The project ‘Productivity and Growth in Organic Value Chains (ProGrOV) was launched in January 2011.
ProGrOV focuses on improving productivity and growth in existing organic value chains in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania through research addressing development of agro-ecological methods, governance and management of organic value-chains, and capacity development in participatory and interdisciplinary approaches.
The project is a collaboration between Makere University (Uganda), University of Nairobi (Kenya), Sokoine University (Tanzania), and Aarhus University and University of Copenhagen (Denmark). The national organic organizations from the three countries NOGAMU, KOAN and TOAM are also project participants. The project is coordinated by ICROFS.
ProGrOV is funded by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The project will address research and development issues through nine PhD and six MSc studies at the African Universities and supported by Danish researchers from Aarhus University and University of Copenhagen.
[Click the above model to enlarge]
Inception workshop
7-9 February, an Inception Workshop was held in Denmark. The supervisors from the five collaborating universities, the three representatives from the organic organizations and the coordinators met for the first time to plan the project implementation in detail.
The workshop was held partly at the University of Copenhagen and partly at Research Centre Foulum where the Faculty of Agriculture of Aarhus University and ICROFS are located.
First project training workshop
16-23 May, the project held its 1st Project Training Workshop in Uganda.
Participating in the workshop were the nine PhD and six MSc students from Makerere University in Uganda, University of Nairobi in Kenya, and Sokoine University of Tanzania and their supervisors from the three universities as well as Aarhus University and University of Copenhagen together with representatives from the organic organisations NOGAMU, TOAM and KOAN and the coordinators from ICROFS.
The workshop was the first occasion for all the participants to meet.
One of the aims of the workshop was to further develop the PhD and MSc studies and to ensure the relevance and integration of the studies according to the value chains and participatory approaches of the project.
At the workshop a broad spectrum of issues and research tools were presented and discussed to help familiarize the participants with organic value chains and appropriate research methodologies and interdisciplinary value chain approaches relevant for the project.
[Group photo from the first project training workshop in May 2011]
