Water & Food Security Nexus

Approaches & Lessons guiding

Water & Food research for Action & Impact

Ruth Beukman , Andrew Takawira & Amy Sullivan

CP 2011 - Stockholm

Presentation outline1. Brief overview – Challenge Programme for Water and

Food – Phase 1 to Phase 2

1. Limpopo Basin Development Challenge and the 5 project components (L1-L5)

1. L5 - Coordination & Change (GWPSA role?)

1. Impact pathways: Translating research into action and impact – how ?

Overview CPWF1. The Challenge Program on Water & Food (in CGIAR-CRP-5)

1. Research for Development & Impact – poverty, livelihoods, productivity, stakeholders (policy & practice - actors), ownership & sustainability issues – beyond once off local research projects (replicate successes)

1. Outcome Logic Models and impact pathways

Overview CPWF: Ph1 & now Ph2Phase I Phase II

Research - rich source of data & info

Integrated research for targeted impact – Basin & National context

Research by mainly CGIAR partners

Research partners old & new plus SADC regional networks – engage beyond research - in partnership mode

Capacity building for research Capacity building for impact

Project focused and ‘isolated’ but many

Impact focused – engage with stakeholders – multi-sectoral/multi-level; end users and intermediary “facilitators” & fewer projects

Targeted outputs Targeting outcomes - uptake – cognisant of the actors and institutions – beyond the project lifespan – ownership & sustainability

Ph 2 LBDC: “Integrated management of rainwater to improve smallholder productivity and livelihoods and

reduce risk”

Project Research Questions Some research outputs/milestones L1 Targeting & scaling out:

Which known agriculture water management interventions will work best under which conditions in the Limpopo Basin?

Model aimed highlight successes for replication (for upscaling and outscaling)

L2 Small scale water infrastructure:

How can SWIs sustainably support smallholder farmers?

Guidelines incorporating lessons learnt on how to develop sustainable infrastructure

L3 Farm systems and risk management

How can improved market linkages lead to sustainable small holder livelihoods and reduced risk?

Innovation platforms – for smallholder farmers to market products Methodologies on linking fodder and livestock systems Livelihood models – aimed at understanding issues of productivity and poverty dimensions

L4 Governance: Which kinds of institutional arrangements facilitate the most appropriate land & water management systems at scale?

Institutional configurations

L5 Coordination & change: learning for innovation & adaptive mgmt

How does research lead to impact in the Limpopo Basin?

Linking research into use. Ensuring research results are taken up into use

• Coordination of quality research • Capacity Building (incl. use of comms tool) & Gender - all• Fostering Change / impact• Communications/KM (messages to diff.actors)• Adaptive Management• Innovation Research

N.B. OLMs, theories of change, impact pathways etc...still quite an academic approach? What do we DO...practically?

L5 focus, approaches & partners

FOSTERING CHANGE: FOSTERING CHANGE: Mandates of institutions – local, Mandates of institutions – local, national, basin (LIMCOM) and regional scales; research vs national, basin (LIMCOM) and regional scales; research vs politically sensitive international processes, buy-in and politically sensitive international processes, buy-in and linkages/integration with on-going initiatives making a linkages/integration with on-going initiatives making a sustained difference…sustained difference…

Knowledge management & communications - in the beginning…..

Data Information Knowledge Generation

Organize knowledge for next users

Monitoring, Learning/Lessons

(links all L1-L5)

Share(Dissemination Strategy)

Application/Use by next users

prioritising

L1-L4

L1-L5

L1-L5

L1-L5

L5

ENABLING THE “UPTAKE/USE ENVIRONMENT”

L5

Influence NEXT USERS / STAKEHOLDERS of research value and use

CommunicationPlan and ‘target

audience’

Analysis Experiences

Knowledge management & communications – think again….!

Data Information Knowledge Generation

Organize knowledge with next users/ actors

Monitoring, Learning/Lessons

(links all L1-L5)

Share(Dissemination Strategy)

Application/Use by next users /actors

prioritising

L1-L4

L1-L5

L1-L5

L1-L5

L5

ENABLING THE “UPTAKE/USE ENVIRONMENT”

L5

Influence RESEARCHERS on identifying &communicating with actors / users / stakeholders – all the way…

CommunicateResearch

messages to key actors – all levels

Analysis Experiences

ID next usersConsider comms messages linked

to research project milestones

for outcomes & impact

Identify communication needs

Integrate communication activities into LBDC Milestone Plan and develop implementation plan and budget

Develop tools for researchers to link OLM to the Communication Strategy Objectives

Develop overall LBDC strategy

Implementation

Monitor and evaluate

1

2

6

33

24

1Reflection and problem identification

The LBDC Strategic Communication Process:Adapted from “Think Before you print”

Deliver milestones targeted to specific boundary actors

Monitor and evaluate (comms indicators)

5

CPWF Global Info Communication Strategy

SADC Awareness and Comms Strategy for the Water Sector

LBDC Programme

Planning (Outcome Logic Model based on Theory of Change)

Translation of research questions into projects

Milestone

Outcome Target Change What How Who

3 or 4 Milestones most likely

to bear fruit &

succeed (from

Milestone Plan)

Outcome Target (from Outcome Target Indicator Baseline - OTIB)

Target audience (actors) for each milestone. (from Actors in OLM)

Expected change in actors (column 2 from OLM)

What information is needed to bring about the expected change? (column 4 of OLM)

will you send out this message to the identified actor? (from column 5 OLM)

Who will do it?

Identify 2 or 3 of your project milestones that are most likely to have impact. Try to identify milestones across the project timeline, not all at the end. Pick the milestones that you consider to be low hanging fruit, those milestones or outputs that your feel have the greatest potential for impact.

Outcome from OTIB. Please provide the outcome to be associated with each milestone. What is this milestone supposed to contribute to or accomplish.

Identify key actors for each milestone, be as specific or detailed as possible. If you do not give names, please give as much detail (Province, District, Institution) as possible

What do you expect the actor to change with regards to practice and behavior?

What issues/message do you want to target to actors? This should be loosely based upon the Project Strategy column of the OLM, which you refine here and now. This is where you combine the original intentions of the OLM with the specific findings or implications of the milestone.

Means of communication. This is based loosely on the Process Outputs column of the OLM, but massaged and synthesized according to what you now know about your output and audience.

Responsible partner. Indicate who on your project team will take the lead in delivery of this milestone to actors; and with whom they need to partner.

1. Communication a vital tool to ensure research is translated into impact

2. Mainstream communications into research project/pgm planning – early!

3. Identify the boundary actors / next users targeted for ‘change’ – ensure strategies are developed on what and how to engage with the actors

4. A focus on communications allows researchers (with actors) at the onset of planning to consider packaging research findings – facilitating ’uptake’.

5. Research moves beyond academic exercise and realistically & practically responds to development challenges – already owned & understood by next users.

Lessons - research into impact

Thank You