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(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI Record No: H046950)
(8 MB)
2 Staiger-Rivas, S.; Le Borgne, E.; Victor, M.. 2015. Group facilitation in CGIAR: experiences and lessons from international agricultural research organizations. Knowledge Management for Development Journal, 11(1):77-90.
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H047005)
(0.25 MB) (258 KB)
This article describes CGIAR’s experience with group facilitation over 10 years. CGIAR is a global partnership that unites organizations engaged in research for a food-secure future. Including 15 research centers with a total of nearly 9,000 staff, CGIAR embarked a decade ago on an effort to improve how teams meet, think collectively, and make decisions. Inspired by participatory approaches, which had been used since the 1980s to involve farmers in research, the leaders of this effort aimed to tackle challenges faced by research teams and partnerships, and since then, the need for more effective stakeholder engagement and the consequent demand for group facilitation have steadily increased. Based on the experiences of the co-authors, a survey, complemented by follow-up conversations with CGIAR in-house facilitators and researchers, as well as professional consultant-facilitators and partners, this case study analyzes the evolution of facilitation, its added value, and current trends. In addition, the authors discuss the different ways and contexts in which facilitators have worked in CGIAR and some of the facilitation essentials that emerge from the author’s enquiry. This article should be of particular interest to knowledge management practitioners working in research and development, as it offers hints on how to position facilitation as an essential tool for stakeholder engagement and participatory decision-making in research-for-development organizations.
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H052674)
(605 KB)
Knowledge management and sharing is essential for agricultural development, fostering the exchange of valuable information and innovative practices among researchers, farmers, and extension officers. Recognising this, regional initiatives such as Ukama Ustawi (UU) play a critical role in ensuring that research findings are not confined to academic journals but are made accessible to those who need them the most. UU’s Learning Alliance, led by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), facilitated a joint session at the Africa Agribusiness & Science Week (AASW8) in Durban, South Africa. The collaboration involved partners such as the Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA), Forum on Agriculture Research for Africa (FARA), and Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA). The session was part of a broader workshop focused on Knowledge Management and Learning (KML). UUs Learning Alliance session was therefore aimed at achieving three key objectives: highlighting the Alliance's strategic focus, emphasising its value proposition, and sought to strengthen the relationship between CGIAR research and regional as well as national research organizations. Discussions underlined the urgency of overcoming barriers in information flow among stakeholders, with a particular focus on the Learning Alliance's mission to curate, repackage, and share knowledge on maize mix-based farming systems in East and Southern Africa (ESA). The Alliance aspires to foster connections between CGIAR and local research organizations while providing National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO) and Agricultural Research Organizations (ARO) partners with opportunities to engage, test, and innovate. The report emphasises the critical role of UU in defining specific KML activities tailored to their focus areas. This strategic approach aims to build capacities, generate relevant Knowledge Products (KPs), and facilitate knowledge uptake, with the goal of driving impact and sustainability within the agricultural landscape of East and Southern Africa.
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H052675)
(639 KB)
This report is a comprehensive synthesis of insights, discussions, and recommendations stemming from Ukama Ustawi’s (UU’s), Learning Alliance's strategic session held during the Africa Day for Food and Nutrition Security (ADFNS) and the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Partnership Platform event in Zambia. The primary focus of the session was to explore practical strategies for operationalizing the Learning Alliance to achieve meaningful impact. Key themes highlighted in the report include the importance of alignment among stakeholders, the significance of bottom-up learning, and the promotion of climate-resilient agriculture through indigenous crops. The discussions underscored the valuable role of the Learning Alliance's partnership in optimizing efficiency, aligning with regional priorities, and facilitating impactful knowledge exchange. The report outlines specific recommendations for operationalizing the Learning Alliance in 2024. These recommendations span various areas, including the organization of regional knowledge-sharing workshops, the development of a robust Knowledge Management and Learning (KML) framework, establishment of a Learning Alliance Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) framework, and the creation of platforms for sharing success stories and showcasing local farmer innovators. These actions aim to propel the Learning Alliance towards practical implementation and positive outcomes in the coming year.
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