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Planning Meeting for the Countrywide Events, Fortified
Compost and Innovator Program Activities for 2005/06
Introduction
FORMAT is pleased to inform you that it has received funding from
The Rockefeller Foundation to conduct several events, and continue
the fortified composting network and innovator award activities for
another year. The planning meeting will be held on 5 - 6 September
2005 at The Village Market Conference Room at
9.00 a.m.
Following the planning meeting, we will post an advert in the Daily
Nation announcing the dates and venues of the countrywide events so
that members of the public interested in participating may apply.
While we leave the discretion of selecting the participants to you,
please note that emphasis should be placed on exhibits that
highlight innovation in organic resource management with regard to
improving food security for the poor and the marginalized. You
should identify the themes for the events and the topics to be
covered by the exhibits during the events, and present this at the
planning meeting.
FORMAT requests local organizers to propose a list of individuals
with outstanding innovations from previous events who can receive
support financial and technical to refine and improve their
innovations. Please note that the innovations you propose should
have potential to create opportunities for income generation and
improve the livelihoods of the poor. The innovations supported in
2004/05 generated a lot of interest following broadcast in the
national television stations and articles in newspapers, and we hope
to maintain this interest by selecting high profile innovations.
Here
is a summary of the key steps in holding an event:
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Select a local organizing committee and
decide upon a venue (Hire ≤ USD 200 and can
accommodate 50-100 seated-persons) and theme for the
event (mid- to late-August). This should be reported to the
secretariat at the planning meeting where details of the event
budget shall be provided. Comment on the selected date for your
event and come up with suggestions. However, note that the dates
allocated to you were done in consideration of the fortified
compost project. A tentative schedule of FORMAT events appears in
Table 1. If this date is not acceptable, then you should contact
the FORMAT Secretariat immediately to arrange for another date.
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Communicate this information to the FORMAT
Secretariat (Come with full details to the planning meeting set
for 5-6 September 2005 at the Village Market conference
room).
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Receive the first increment of funds from
FORMAT and confirm the availability of the meeting facility
(early-September 2005).
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Prepare an announcement of the event for
local circulation and contact key local organizations and
individuals with interest in organic resource management alerting
them to the planned event and asking for their involvement
(mid-September 2005).
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Prepare a tentative list of participants,
presentations and exhibits, and communicate this information as a
draft programme to the FORMAT Secretariat (present it at the
planning meeting). Each organizer is expected to invite 15
local exhibitors and 10 oral presenters. Invitees should
present talks and exhibits on soil fertility management, natural
resource conservation, products and value-added processing,
traditional foods and plants, water management, information
dissemination and extension, crop improvement, livestock
management, natural pesticides, urban and domestic waste
recycling, seed security and agricultural credit. Title of
talk and/or exhibit as well as full contact details (Names, Postal
address, Telephone and Email) should be provided for each of the
participants invited.
-
FORMAT will organize “core” participants
to provide key talks and exhibits, and will insert them into your
draft programme. This draft programme is then returned to the
local organizers.
-
Local organizers assemble a list of
participants and final programme. A letter of invitation is sent
to all speakers and exhibitors. An announcement inviting all
members of the public to attend the event is prepared and
circulated (mid-September 2004).
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Two weeks
before the scheduled event, an email is sent to the FORMAT
Secretariat confirming the date and place. Be prepared to
recommend a suitable hotel accommodation but you are not
responsible for supporting either the Secretariat or their
traveling “core” participants whose full contact details shall be
communicated to you soon.
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The FORMAT staff arrives the day before
the planned event. They provide an overhead and LCD projector and
a laptop computer. They also bring information about organic
resource management for distribution to the participants. The
local organizers are responsible for preparing, copying and
distributing the programme to the participants, and preparing a
complete list of participants.
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The FORMAT event is held. The local
organizers are responsible for distributing per diem and travel
funds to participants. The FORMAT staff is responsible for
collecting information and photographing the event with assistance
from the local organizers.
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The Local organizer and FORMAT are
responsible for preparing a report for the event within 2 weeks
after the function. If you or your organization wishes to prepare
a separate, individual report, feel free to do so but kindly
acknowledge FORMAT and The Rockefeller Foundation. If your
separate report requires photographs or written materials from the
Secretariat please contact us in time.
From experience it is evident that
organizing a FORMAT event is not an easy task and it requires
financial resources and effective planning. Remember that
communication between the local organizers and the FORMAT
Secretariat is critical to holding a successful event. Some
of you have much experience as local organizers of past events,
others have not. For those with less experience we offer the
following advice. Use the FORMAT Secretariat to help you accomplish
your goals. Make demands on them so that they backstop your
efforts. If you need assistance to design announcements for the
event, or the suggested format for a programme, or contact details
of possible participants, or any other help, please feel free to
contact us!
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