy makers, donor and NGO staff.