Aims and Objectives

The overall purpose of Africa RISING is to provide pathways out of hunger and poverty for smallholder families through sustainably intensified farming systems that sufficiently improve food, nutrition, and income security, particularly for women and children, and conserve or enhance the natural resource base.

To emphasize the research for development nature of Africa RISING, the program has four research- and development-oriented objectives and five outcomes.

Research objectives

1. To identify and evaluate demand-driven options for sustainable intensification, that contribute to rural poverty alleviation, improved nutrition and equity and ecosystem stability.
2. To evaluate, document and share experiences with approaches for delivering and integrating innovation for sustainable intensification in a way that will promote their uptake beyond the Africa RISING action research sites.

Development objectives

1. To create opportunities for smallholder farm households, within Africa RISING action research sites, to move out of poverty and improve their nutritional status – especially of young children and mothers – while maintaining or improving ecosystem stability.
2. To facilitate partner-led dissemination of integrated innovations for sustainable intensification beyond the Africa RISING action research sites.

Program-level research outcomes

1. Integrated innovations increase production and/or improve productivity in a sustainable manner for the most relevant farm typologies within the Africa RISING research sites.
2. The aggregated impact of these farming practices at the household/farm levels contributes to an improved understanding of ecosystem stability at the landscape level.
3. Wider dissemination of integrated innovations for SI leads to similar impacts beyond the Africa RISING action research sites.

Program-level development outcomes

1. Wider adoption of innovations identified and tested by the program’s outputs within the Africa RISING action research sites enhances livelihoods through increased agricultural output, income diversity, reduced vulnerability to adverse environmental and economic challenges and improved nutrition and welfare; especially of young children and mothers.
2. The development community initiates programs, based on the knowledge tools and innovations developed and promoted by Africa RISING, that are directed at developmental goals that are consistent with the Africa RISING program purpose.

More:

Download the program framework (2012)

Download a summary of the program’s conceptual framework and guiding principles

Download a summary of the program’s core elements