Terms of Reference: Non-Key Experts Scaling of Agroecological Innovations – Transversal Study and Policy Dialogue Support

BACKGROUND

DeSIRA LIFT+ is a service facility supporting the DeSIRA+ initiative funded by DG INTPA. The DeSIRA+ initiative (approx. €100M, complemented by EU Member States contributions) supports agroecological, ecosystem-based and nature-based transitions in agriculture and food systems in Sub-Saharan Africa by boosting innovation at scale, with strong research and knowledge components.

RATIONALE OF THE ASSIGNMENT

A central ambition of DeSIRA LIFT+ is to support innovation at scale in line with agroecological principles. However, “scaling” remains a debated and evolving concept, particularly in relation to agroecological transitions, which involve systemic change, multi-actor processes and context-specific pathways. There is therefore a need for a structured analytical and dialogue process on scaling, closely developed together with the African partner organizations and held within the DeSIRA+ community and beyond. While DeSIRA+ projects aim to contribute to agroecological innovation at scale, approaches to scaling vary widely across projects. In addition, the scientific and policy debates on scaling agroecological innovations are evolving and cover multiple strands, including discussions on:

• The nature of scaling: Scaling up, scaling out, scaling deep;
• The type and degree of changes entailed by scaling: Pathways, processes, trajectories;
• The mechanisms and conditions for scaling, and how they combine into innovation pathways at different scales:

1. Financing innovation ecosystems;
2. Enabling environments and policy frameworks;
3. Capacity development and institutional embedding.

There is currently no consolidated overview of:
• How DeSIRA+ projects conceptualize and operationalize scaling;
• Which strategies and instruments are used (or planned) to support scaling;
• How financing, capacity strengthening and enabling environments are addressed;
• The existing global arenas and coalitions that discuss and exchange on this notion of scaling and how DeSIRA+ could connect to these and help inform this question.

This assignment aims to provide a transversal analytical foundation to inform internal exchanges within the DeSIRA+ community and its partners and strengthen positioning in continental and AU–EU dialogue spaces on scaling agroecological innovations. As a first diagnostic and analytical phase, it will contribute to building a shared understanding of how scaling is conceptualized and operationalized, identify practical bottlenecks and opportunities, and highlight priority areas for action. The findings are expected to inform a subsequent phase focused on more operational support to actors involved in agroecological transitions, including the development and facilitation of concrete approaches, partnerships and mechanisms to support the scaling of agroecological innovations.