To enable its research achieve more impact at scale, the Livestock and Fish CGIAR Research Program has put great effort in working together with global, regional and local partners. On 12 June 2014, Tom Randolph and Michael Peters, program director and program representative from CIAT respectively, met with the German International Cooperation Agency (GIZ) representatives to explore such partnership possibilities.

The meeting held at GIZ offices in Germany aimed to create some action partnerships between the program and the German agency. GIZ is an implementing organization and such a partnership would contribute to the program’s aim of translating research into use and achieving impact at scale. The CGIAR program on the other hand offers a great opportunity for GIZ to apply scientifically developed intervention packages to its work. The Livestock and Fish program aims to move beyond the ongoing case-by-case cooperation with GIZ and look for more strategic, long-term partnership potentials.

Presentations by Tom Randolph and Michel Bernhardt, Advisory Service on Agricultural Research for Development (GIZ-BEAF) structured the meeting discussion.

In his presentation, Randolph gave an overview of the program’s structure and outlined some of the reasons for partnering with GIZ:

• To tap into broad expertise and long experience related to livestock and aquaculture value chain development;
• Would allow the program to draw from GIZ successful strategies to validate and scale out in the program’s target value chains;
• To use GIZ projects as a mechanism for scaling out Livestock and Fish program research products;
• To create synergies with GIZ infrastructure and networks where geographical focus overlaps.

Michel Bernhardt, provided a review of GIZ and outlined potential areas of cooperation:

• GIZ as “uptaker“ and implementer of CGIAR innovations (scale!);
• Joint research and studies of CGIAR and GIZ;
• Joint program of research and development between CGIAR and GIZ (research in development, monitoring and evaluation, evidence-based development cooperation).

Bernhardt also reviewed some potential country-specific collaboration areas such as sustainable agriculture development, biodiversity, natural resource management and climate change in the program’s value chain countries including Ethiopia, Bangladesh and Nicaragua.

From the meeting, it was noted that there was a clear interest from both sides to engage stronger mutual partnerships. The development of more joint research projects in aquaculture/water management in Egypt and Bangladesh, livestock/eco-efficient agriculture in Nicaragua were some of the potential areas that both organizations would be keen on working on together.

People participating in the meeting included: Wolfgang Kasten (GIZ BEAF), Klaus Michel (GIZ BEAF), Carola von Morstein (GIZ Livestock), Kathrin Steinberg (GIZ Fisheries) and Kai Wiegler (GIZ Fisheries).