Nile+4+Meeting-+October+29,+2010


 * MINUTES OF N4 MEETING **

**Date:** October 29, 2010

**Participants:** Amare H/Selassie Charlotte Macalister Kinde Getnet Mathew McCartney Solomon Seyoum Tseday Ayalew

**Venue:** IWMI Meeting Room

The objective of the meeting is to brief each other on the overall current status of the project and look into its establishment as well. Charlotte, as the successor leader of the project, started the meeting with asking if everyone has understood the difference between the designed Gant chart and the OLM. She also requested if participants can share their understanding of their individual respective roles and responsibilities. ** The following points were noted during the discussion: **  · In the assigned person’s list replacement should be made for Seleshi with Charlotte, and Mastewal with Kinde  · The project establishment is at its earliest stage now that there is ample chance to discuss and create better link with other Nile projects  · Basic and useful lessons could be derived and utilized from previous projects like CP19 and BMZ  · It is important to define individuals’ strength and resource so that it will be possible to know who can contribute what resource to what outcome. ** Accordingly in the subsequent discussion it was identified that: **  · Dr. Amare will be contributing to the livestock and crop water productivity where N2 will provide the data to N4. N2 should be going to the detailed practice like the Biomass measurement while N4 is going to do only the remote sensing approach which on the other hand will be linked with N3. Note was made that it is important to link the N4 part with SEI’s Blue-Green Water study in which ILRI is also going to involve.  · Emphasis was given that N2 should go as detailed as plot level data, deeper to farms than just catchments which may require more instrumentations. As the data is essential for N4 it was highlighted that it is also high time now to know if this is not possible to be done with N2 so that alternative ways of doing it with N4 could be looked into.  · However N2 has also indicated that there is considerable budget constraint to do all the research needed buying the essential instruments and etc. The planned research is aimed to produce result that can be used as a resource for further engagement and also may be the basis to write proposals that may attract funding.  · Similarly N4 will have common subset with N3 regarding RWM interventions. Note was made that the project doesn’t have adequate budget on this area and therefore planned to collaborate with other organizations like SLM/ILRI.  · Suggestion was given on the possibility of using PhD and MSc students to do the field work whose research may exactly fit with what is needed in the project. Therefore exploring opportunities was marked as one important engagement.  · The situation was assessed from the Research Economics perspective which is focused at looking at the impact on livelihood. It was noted that the link between the level of work on grass root data on water and the other level on livestock and crop is very essential to the work on livelihood where qualitative modeling will be established. Therefore how to use the quantitative data to build the qualitative modeling and see the impact is a concern. Towards this end the linkage between the three levels in a way of feeding each other both in hydrology-Livestock-Livelihood and the reverse direction is said to be very important.  · As all participants have agreed at this point assignment is given to Dr. Kindie Getnet to draw a sketch/conceptual framework on how to build the required interaction. Using the different understanding of individuals and the initial diagram designed by Dr. Deborah Bossio could be used as a starting point.  · Clear distinction among the Nile projects and the link with each other was also a point of discussion. Overlaps and common areas are observed in various issues. A meeting is to be called with all Nile project members to have a common understanding.  · Communication was the other point mentioned. Suggestion was to use to use the already established Wiki on a regular basis. Training shall be organized to new staffs on how to use it. ** Action Points **  · Call a meeting with all Nile project members to clear on individual project tasks and responsibilities.  · Design a work plan, maximum in the coming two months, which will clear the OLM and individual assignments.  · Charlotte will discuss Ranjitha and Don’s role with Ranjitha. <span style="display: block; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.2in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .2in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.2in;"> · Amare and Teklu will work together on productivity issue. <span style="display: block; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.2in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .2in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.2in;"> · Mathew, Solomon and Charlotte will work on the hydrological aspect. Both shall be linked with SEI and Cornell on modeling, technical parameters, and data.