Between 2008 and 2013 ASARECA coordinated and provided leadership in implementing a project called Dissemination of New Agricultural Technologies in Africa (DONATA) across 6 countries in eastern and central Africa. The approach in DONATA was the innovation platform for technology adoption (IPTA). At the start of the project, there were limited documented practical experiences and lessons from which to draw guidance for the implementing teams comprised of national agricultural research systems (NARS). Therefore, an inherent objective in the project was to document achievements, experiences and lessons learned on how the IPTA approach was used to disseminate technologies on orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) and quality protein maize (QPM).
The DONATA experiences, the synthesis of lessons and guiding principles presented in this book are therefore a contribution to the growing body of knowledge on the application of innovation platforms and value chain framework in agricultural research for development in the region. The information shows how the DONATA project teams used the AIS theoretical concepts to establish and manage innovation platforms to disseminate and scale out OFSP and QPM technologies. ASARECA envisages that stakeholders within the region will find the book useful in their efforts to increase the spread and impact of science and technology in smallholder agriculture.