Fri, 03/11/2011

GIS Training Workshop on Agriculture Monitoring and Evaluation, ILRI, Nairobi 21^th-26^th February, 2011

Background

Increased investment in agriculture and food security has created a growing demand for credible and easily understandable information and analysis during the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of agriculture development strategies in Africa, especially in support of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP).

Spatial data management, analysis and presentation approaches facilitated by Geographical Information Systems (GIS) can provide dynamic insight into beneficiary targeting, donor coordination and impact evaluation. Programs mapped through GIS can be overlaid with population density, areas of surplus/deficit, current/potential trade flows, and agro-ecological zones to inform decision making and investment options. To take advantage of this technology, partners in the region must be equipped with the appropriate skills and tools to generate spatial mapping reports for analysis, advocacy and communication.

To meet this growing demand, the Regional Strategic Analysis and Knowledge Support System for Eastern and Central Africa (ReSAKSS-ECA) has been organizing several capacity building events in GIS training for agriculture monitoring and evaluation.

Recently, (Feb 21 26, 2011) ReSAKSS ECA organized a targeted and strategic training workshop on GIS for agricultural M&E and data collection, collation and management. Target participants were technical experts from various agriculture and rural development organizations in Eastern and Central Africa. They came from various organizations including:  government ministries and agencies, private sector, development agencies and their partners, research centers, universities, and regional organizations.

Expected outcomes in relation to CAADP M&E work

It is anticipated that the capacity generated by this kind of training will contribute to the creation of a  pool of agricultural M&E experts within the region with capacity to collect and manage spatially disaggregated data. Such  skills will be useful in the implementation of the CAADP M&E framework.

Access the GIS training workshop agenda here.