Tips for effective advocacy: lessons from the Open Forum on Agricultural from the Open Forum on Agricultural

Biotechnology in Africa

Sinnovent Policy Change Workshop: Feb 14, 2013

Presentation Outline

• About AATF• About OFAB• What is advocacy• What is advocacy• Purpose of Advocacy• Key advocacy techniques• Key Biotech advocacy stakeholders• Effective advocacy tips• Discussions

About AATFAbout AATF

These people These people These people These people represent the represent the represent the represent the many others many others many others many others we work withwe work withwe work withwe work with

United by desire to eradicate poverty and ensure food

They have different backgrounds

and ensure food security in SSA

AATF facilitates their working together –towards prosperous farmers and a food secure SSA

About AATF

AATF is a not-for profit organization that facilitates public-private partnerships to access and deliver appropriate agricultural access and deliver appropriate agricultural technologies for use by resource-poor farmers in sub-Saharan Africa

Vision - Prosperous farmers and a food secure Africa

AATF Vision & Mission

Mission - Access and deliver appropriate agricultural technologies for sustainable use by smallholder farmers in SSA

Current AATF activities (con’t)

4. Protecting banana from banana bacterial wiltDeveloping Xanthomonas wilt-resistant transgenic banana from East African germplasm, using two genes found in sweet pepper, namely pflpand hrap

5. Biological control of AflatoxinUsing bio-control product, Aflasafe, with holistic strategies to address Using bio-control product, Aflasafe, with holistic strategies to address aflatoxin problems in maize and peanuts

6. Improving rice productivityDeveloping rice varieties with Nitrogen-Use Efficency, Water-Use Efficiency, and Salt Tolerant Traits; hybrid rice

7. Cassava mechanisationBrokering access to mechanisation and agro-processing equipment for development and use in Africa, accelerating harvesting and processing

Enabling Activities

• Public awareness: Case of Open Forum for Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAB)• enhances knowledge-sharing and awareness of

biotechnology • contributes to building an enabling environment for

decision making on agricultural biotechnology in Africadecision making on agricultural biotechnology in Africa

• Trends monitoring• R&D Priorities• Regulations for GM crops• Evolution of Seed Systems• IP policy and legislation

TechProvider

TechProvider

Field testing & Trait introgression

Transfor-mation

LicensingNegotiation

PPP in Action – MR -Cowpea

Monsanto CSIRO

NARS: IAR, INERA & CSIR

AATF KHTrustKH

TrustProject Co-ordination

Project Co-ordination

F F F F F F

Seed Multiplicationand Distribution

Regulatory ComplianceCommunication & outreach

On farm demonstrationConsumer acceptanceSeed distribution systemsProduct stewardship

NARS, NGOs, Seed Co., CBO

NGICA

TrustTrust

About OFAB

AIM - To enhance knowledge-sharing and awareness on biotechnology that will – raise understanding and appreciation of agricultural

biotechnology and – contribute to building an enabling environment for – contribute to building an enabling environment for

decision making

OFAB is expected to ensure that quality knowledge is disseminated to both policy makers and the larger public through provision of factual information

OFAB Vision, Mission & Objectives

Vision: A food secure Africa where agricultural biotechnology is making significant contributions

Mission: To enhance knowledge-sharing and Mission: To enhance knowledge-sharing and awareness on agricultural biotechnology that will raise understanding and appreciation of the technology and contribute to building an enabling environment for informed and timely decision-making

OFAB Objectives

The objectives of OFAB are to:• establish and manage a range of platforms to enhance

understanding of biotechnology in agriculture for productivity;

• contribute to informing policy decision making processes on matters of agricultural biotechnology through provision on matters of agricultural biotechnology through provision of factual, well researched and scientific information;

• forge strategic alliances for optimization of resources through convening and encouraging inter-institutional networking and knowledge sharing in the agricultural biotechnology space;

• enhance targeted capacity strengthening that will improve communication across all sectors interested in biotech for Africa’s development.

Management Model

� OFAB is managed through collaborative efforts between AATF & like minded institutions supported by a Programming Committee (PC).

� Roles of PC include: • Provide strategic direction to the country chapter• Provide strategic direction to the country chapter• Development of strategic plans• Events planning and management• Development of action plans and budgeting

� Host institution serves as the secretariat� The PC is made up of representatives from different

relevant institutions.

OFAB Chapters and Hosts

OFAB AFRICA

OFABGhanaCSIR

OFABUgandaUNCST

OFABKenyaISAAA

OFAB AFRICA

AATF

CSIR UNCST

OFAB Tanzania

COSTECH

OFABNigeriaNABDA

OFABBurkina Faso

INERA

ADVOCACY TIPS: ADVOCACY TIPS: LESSONS FROM OFAB

What is advocacy?

For OFAB advocacy simply means: �Actively supporting a worthy cause, and

trying to get others to support it as well �Speaking up in an organized manner to �Speaking up in an organized manner to

drawing attention to an important policy issue

�Taking deliberate steps to influence policy making process

Purpose of Advocacy

With regards to biotech in Africa, the following are main purposes of advocacy are to: • Promote biosafety and biotechnology legal,

regulatory and policy change, • Promote acceptance and uptake of biotech • Promote acceptance and uptake of biotech

products • Counter propaganda spread by groups and

individuals opposing application of the technology and use of its products

Key advocacy techniques

The following are some of the advocacy techniques used by OFAB

• Informing • Dialoguing• Dialoguing• Sensitizing• Petitioning • Mobilizing • Negotiating • Pressuring

Key biotech advocacy targets

The following are the main categories of OFAB biotech advocacy program in Africa.�Decision makers (The Executive, Legislature

and Judiciary)�Beneficiaries (farmers, scientists, regulators, �Beneficiaries (farmers, scientists, regulators,

relief agencies, consumers, millers, industry)�Allies and partners (media, NGOs, donors,

RECs, industry)�Resistant groups (NGOs, media)

ADVOCACY TIPSADVOCACY TIPS

1. Advocacy is a daily activity

• Advocacy is not a one-time activity, rather it is a process.

• It is not a one-hundred meter dash to the finish line.

• It is more akin to a cross-country marathon race • It is more akin to a cross-country marathon race full of ups and downs.

For example, it took Kenya almost a decade to pass the Biosafety Bill into law, meaning ten years of sustained advocacy campaign

2. Gather policy and political information

Before you begin your advocacy initiative, it is vi tal to: � Have clear understanding of how key institutions

work (parliament, ministries, AG, media)� Identify decision/policy makers to target� Identify decision/policy makers to target� Build a network of supporters (Netmapping,

stakeholder mapping)� Gather all the necessary information you need on

the issue� Develop a media strategy� Develop an advocacy strategy� Have a budget to implement the strategies

3. Assess risks

�The more you understand the socio-political context in which you operate, the less likely you are to make a costly strategic mistake.

�In Tanzania for example, OFAB learnt that quiet that includes dialoging, informing, sensitizing and that includes dialoging, informing, sensitizing and negotiating is more acceptable to policy makers than mobilizing the public and the media to pressurize the government.

�The same also works well in Uganda but in Kenya pressurizing and mobilizing works faster.

4. Develop specific goals

• The secret for success in advocacy is to always pursue a single goal at a time, e.g. enactment of biosafety law.

• Working towards one goal at a time helps to avoid the risk of spreading yourself too thin. avoid the risk of spreading yourself too thin.

• Focusing on one goal also helps you to avoid being viewed as a nuisance by policy makers

• Even so, one can still have small SMART objectives/activities that can be attained in the short or medium term

5. Cultivate strategic relationships

• Undertaking an advocacy is a team effort• It is best done through alliances and

friends• Globally, organizations supportive of and • Globally, organizations supportive of and

those opposed to modern biotechnology have combined forces to share synergies for maximum impact

• They organize activities including workshops conferences, demonstrations and seeing-is-believing tours

6. Identify and build key champions

Effective champions must be or have:�Trust worthy, � Integrity, �Credible, �Credible, �Supportive and committed to the cause�Knowledgeable

Netmapping can be used effectively to identify suitable champions

7. Be media savvy

• Developing media relations skills is essential to effective advocacy

• A good understanding of how the media work and utilizing that knowledge effectively is likely to make you more successful in getting likely to make you more successful in getting them to support your course.

• This is vital because the media’s agenda-setting and opinion-shaping role is well documented

• Cultivating media relations takes time and resources

Ghanaian Journalists display their DNA after extraction

8. Highlight benefits & cost of inaction

• To get policy makers to act positively, it is vital to highlight benefits of your cause and costs of failurefailure

• For instance, OFAB relies heavily on findings of socio-economic studies on the benefits of biotech crops for effective messaging

9. Maintain your focus

• In advocacy consistency and focus on one goal at a time always pay off.

• Never take your eyes off the prize even after winning : there are several adversaries who will never rest until they rob you of victory never rest until they rob you of victory

• Kenya biotech stakeholders’ strategic mistake was to celebrate too soon and let premature feelings of accomplishment :

• Results: Ban on GMO imports, Stringent regulation on labeling

10. Keep track of issues

• Plant your network members into state commissions, agencies and relevant international bodies.

• Designate associates as liaisons to commissions, agencies and bodies of interest commissions, agencies and bodies of interest to get prior information. E.g. OFAB Ghana chapter PC members also serve in the NBC

• Track activities of parliament, RECs, UN, gov’ts • Closely monitor media reporting on the issue

11. Be ready to tell your story

As an advocate you and your network must:�Be ready to tell your story on short notice�Prepare messages focused on positive

issues and benefits issues and benefits • A good example is a message map • Rule: APP (Anticipate, Prepare and

Practice)

Example of a message map

Thank youThank youwww.ofabafrica.orgwww.aatf-africa.org