Preparing graduates to improve institutional conditions for smallholder agricultural based innovation: experience from West Africa

The experience of CoS-SIS (2008-2014), an action research programme in West Africa (Benin, Ghana and Mali), could be of interest for Eastern, Central and Southern Africa. It focuses on implementing innovation platforms for improving the institutional arrangements that increase opportunities of smallholder farmers. In the countries where the programme is operating, it has been recognised as making a valuable contribution. The three partner universities in CoS-SIS are now involved in a curriculum development exercise that aims to build the insights and practices developed by the programme into their graduate studies. The paper describes the programme and its key outcomes, as well as the procedure followed in the curriculum development exercise.