AGRF 2019. Official release of the the Scaling Up Sourcebook

5 September 2019. 3 - 6 September 2019. The African Green Revolution Forum 2019.

The African Development Bank (AfDB) in collaboration with Purdue University have launched a sourcebook on scaling up agricultural innovations, summarizing key insights, tools, examples, and references on designing for scale, assessing scalability, financing the scaling process, and the effective use of partnerships to support scaling.

This sourcebook, distilling the incredible expertise, groundbreaking innovations, and examples of successful scale on display at Purdue University in September 2018, will surely serve as a valuable guide for those driven by the imperative to revolutionize African agriculture. AfDB has launched a $1 billion initiative called “Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation” (TAAT)—in collaboration with our partners at the World Bank, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), and others. The Scale Up Sourcebook is set to accelerate initiatives that in turn scale up agricultural innovations such as TAAT and many more. Dr Akinwumi Adesina, President AfDB

"Most organizations live in a donor project world where accountability is complex and where reward for a good project is another project. As a result, we get smaller projects chasing large-scale transformations. Delivery at scale is not a gigantic project or a series of projects. We need to plan for millions, not thousands; for uncontrolled, not controlled, settings; for generations, not for five years; and for addressing, not working around, political and market realities”. Larry Cooley, the co-author of the Scale Up Sourcebook

Scaling Models for Agricultural Transformation

This session at the AGRF was an opportunity to officially release the Scaling Up Sourcebook, which collects the key lessons, best practices, outstanding challenges and the way forward.

• Mrs. Jennifer Blanke, Vice-President, Agriculture, Human and Social Development, African Development Bank
• Mr. Gerald Shively, Associate Dean and Director of International Programs in Agriculture, Purdue University
• Mr. Larry Cooley, President Emeritus of Management Systems International, and Curator of Global Community of Practice on Scaling Up Development Outcomes
• H.E. Jakaya Kikwete, Former President of Tanzania
• Amb. Ertharin Cousin, Distinguished Fellow, Global Agriculture, Chicago Council on Global Affairs
• Dr. Julie Howard, Adviser (Non-resident), Center for Strategic and International Studies
• Dr. Simeon Ehui, Regional Director, Sustainable Development for Africa, World Bank
• Dr. Nteranya Sanginga, Director General, IITA
• Mr. Khalid Bomba, CEO, Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation
• Mr. Stefan Schmitz, Federal Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Germany
• Hon. Moulaye Ahmed Boubacar, Minister of Agriculture, Mali

Advancing the Continental Agenda – Partners Commitments

• H.E. Ban Ki Moon, Co-Chair, Global Commission on Adaptation
• Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, President, African Development Bank
• Dr. Elwyn Grainger-Jones, Executive Director, CGIAR System Organization
• Mrs. Reeta Roy, President, Mastercard Foundation
• Mr. Qu Dongyu, Director General, FAO
• Dr. Gilbert Houngbo, President, IFAD

Related PAEPARD blog post
The Scale Up Sourcebook is informed and inspired by the September 2018 conference, Innovations in Agriculture: Scaling Up to Reach Millions, organized by Purdue University, in partnership with the African Development Bank.

The Sourcebook consolidates, extends, and disseminates some of the scaling insights presented at the Purdue conference. It is intended as an easy-to-use guidebook targeted to a broad and diverse audience of stakeholders associated with scaling agricultural technologies and innovations to meet the needs of the world’s poor. 

The Sourcebook has following chapters: 

1. designing with scale in mind; 
2. assessing scalability; 
3. using commercial markets to drive scaling; 
4. financing the transition to scale; 
5. creating an enabling environment for scale; 
6. tailoring metrics, monitoring, and evaluation to support sustainable outcomes at scale; 
7. and the critical role of intermediary and donor organizations. 

The Sourcebook provides guidance, tips, and examples, along with links and references to additional resources on scale up.