Presentation
 A workshop on
"Methodologies for Identifying and Prioritizing Needs for Technological Innovation in
Bolivia" was organized by the Directorate for Technological Development (DDT) of
Bolivia, with support from the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT).
The workshop focused on ways of strengthening institutions responsible for developing
agricultural and livestock innovations in this country.
The event also provided opportunities for sharing and analyzing methodologies and tools to
identify and prioritize needs of rural communities in the areas of influence of the
Foundation for Agricultural Technological Development (FDTA) and the Bolivian System of
Agricultural and Livestock Technology (SIBTA).
The workshop addressed the needs, detected by SIBTA, for services for agricultural
research and technical assistance. Areas regarded as priority for strengthening SIBTA and
its co-actors included the appropriate identification of needs for skilled human
resources, improvements in the relationships between demand and supply of these services,
and ways to increase the participation of rural groups considered marginal for projects on
technological development and natural resource management.
Participants included representatives from CIAT, an international institution that has
worked in Bolivia for nearly 20 years, in the area of institutional strengthening for
agricultural research. Recently, the Center initiated, with the participation of a wide
range of institutions and of the public sector, the "Promoting Changes" Project
(FoCam) that aims to develop participatory monitoring and evaluation (PM&E) systems
and to disseminate and apply participatory methodologies to strengthen local research and
technical assistance among the poorest groups of the rural population. CIAT shared its
experiences with methodologies that could be useful in strengthening processes to identify
and prioritize needs.
The workshop presented opportunities for participants to apply in-depth what they learn,
either through information networks, practice communities, or joint activities to which
CIAT contributed its scientific and technical capabilities.
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