SASI FP
Systems Analysis for Sustainable Innovations Flagship Project
The SASI flagship acts at the interface between the technology generation and value chain (VC) transformation flagships. To ensure integration of the various components, SASI takes a whole-systems perspective looking at livestock and fish value chains as coupled socio-ecological systems (with interconnected human, bio-physical and socio-economic elements) that are operating in a wider regional and global context. In brief, the SASI flagship will enable the program to understand complex value chain system dynamics and help ensure that interventions and innovations developed in the animal health, genetics and feed & forages technology flagships are responding to the demands emanating from the VCs and that they are combined and positioned so that transformative, gender-sensitive, sustainable, pro-poor system change is stimulated. Through the VCTS flagship these integrated innovations will be tested, evaluated and adapted in a variety of real-world context. Thereafter SASI takes the lessons from the different VCs and further analyzes and presents them within a global perspective. It consolidates the understanding and learning from the VCT experience with the aim of creating regional and global knowledge and international public goods (IPGs).
In SASI’s view, livestock and fish VCs are complex systems in which natural resources, humans, animals, markets, and infrastructure interact with an aim of sustainably and equitably providing food, nutrition and income to a wide array of stakeholders. The technology platforms (animal health, genetics, feeds and forages) conduct in-depth research on the core livestock/fish technical component of the system. In order to get an overall picture, the SASI flagship complements this with (i) in-depth component research on value chain economics, nutrition, gender and environment and natural resources, (ii) whole-system analysis focusing on the interactions between the components and with its environment. As the program ultimately aims at transforming L&F VCs towards improved performance, we also need a better understanding of the processes through which the integrated innovations can be stimulated and thus brought to scale. SASI will therefore direct some of its research efforts to innovation systems research. Methodologically, systems analysis entails a multi-stage and iterative process of (i) diagnosis, (ii) identification of alternative solutions, (iii) evaluation of alternatives, and (iv) selection of the preferred solution. Holistic diagnosis and integrated intervention design thus form the core of the SASI flagship. Based on information and data from the target VCs, assessments of constraints and opportunities will be undertaken and inform research priorities in the technology platforms and the identification of initial best-bet solutions to be targeted to and implemented in each of the VCs. Multi-scale and multi-dimensional ex-ante assessments of these potential interventions in value chain systems will be undertaken. SASI will assess how actions within value chain systems might generate impacts at the local as well as wider regional and global scales. At the same time, it will examine how external megatrends (e.g. global market prices, climate change, and urbanization) might over time impact value chain functioning for different stakeholders. This information will be used to prioritize integrated intervention strategies that will be tested, monitored and adapted by the Value Chain Transformation (VCT) flagship. Knowledge generated through that process will in turn feedback in refined ex-ante assessments and priority setting. As such, SASI will continuously support integrated intervention targeting with an aim to improve the target value chain functioning in the interests of poor women and men engaged in the value chains.
The work is organised in three clusters:
1. the "system component research" cluster: - Nutrition ILRIs strategy for food and nutrition security through animal-source foods ASF
- Environment - VC transformation - Innovation systems - Gender (The gender initiative has been provided a "home" under SASI; more info here: Gender Initiative Page)
2. systems analysis - Diagnosis (VC assessments, foresight analysis, contextual data) - Design (best-bet selection, targeting&scaling, ex-ante modeling)
3. MEL - TOC - Evaluations etc - Documentation of learning
Documents
File:GHG-Soil Rcalculator_v1.pdf
File:cropsyst_vba_documentation.pdf
2016 Planning: File:SASI2016_150714.pdf
2014 draft of the SASI Strategy & Implementation Plan: File:SIP SASI v1.docx
2014 SASI POWB File:Logframe SASI 20141111.xlsx
Presentation for SPAC here
