The project mid-term review

Despite the challenges of the current COVID-19 situation, the teams have made significant progress in the first two years of the project. This includes the implementation of successful surveillance and awareness raising campaigns; developing recommendations for rapid multiplication of the least susceptible existing elite varieties; evaluation and release of the first CMD resistant varieties in Vietnam; introduction of new breeding techniques; capacity building in tissue culture and diagnostics; development of rapid multiplication systems; and establishing a range of public-private partnerships to bring the research outputs to scale.

It is now a critical time to reflect on the achievements and lessons learnt; and plan for the remaining project period; and determine ongoing and new priorities beyond the life of the current project. The aims of the MTR are:

1. To review the activities and outputs of the project to date;
2. Prioritise activities for the remaining period of the project;
3. Revisit the sustainability and scaling strategy of project outputs and activities;
4. Identify and prioritise remaining or emerging research question and activities.

Overview and highlight presentation

The review format

1. The review will be conducted using a hybrid format involving groups of participants connecting via ZOOM.
2. The review will be conducted over five days from 21^st – 25^th February from 8am – 11am Asia time.
3. Presentation will be pre-recorded and upload on the project website: Sustainable cassava disease solutions in Southeast Asia – Enhancing smallholder livelihoods and economic development (cassavadiseasesolutionsasia.net)
4. Each day will involve online Q&A and discussion based on the days key themes. Participants are requested to come to each day having already watched the presentations related to that day.
5. The first day will involve a live presentations and panel discussion with simultaneous translation in Lao, Khmer and Vietnamese.
6. Discussion boards have been established for major topics using ‘Padlets’. Paticipants can upload questions or comments at any stage during the week.

Program

Date	Monday 21st	Tuesday 22nd	Wednesday 23rd	Thursday 24th	Friday 25th
Topic	Overview and stakeholder panels	Disease surveillance and diagnostics	Breeding and selection	Agronomy and seed systems	Scaling and sustainability
Pre-recorded presentations	Presentations	Presentations	Presentations	Presentations
Online Q&A discussion	Zoom Link	Zoom Link	Zoom Link	Zoom Link	Zoom link
VTE, PHN, BKK, HAN		8am – 11am	8am – 11am	8am – 11am	8am – 11am
CALI		8pm – 11pm	8pm – 11pm	8pm – 11pm	8pm – 11pm
CAN		12-3pm	12-3pm	12-3pm	12-3pm
Discussion Board	Markets outlook Partnerships & Business models	Diagnostics & Surveillance	Breeding	Seed systems & Agronomy	Impact at scale Future R&D

Project Activities and Objectives