Ingredients of a Successful Project : Donor's Vision, Demand-Driven Research, and People's Readiness
How do you judge the impact of a project ? By relying on facts and figures, of course
Josephine's association with the project began in 1995, when ICRISAT staff at the Kiboko Research Station, Kenya, gave her 4 kg of ICPL 87091 - a short-duration pigeonpea variety developed by the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) and ICRISAT. The variety is proving popular with women farmers as both grain and fresh peas. Josephine multiplied the seed and sold the 150-kg harvest in 1-kg lots to neighboring farmers. The following year, seeing the tremendous demand for seed, she convinced over 150 women's groups in the area to join her in seed multiplication. Recognizing her potential, the project invited her to participate in a training course at ICRISAT-Patancheru on pigeonpea processing and utilization. She learnt about traditional and modern dehulling methods used in India, including how to use a stone or hand mill (chakki) and about the nutritional and food quality aspects of pigeonpea. Since then, Josephine has served as a resource person for many similar courses held in the region. Josephine is only one of the hundreds of pigeonpea farmers, food technologists, and
national program scientists who have benefited from the project and - more importantly -
have contributed in their turn to the crop's expansion and use. They are living examples
of what donor's vision combined with demand-driven research and people's readiness can
achieve in just 5 years. But what was the situation 5 years ago and why the thrust on
pigeonpea improvement? |
Sometimes, however, the laughter lines on
people's faces can tell you more about the success of a pro-ject than mere statistics. The
joint National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS)/ICRISAT Pigeonpea Improvement Project
for Eastern and Southern Africa - funded by the African Development Bank - is one such
example, although facts and figures also testify to its remarkable achievements. When the
project was launched in 1992, little did anyone imagine the kind of impact it would have a
few years later on the lives of people, especially women, in the region. But ask Josephine
Muli today, a Kenyan pigeonpea farmer and a shrewd businesswoman, about her experience and
she will overwhelm you with her enthusiasm. For her, the project has meant not only
prosperity, but also an opportunity to learn more about pigeonpea processing and to share
her knowledge with other farmers.
