Earlier this week at Lukenya Getaway in Kenya, we came together with our partners Val Skoler AS and AquaFind AS for a two-day Norec partner meeting under our Kenya–Norway exchange programme on resilient and sustainable aquaculture. The focus was simple: to take an honest look at the exchange so far and shape what comes next.

Kenyan participants have spent six months in Norway, while Norwegian participants have spent three months in Kenya, working within real farm environments, systems and daily routines.

A year ago, our first partner meeting took place in Norway at the very beginning of this journey. At that stage, the exchange was largely conceptual, built on feasibility discussions, site visits and a shared ambition to learn from each other. This week in Lukenya marked a very different phase ;one grounded in lived experience.

With the first cycle now completed, the focus shifted from expectation to reality. As hosts, we brought partners together not to present reports, but to interrogate the experience itself. What actually worked in practice? Where did things break down? What felt unclear, inefficient, or unexpectedly impactful once participants were fully immersed in new environments?

The participants played a central role in this process. Their reflections moved beyond summaries into honest accounts of daily life, technical exposure, adaptation and application. That openness shaped the room, allowing conversations to move quickly from reflection into redesign.

Across the two days, discussions examined both the operational and technical dimensions of the programme. From logistics and coordination to learning outcomes, knowledge transfer and how effectively these translate into practice within our respective contexts. All of this remained anchored in the project’s results framework and the broader objective of strengthening aquaculture systems that are both productive and sustainable.

This was not just a checkpoint. It was a moment to measure progress, challenge assumptions and make informed decisions about the next phase.

Round 2 will not be a repetition of what has already been done. It will build on tested experience, clearer structures and a more deliberate approach to implementation.

What began as an idea a year ago is now a working system. The task ahead is to make it stronger.

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