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In 2011 I made a business plan for a Bio Enterpise in Borana zone that collects and markets the produce of eleven Non Timber Forest Coops. A five years cash flow projection showed that the Enterprise could generate positive results after two years. In this period a Union would have to be created by the 11 coops, which could then be given the full ownership of the Enterprise.
When a new high yielding yam variety was introduced breeders were afraid that its high storage losses would make it less attractive. On- farm-trials indeed showed high losses; yet this was compensated by lower peeling losses and by the decision of families to first eat varieties with high weight losses.
In 1985-86 I lived and worked for one year in the tropical rainforest of South West Ivory Coast. After living for three months with a farmers’ family I measured and analysed the decline in soil fertility under shifting cultivation with yams.
Working at the Mvumi Rural Training Centre, a rural NGO at Participatory Technology Development in the period 1990-1994 I did applied research on a large number of issues:
In total 13 potential innovations were reviewed on their technical, social (incl. gender) and environmental merits. The results can be read in A Farming System Analysis of the Wagogo, semi-pastoralists in Dodoma, Central Tanzania. The work was also the basis for extensive paper on the role of research in rural development.
In 2005 I was senior policy advisor to the Institutional Cooperation programme of Nuffic that worked on Capacity Building in Higher Education in the South. My main tasks were:
From 1990 to 1994 I worked at the Mvumi Rural Training Centre, a rural NGO in Central Tanzania aiming at Participatory Technology Development. My managements tasks were:
In 1994 I published a A Farming System Analysis of the Wagogo, semi-pastoralists in Dodoma, Central Tanzania. Later, the experience in Dodoma were the foundation of an extensive paper on the role of research in rural development.
In the period 1988- 1990 I was lecturer at Larenstein International College. The main subjects that I taught were: farming system analysis and development, food-crop production, dry land farming, perennial crops and agro forestry. One third of the time was spent on the International course: ‘Women, Extension and Agriculture (WEA)’.
In 1985 I participated for one month in the on-farm research programme at ISABU in Burundi; a project financed by FAO. Main issues were varities trials and trials with different storage systems.
In 1985 I staid for half a year in Aboke village, North Uganda. I made a description of The Farming System of the Lango, North Uganda. My main source of information was participatory observations. I cultivated my own crops (finger millets, beans and vegetables) and participated in communal working groups. I also designed and administrated a Farm Management Survey among 75 farmers. The main lesson learned was that access to labour was an equally severe constraint for farming families then access to land.
In 1985-86 I lived and worked for one year in the tropical rainforest of South West Ivory Coast. After living for three months with a family of Baoule migrants to understand their livelihoods, I did a farm mangement survey on the economics of smallholder coffee- and cocoa plantations. The report can be read here.
In 1997 I trained the staff of CHUREDA, an independent consultancy firm created by LITI-Morogoro in the RAAKS methodology: Rapid Analysis of Agricultural Knowledge Systems.
In 2000 I was invited by an EU-Tacis project to train the staff of AGROinform in setting up a sustainable extension system for small farmers and rural entrepreneurs.
In 2001 the World Bank asked me to train the Teamleaders of the National Extension Agency of Macedonia in extension manegement. Main topics were leadership and management styles, team building, coaching of staff, effective coordination and delegation, communication skills and negotiation.
In 2001 I trained the staff of the Kenyan Wildlife Service in “Designing Stakeholder Participation Strategies in Wetland management”. During the training the real life case of the multiple claims on Lake Naivasha were analysed. The trainees used the acquires skills in subsequent training on Wetland management in East Africa.
In 2001 I trained the staff of RIZA and their partners from Rumania on “Designing a Stakeholder Participation Strategy”. During the course of the traning the participants designed an action plan for a stakeholder participation in an ecological restoration project of 250 ha. along the Prut river in Rumania.
In 2002 I trained five Albanian NGOs on Stakeholder Participation in agricultural sector development. The main subjects were:value chain approach, stakeholder analysis and stakeholder participation strategy.
In 2007 I trained the staff of an international project and of the Ministry of Agriculture on ‘Strategic sector planning’ and on ‘Value Chain Analysis and Development’.
In 2010 I trained the staff of the Dutch State Forestry Department on Interactive Planning Processes. The focus was on ‘stakeholder analysis’ and on ‘designing a stakeholder participation plan’.
In 2010 I trained the staff of five Afghan NGOs on Value Chain Analysis, Agricultural Marketing and Business planning for cooperatives.
