A team of local researchers held a baseline dissemination workshop to present results from the baseline survey carried out by The Feed The Future Advancing Local Leadership Innovation And Network (All-In) research. The workshop aimed to facilitate policy dialogue and debate on how to improve the output market access of farming households in rural Nigeria. The workshop was organized in collaboration with the University of Ilorin, Ahmadu Bello University, Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Markets, Risk and Resilience, University of California, Davis, and the International Centre for Evaluation and Development (ICED).
Baseline dissemination and communication of research are considered as an integral part of any research project. They help in increasing the visibility of research outputs, public engagement in science and innovation, and confidence of society in research. Effective dissemination and communicaion are vital to ensure that the conducted research has a social, political or economic impact. They draw attention of governments and stakeholders to research results and conclusions, enhancing their visibility, comprehension, and implementation.
Generally speaking, the baseline dissemination allows Principal Investigators and other researchers to establish whether change at the outcome level has occurred or not. It also helps to inform and motivate stakeholders to pay attention to certain issues, increase their participation and provide justification for policy makers and donors for a project intervention.
It is in this vein that a number of Baseline Dissemination Workshops were held in Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Markets, Risks and Resilience's ALL-IN participating countries in 2022. One of such workshops was held in Abuja, Nigeria, which attracted 40 policy stakeholders and advisors, academics, researchers and representatives of civil society and farming, and the media. The baseline dissemination workshop presented results from the baseline survey with focus on Digital Literacy, Output Market Access, and Demand for Rural E-Commerce; carried out by Feed the Future Advancing Local Leadership Innovation Network (ALL-IN) research.
The specific objectives of the workshop were, among others, to:
