The national coordination team organizes a meeting at least every six months, bringing together all the technicians from the project's research sites. The main objective of this meeting is to evaluate the work carried out during the first six months, identify any shortcomings in the developed protocol, and propose appropriate solutions. This event also includes a periodic evaluation of the research technicians on their ability to follow the protocol and encourage farmer participation in the research and its adoption after the experimental results are obtained. A capacity-building session is also organized for the research technicians to enhance their scientific skills. It is also during this meeting that the team decides on the research to be carried out during the dry season of the second quarter, based on the requests of the farmers participating in each research site.
This mid-year team meeting will allow researchers and young field technicians to assess progress against the initial protocol, address any field challenges (equipment issues, data gaps, unexpected crop responses), and realign on methodology before the harvest and data analysis phases. It is also the moment to consolidate preliminary observations, ensure consistency across plots and data collectors, and adjust timelines or resource allocation for the remainder of the study.