Country Fora bring together a wide range of actors involved in or benefiting from agricultural advisory services (AAS) in the member countries. This therefore means that CF are not simply associations of AAS providers but they embrace all the actors involved in agricultural value chains including farmers, policy makers, agricultural input providers, consumers and agro-processors.

1. AFAAS-IFAD
COUNTRIES
• Burkina Faso
• Mozambique
• Malawi
• Sierra Leone
• Uganda

2. STATUS
• Established at different levels
• Burkina
• Malawi-MaFAAS –(Before IFAD)
• Mozambique- proposed name-MoFAAS integrated
with PIAIT (USAID) platform
• Sierra Leone – as SLeFAAS –(Before IFAD), not yet
a legal entity, but recognized by gov’t
• Uganda-as UFAAS –(Before IFAD), legal entity

3. STATUS
Legality
• Burkina-Not yet registered
• Malawi-registration in progress
• Mozambique- integrated with PIAIT (USAID) platform
• Sierra Leone –not yet a legal entity, recognized by
gov’t, will be registered as an autonomous body
• Uganda- Registered in January 2013 a member
organization

4. STATUS
Institutional Development
National Steering Committee (NSCs)
• Malawi, Sierra Leone, Uganda have NSCs
• Burkina-Not sure
• Mozambique- Project Mgt Team (PMT)
Host Institutions(HIs)
• Sierra Leone, Mozambique and Burkina- Hosted by
Ministries of Agriculture.
• Malawi-Farm Radio trust
• Uganda- Host institution identified (NAADS),
discussions in progress

5. STATUS
Institutional Development
Focal Persons(FPs)
• All FPs appointed and implementing activities
•Burkina –Thio
•Malawi-Paul Fatch
•Mozambique-Licinia Cossa
•Sierra Leone-David Suale
•Uganda –Beatrice Luzobe

6. Activity Progress
Establishing and strengthening CFs
Sensitization meeting
• Burkina –……
• Malawi- National Sensitization Workshop done
• Mozambique-Sector cluster sensitization meetings on
going, National planned for 22nd
August
• Sierra Leone- National Sensitization Workshop done
• Uganda –1st
National Sensitization Workshop done
(b4 IFAD), planning regional (Aug-Sept) and 2nd
National Sensitization Workshop (Oct’13)

7. Activity Progress
Establishing and strengthening CFs
AAS stakeholders and institutional analysis
• Burkina –……
• Malawi- Done –(Before IFAD)
• Mozambique- Doing a baseline survey (under PSP in
42 districts)
• Sierra Leone-done –(Before IFAD), done 2nd
in May
‘13
• Uganda –Leone-done –(Before IFAD), planning
regional in Aug-Sept

8. Activity Progress
Establishing and strengthening CFs
Development of Multi stakeholder institutions
• Burkina –……
• Malawi- Thematic teams, tech. advisory board, GA
• Mozambique- Planning a meeting in September
• Sierra Leone- General Meeting in December for
lesson learning and launch of SLeFAAS
• Uganda –Planning a National Stake holders
Conference in October’13 ( Lesson learning/ sharing,
AGM, Innovation exhibition)

9. Activity Progress
Establishing and strengthening CFs
Strategic development
• Burkina………….
• Malawi- Strategic plan in place (before IFAD),
• Mozambique- On going with the Tech. Advisor CF
• Sierra Leone- TORs for developing the strategic and
operational plan, Looking for a consultant
• Uganda –Strategic plan in place (before IFAD),
developing the operational plan and financial policy
• Non validated yet

10. Activity Progress
Communication, Information and Knowledge
Management (CIKM)
AFAAS Website and Virtual Platform Roll-out
• All have a webpage on AFAAS website
• SL, MW, Ug trained on use of platform
• Specifics
•Burkina and Mozambique-identified resource
persons but still with Language problem
•Mozambique- Have operational website (
www.dnea-psp.com.mz )
•Sierra Leone- Identified a resource person among
members to handle the CIKM issues
•Uganda –Established a website (

11. Activity Progress
Communication, Information and Knowledge
Management (CIKM)
CIKM Planning
• All attended the planning workshop
•Reviewing the institutional development of the Country Fora
within the context of CIKM
•The use of the AFAAS website and how it can be rolled out
and used in the CF
•The virtual social networking platform it can be rolled out
and used in the CF
•Developing criteria, tools and a work plan for identification
of innovative AAS approaches
•Validating the CIKM needs assessment tools and developing
a CIKM needs assessment work plan;

12. Activity Progress
CIKM…
Supporting National AAS innovations
• Burkina………….
• Malawi- Did an Inventory on 5 AAS innovations( farmer-
farmer extension, Belt farming, Host farmer syst. etc
• Mozambique- 3 AAS innovations (Biological control
of DBM, Awards for the best farmers and ext agents,
PHM)
• Sierra Leone- Did an inventory of 11 AAS innovations
and selected 2 AAS for AFAAS week (Plant Health
Clinics and Agribusiness Centre (ABCs )-by Ministry
• Uganda –Did an Inventory on 14 AAS innovations
with HI, presenting 1 at AFAAS Week (Farmer

13. Activity Progress
Others
• Burkina………….
• Malawi- MaFAAS Library, Colledge chapters
• Mozambique- ……………..
• Sierra Leone- ……………..
• Uganda –Dialogue on extension policy

14. Challenges
General
• No IFAD reporting format from AFAAS
• No MOUs signed (with HIs + Tripartite)
• CIKM budget not yet reviewed by secretariat
• CIKM needs assessment not yet done

15. Challenges
Specifics
• Burkina- Language barrier
• Malawi- Funding not matching activities
• Mozambique- Language barrier, no prior assessment
of the country situation by AFAAS, funds
Sierra Leone- Internal and external communications as the
CF is yet new, Human resources and funding
Uganda –intensive activities for the Focal/desk Person,
MOU with HI, funds for country mobilization to bring
upcountry actrors , advocacy

16. Way forward
General
• IFAD reporting format from AFAAS –End of August
• MOUs signed (with HIs + Tripartite)- End of August
• CIKM budget reviewed by secretariat
• CIKM needs assessment - End of August
• Finalize CIKM strategy and plan

17. Way Forward
Specifics
• Burkina-
• Malawi-
•Collection of membership fees
• Mozambique-
•Sort out language issue with AFAAS
Sierra Leone-
• Develop the CF strategy and implementation plans
• Legalize CF by finalizing the draft constitution and proceed
with registration for government recognition
Uganda
-National Conference