Guide for training of facilitators of multi-actors agricultural innovation platforms

Book excerpt: Facilitation has proved crucial for enabling the interaction of Agricultural Innovation System (AIS) actors to address the target and to innovate. This “Guide on training of facilitators of multi-actor agricultural innovation platform” is aimed at serving facilitators when multi-actor agricultural innovation platforms (MAIPs) are organized. Since MAIPs are still an emerging concept, there are not many cases to refer to. This guide mainly summarizes the experiences from the implementation of MAIPs in permission, hazelnuts and honey value chains that FAO organized through the EU-funded project of Development of sustainable and inclusive local food systems in north-west region of Azerbaijan (GCP/AZE/014/EC) and STB initiatives. This guide is a guideline tool, rather than a textbook for training MAIPs facilitators. Facilitators should keep in mind that MAIPs advocate learning by doing, through practice. They should conduct MAIPs by referring to the training activities in this book instead of copying. Although the authors have tried their best to make this guide applicable to agricultural production and social development in various places, it is difficult to cover all the content. Therefore, MAIPs facilitators using this book are encouraged to give full play to creativity and develop training activities and methods sensitive to local characteristics and value chains.