Enhancing knowledge through partnerships: the case of CSISA-Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia

Together, everyone achieves more. In pursuit of integrating initiatives in cereals research, the Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA) project was launched to increase cereal yields, enhance natural resource management, and increase productivity. CSISA operates within the concept of 'hubs' - a hub location that served farm families and villages in an area covering all or parts of one or three districts in the four project target regions (India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan). Each hub brings together sets of partners to ensure widespread participation and serves as the main driver to ensure efficient and accurate delivery of technologies and information to farmers and other target stakeholders. Through the hubs, the CSISA project was able to: 1) train 32 stakeholders on the Cereal Knowledge Bank (CKB) in Jazipur, Bangladesh; develop direct-seeded rice brochures and bulletin with FAQs on conservation agriculture and resource-conserving technologies translated in Bengali; 2) train more than 250 agricultural professionals on the CKB across Indian hubs, 3) develop 2 leaflets on direct-seeded rice (DSR) and zero-tillage (ZT) wheat and distribute to users/farmers and field-level technicians, 4) train 14 public-private institutions and CSISA staff to conceptualize and develop print materials; and 5) develop 7 brochures (in English and Urdu), along with weed pictures and control measure. In addition, two Group Communication Workshops were organized in Delhi and Dhaka to train the public and private sector extension leaders on e-learning. Cereal knowledge was also synthesized in CKB through joint efforts with CIMMYT to ensure the quality control of the content, thereby fostering more effective extension methodologies and capacity. Finally a basket of cereal technologies-laser leveling, residue management, weed management, among others, were made available while ensuring that the technologies and approaches tailor-fit to the needs of the farmers, where needed.