Innovations in agriculture emerge from collective action, which accelerates the pace and enhances their impact on the agrifood sector and farming communities. Multi-actor engagement requires a systems approach to upscale innovations. Innovation outcomes such as increased agricultural productivity, sustainable management of natural resources, improved livelihoods, and food and nutrition security are largely dependent on the effectiveness and performance of agricultural innovation systems (AIS) and the real impact those brought to the farming community.

While an AIS perspective has been widely adopted by international development organizations and put in use by many countries, most of these countries have a long way to go towards having wellfunctioning AIS in which all subsystems, such as research, education and extension, and actors, both public and private, interact and collaborate effectively. There is therefore a need for an assessment of AIS and a proper diagnosis of the interrelations among different actors, institutions, policy and socio-economic environment at the country level – something which was recognized during the first International Symposium on Agricultural Innovation for Family Farmers, which took place on 21-23 November 2018 at FAO headquarters1 . The AIS assessment should generate evidence-based information for improved decision-making, and support the formulation of policy, by collecting quantitative and qualitative data and information on key features of AIS. Without adequate assessment of the properties and performance of an AIS and its sub-systems, such as the agricultural extension and advisory services (EAS), it is difficult for policy-makers and practitioners to design approaches, promote policies and investments that foster greater innovation in agriculture2 . Guidelines and methodologies are pertinent to assess the properties and performance of AIS and EAS. Furthermore, as countries face difficulties and capacity constraints to elaborate those methodologies and valorize the diagnosis’ findings by themselves, it becomes increasingly evident that a tailored global tool to assess agricultural innovation and support systems around it is thus needed.

Assessing or understanding the agriculture innovation system (AIS) is an essential step to better understand the needs, new skills and functions needed by the actors and the system. To accelerate the uptake of innovation and progress towards eradicating poverty, there is an urgent need for well-coordinated, demand-driven, and market-oriented information, knowledge, technologies and services.

This document includes a set of information, templates and resources that aim to assist agricultural Innovation systems actors, stakeholders, producers, farmers to develop and share impactful stories. It guides actors and organizations across all sectors in the innovation system to collect and document case studies, success stories, good practices and lessons learned from the project initiatives, trainings and others actions. It highlights scaling-up elements so that other actors can replicate these innovations with a view to scale-up, particularly the stakeholders and actors involved in the DeSira project, through knowledge exchange and sharing.

This toolkit – made available in English, French and Spanish – will be promoted as practical guidance to assist in the implementation of the national seed strategies. It will provide a number of practical capacity building tools for essential stages of the seed value chain and targeted primarily at seed sector practitioners who will participate in special training workshops to acquire pertinent technical knowledge and will be expected in return to create a multiplier effect through further follow-up FFS trainings down to the level of seed traders and farmers. In doing so, the toolkit will be used as guidance for conducting country-led workshops and other training activities aimed at strengthening quality seed delivery systems and seed regulatory mechanisms in selected countries. The development of capacity in the production of high quality seeds, the seed replacement rates, true seed cost and realistic seed pricing mechanisms as well as the role of different stakeholders are of critical importance in the process of the formulation of national seed policies, which is one of the core areas of FAO’s delivery at the national level.

This toolkit – made available in English, French and Spanish – will be promoted as practical guidance to assist in the implementation of the national seed strategies. It will provide a number of practical capacity building tools for essential stages of the seed value chain and targeted primarily at seed sector practitioners who will participate in special training workshops to acquire pertinent technical knowledge and will be expected in return to create a multiplier effect through further follow-up FFS trainings down to the level of seed traders and farmers. In doing so, the toolkit will be used as guidance for conducting country-led workshops and other training activities aimed at strengthening quality seed delivery systems and seed regulatory mechanisms in selected countries. The development of capacity in the production of high quality seeds, the seed replacement rates, true seed cost and realistic seed pricing mechanisms as well as the role of different stakeholders are of critical importance in the process of the formulation of national seed policies, which is one of the core areas of FAO’s delivery at the national level.

This toolkit – made available in English, French and Spanish – will be promoted as practical guidance to assist in the implementation of the national seed strategies. It will provide a number of practical capacity building tools for essential stages of the seed value chain and targeted primarily at seed sector practitioners who will participate in special training workshops to acquire pertinent technical knowledge and will be expected in return to create a multiplier effect through further follow-up FFS trainings down to the level of seed traders and farmers. In doing so, the toolkit will be used as guidance for conducting country-led workshops and other training activities aimed at strengthening quality seed delivery systems and seed regulatory mechanisms in selected countries. The development of capacity in the production of high quality seeds, the seed replacement rates, true seed cost and realistic seed pricing mechanisms as well as the role of different stakeholders are of critical importance in the process of the formulation of national seed policies, which is one of the core areas of FAO’s delivery at the national level.

This toolkit – made available in English, French and Spanish – will be promoted as practical guidance to assist in the implementation of the national seed strategies. It will provide a number of practical capacity building tools for essential stages of the seed value chain and targeted primarily at seed sector practitioners who will participate in special training workshops to acquire pertinent technical knowledge and will be expected in return to create a multiplier effect through further follow-up FFS trainings down to the level of seed traders and farmers. In doing so, the toolkit will be used as guidance for conducting country-led workshops and other training activities aimed at strengthening quality seed delivery systems and seed regulatory mechanisms in selected countries. The development of capacity in the production of high quality seeds, the seed replacement rates, true seed cost and realistic seed pricing mechanisms as well as the role of different stakeholders are of critical importance in the process of the formulation of national seed policies, which is one of the core areas of FAO’s delivery at the national level.

This toolkit – made available in English, French and Spanish – will be promoted as practical guidance to assist in the implementation of the national seed strategies. It will provide a number of practical capacity building tools for essential stages of the seed value chain and targeted primarily at seed sector practitioners who will participate in special training workshops to acquire pertinent technical knowledge and will be expected in return to create a multiplier effect through further follow-up FFS trainings down to the level of seed traders and farmers. In doing so, the toolkit will be used as guidance for conducting country-led workshops and other training activities aimed at strengthening quality seed delivery systems and seed regulatory mechanisms in selected countries. The development of capacity in the production of high quality seeds, the seed replacement rates, true seed cost and realistic seed pricing mechanisms as well as the role of different stakeholders are of critical importance in the process of the formulation of national seed policies, which is one of the core areas of FAO’s delivery at the national level.

This toolkit – made available in English, French and Spanish – will be promoted as practical guidance to assist in the implementation of the national seed strategies. It will provide a number of practical capacity building tools for essential stages of the seed value chain and targeted primarily at seed sector practitioners who will participate in special training workshops to acquire pertinent technical knowledge and will be expected in return to create a multiplier effect through further follow-up FFS trainings down to the level of seed traders and farmers. In doing so, the toolkit will be used as guidance for conducting country-led workshops and other training activities aimed at strengthening quality seed delivery systems and seed regulatory mechanisms in selected countries. The development of capacity in the production of high quality seeds, the seed replacement rates, true seed cost and realistic seed pricing mechanisms as well as the role of different stakeholders are of critical importance in the process of the formulation of national seed policies, which is one of the core areas of FAO’s delivery at the national level.

This publication on Fall Armyworm in Asia: A Guide for Integrated Pest Management is intended as a comprehensive IPM-based technical guide that can be used as an up-to-date decision support tool for sustainable management of the pest, especially in the maize-based cropping systems in Asia. Development of a comprehensive IPM-based manual was identified as one of the high-priority interventions during the Stakeholders Consultation Workshop on Fall Armyworm Management in Asia, organized jointly by USAID, CIMMYT, ICRISAT, CGIAR Research Program on Maize (MAIZE), and CGIAR Research Program on Grain Legumes and Dryland Cereals (GLDC), at ICRISAT, Hyderabad, India (May 1-3, 2019).

CIMMYT, as the main implementing partner, sincerely acknowledges the funding support received from U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), under the Feed the Future initiative, and from the CGIAR Research Program on Maize (MAIZE), to make this publication possible.

This publication is the result of contributions of experts from several institutions to whom we express our deep appreciation. While formulating various chapters in this manual, the authors considered relevant lessons from dealing with FAW in both Asia and Africa, recognizing on the one hand the inherent differences in the Asian and African farming contexts and landscapes, and on the other hand the possible commonalities when it comes to interventions against transboundary pests like FAW.