This is a report of the proceedings of a workshop held at the Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI), Muguga, Kenya between April 24th and 28th 1995.
The workshop was organized by KEFRI in collaboration with IIBC and FAO. The workshop was funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Its objective was to institute the formation of an African Forest Pest Management Network.
The workshop participants were drawn from the departments of Forestry and Forestry Research Institutions and Universities from Ethiopia, Sudan, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, South Africa and Canada, the International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF), Kenya, FAO, IIBC and the International Mycological Institute (IMI).
The workshop was opened by Kenya's Minister for Research, Technical Training and Technology, Dr. Zachary Onyonka and closed by the Director of Forestry, Mr. Patrick Mung'alla. It was moderated by Mr. Stanley Mbagathi assisted by Mr. Kimani Njoroge both of GS Consult Nairobi.
The approach adopted for the workshop brainstorming was participatory and interactive. The premise was that nobody knows everything, everybody knows something and together we know more than a single individual.
The planning method applied during the workshop was the Logical Framework approach - Ziel Orientierte Projekt Planung (ZOPP) - Objectives Oriented Project Planning. The ZOPP method draws on the knowledge, ideas and experience contributed by team members and is widely used for improved planning and evaluation of projects. The proceedings of the workshop are documented within a given format utilizing specific instruments of analysis and project design and should be read in that context.
The workshop began with a presentation of relevant papers on networking eg. Asia Pacific Association of Forestry Research Institutions and African Forestry Research Networking among others.
The deliberations began by listing all those considered as being significant to the project, named as the stakeholders. Participants then retired into groups and made a detailed examination of these stakeholders focusing on five aspects:
- Their functions
- What they would expect from this project
- Their strengths
- Their weaknesses
- What degree of significance to the project should be attached to them
The findings of the group analysis were then presented in plenum for discussions and checked for validity. A detailed matrix showing the report of the working groups is included in the appendices.
Having identified the major players in a project detailed to address the issue of forest pests in the African region, the participants were able to look into the problem. Through a brainstorming exercise in plenum, the core problem was identified as:
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TREES, FORESTS, AND WOOD PRODUCTS ARE BEING DAMAGED BY PESTS COMMON TO MORE THAN ONE COUNTRY IN AFRICA |
The effects of this damage would result in tree mortality, environmental destruction and tree defects leading in turn to loss of biomass, erosion and loss of genetic resources.
The participants identified the immediate causes of the core problem as inadequate flow of information, inadequate resources, inadequate pest management and introduction of new pests. In a nominal group process these problems were analysed further so as to come up with major problems related to these areas and form a problem tree. The analysis detailing this problem tree is shown in the appendices.
The problem analysis was followed by an objectives analysis which describes a future situation that would exist if all the problems were solved. During this exercise, participants turned the problems into realistically achievable objectives and identified a variety of approaches that the network could pursue.
Following the analytical steps, the participants were able to go into a process of developing a project document. During this stage, they identified the overall goal or developmental objective of the network as:
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DAMAGE TO TREES, FORESTS, AND FOREST PRODUCTS BY PESTS CONTAINED WITHIN ECONOMICALLY, SOCIALLY AND ENVIRONMENTALLY ACCEPTABLE LEVELS |
The intermediate objective of the project ie. the project purpose was identified as:
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REGIONAL NETWORK FOR EFFECTIVE AND SUSTAINABLE PEST MANAGEMENT ESTABLISHED |
The immediate objective of the project was identified as:
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REGIONAL COORDINATION MECHANISM FOR PEST MANAGEMENT ESTABLISHED |
For closer scrutiny of the project purpose, the participants placed it in a Project Planning Matrix (PPM) and in groupwork, examined the critical factors necessary for its attainment. These were:
1. The results/outputs;
2. The activities;
3. The important assumptions;
4. The Objectively Verifiable Indicators; and -
5. The Means of Verification
Major areas of outputs were in the establishment of a coordination and management system for the network, improvement of the information flow in the region, improvement of access to key resources of pest management, introduction of pest management systems where needed, minimization of the spread of pests and formulation and recommendation of appropriate pest management policies for the region. Activities for the attainment of these outputs were drawn and placed in the PPM.
Every project is faced with some external factors which are crucial for its success and are not directly under the control of the management ie. Important Assumptions. Some of these were identified, for example, as continued funding and sustained commitment on the part of the networkers.
The participants were also concerned about the indicators for the achievement of the objectives and their sustainability. Different levels of indicators were identified and placed in the PPM.
The data sources for verifying the achievement of the objectives ie. the Means of Verification, were identified for each of the indicators and placed in the PPM.
In a brainstorming session in plenum, the participants decided that the name of the network to undertake this task be the African Pest Management Network for Eastern, Central and 'Southern Africa. Overall direction will be provided to the network via a steering committee that would meet every two years. The day to day affairs of the network would be run by an Executive Committee headed by an Executive Secretary. The workshop settled on Kenya as the seat of the Network's Secretariat.
A Task Force comprising the Directors of the Forestry Research Institutions in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania and representatives from FAO and the IIBC was appointed to oversee the task of establishing the secretariat, pursuing funding and convening the first meeting of the Steering Committee.
Using the results of the project document, the goals, objectives, activities etc. and the agreement on the organizational structure of the network, it was now possible to draw a Charter of the network. The articles of the draft charter are given on page 60 of this report.
The workshop ended with an informal evaluation. Overall, it was evaluated as a success.
