January 15-19, 2018 - Regional Symposium

The Integrating Gender and Nutrition within Agricultural Extension Services (INGENAES) project in Sierra Leone supports the US Presidential Feed the Future Initiative, and it is led by the University of Illinois, USA, funded by the USAID and sub-awarded to Njala University (NU), Sierra Leone. The project is housed in the Department of Agricultural Extension and Rural Sociology, Njala University.

As a central engagement, the project help launch a Network of Extension Service Providers from the public, NGO and private sectors, and as a key contributor in scaling-up Gender and Nutrition sensitive approaches in the agricultural development agenda in Sierra Leone, the Network plays a critical role in improving extension programs, reducing gender gaps in agricultural extension services, increasing empowerment of women farmers, and improving Gender and Nutrition integration within Extension programs in order to serve women farmers. The Network has utilized peer-to-peer sharing of best practices and effective extension approaches, field trips, trainings, organizational self-assessments and other strengthening initiatives.

Traditional extension service delivery in the region has been faced with key challenges including lack of appropriate platform for extension practitioners to discuss issues; lessons learnt and share good practices. It is against this background that the Network is organizing a dynamic symposium with support from USAID and other partners to bring together extension stakeholders to focus in particular on how to promote gender and nutrition sensitive agricultural extension.

Theme and Sub themes

Promoting Gender and Nutrition Sensitive Approaches in Agricultural Extension

1. Generation and Transfer of Gender and Nutrition Sensitive Agricultural Technologies

2. Roles of ICTs in Agricultural Extension Services

3. Youth involvement and Agripreneurship in Agricultural Extension

Structure and Formats

The core days of the symposium will be Tuesday, January 16 to Thursday, January 18, with the opportunity for participants to take skill-building courses on the day after. A draft agenda will soon be posted.

Following the formal opening, there will be panel discussions, presentations and posters. These will be complemented with highly interactive sessions using Liberating Structures Facilitation techniques (see www.liberatingstructures.com) in larger and smaller groups. A share fair will provide the opportunity for organizations to show case their good work. There will also be field trips that participants can sign up for.

Objectives

1. To explore and showcase issues and strategies related to gender and nutrition in extension service delivery.

2. To facilitate networking, information and knowledge exchange in agricultural extension among extension service providers in the region.

3. To advocate and lobby to Government and other development partner to strengthening gender and nutrition sensitive approaches in agricultural extension

Participants: Participants shall primarily be Extension Service Providers from the Public, NGO and Private sectors working together to improve Gender and Nutrition within Agricultural Extension Services in the region. This will include public, private and civil society, Farmer Based Organizations, Community Based Organizations, Research and Educational Institutions, INGENAES Network Members, media, USAID, FAO, UKAID, GIZ, SUN, GoSL and other development partners.

Registration: Please register online via Eventbrite or complete the registration form below.

Language: The symposium will be conducted in English.

Input from Participants: A call for proposals shall be launched by September 30, 2017 through this website, Whatsapp groups and from the INGENAE’s office at the department of Extension and Rural Sociology, Njala University. Interested professionals in agricultural development are encouraged to submit proposals (Papers, stories, videos, posters etc.).

Side Events: These will include Group work, Share fare, Skill building workshops, Field trips and Cocktail + Dinner + Music. Partners, participants are invited to organize pre- and post side events. Outcomes of various pre- side events shall feed into symposium Week. Organizers of the side events will be fully responsible of the organisation of their event. Detailed program will include all planned and approved side events. Please, share your side event theme/Topic with the organizers prior the symposium week.

Registration Fee: There will be a registration fee of $50 (one fifty USD only) for International participant and Le 300,000 (Three Hundred thousand Leones only) for National Partners, which shall be paid before or during the symposium.

Organizers: INGENAES SL Coordination Team, Department of Agricultural Extension and Rural Sociology, School of Agriculture, Njala University and the UIUC University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Partners: Government of Sierra Leone, Sierra Leone Agricultural Research Institutes, WorldFish, GIZ, European Union etc.

For further information, please contact:

Mrs. Makalay Saidiatu Sonda, INGENAES Project Co-Coordinator at makalaysaidiatu2017@gmail.com, +23278557412/+23280296508