International Program

International Twinning Partnership Program

End of Program Final Report to CIDA, July 2011
Executive Summary of Final Report

The mandate of AIC's International Twinning Partnership Program (ITPP) is to establish long-term relationships of five to nine years with partners in developing countries. This allows adequate time for the development of effective working relationships, thorough analysis of needs and resources, and the planning and implementation of projects designed to ensure sustainability. The ultimate goal is to strengthen the partners' institutional capacity to maintain advances achieved as a result of the project. Extended time frames are most essential when projects include technical development and experimentation, demonstration and dissemination of techniques, and efforts to reach a critical mass of potential beneficiaries.

The management of ITPP projects is the responsibility of the partners, supported by volunteer project coordinators who are appointed and sponsored by their organizations/associations. This means that the overseas partner organizations are thoroughly involved in the design, delivery and monitoring of their projects. AIC believes this decentralized approach increases the chance of successful outcomes thereby ensuring a greater sense of ownership and accountability for project results, in-depth situational analysis and improved potential for sustainability.

Project selection is guided by approved AIC criteria that measure the degree to which the proposed project reflects ITPP goals and objectives. This criteria is available to AIC Members preparing project applications. Host country partner professional organizations must also illustrate how they plan to assume responsibility for their project to ensure eventual independence from external funding.

Since the inception of the ITPP, AIC's partners have demonstrated how regional and national networks can be used to promote change at the grass roots level (e.g. adopting new technologies based on appropriate, proven production methods). At the same time, many of these groups have been effective nationally in expanding public education and working for policy change.

In April 2006, AIC signed a new agreement with CIDA that provides for a five-year contribution. This new agreement provides for the continuation of the very strong community level work of the ITPP, while at the same time strengthening the capacity of partner organizations to have an impact at regional and national levels

Existing AIC partnerships in Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Vietnam, Ethiopia and in Ghana with both the horticultural and integrated crop and livestock projects are ongoing under the ITPP. The program is open to the development of new partnerships.

Information such as results, lessons learned and best practices regarding the ITPP are available to Members through regular newsletters and project summaries. For information on how to get involved, go to IADP and click on the topic headings.

Each of the ITPP projects includes elements to advance the program's gender equality objective, that being: "Women are active participants and beneficiaries of agricultural endeavours." Follow the links to learn more about gender equality within AIC and the ITPP.