Building a Culture of Learning in AAS

Marina Apgar, Postdoctoral Fellow, WorldFish Center

KM4CRP Workshop, ILRI, 17 – 20 October 2012

 

Overview

• The CRP context• The AAS RinD

innovation• Whole program KM• KS & L as the glue

that holds it together• How we build a culture

of KS & L

The CRP context

• Research in agricultural systems• Aim to build resilient and sustainable systems• Focus on development outcomes and impact• Use innovation and scaling up to produce impact at

scale

Requires• Recognition of uncertainty and long causal chains in

outcome pathways • Work towards change in KAS • Focus on how we learn – research process outcomes• Be cognizant of the wider development process we are

engaging with

 

Mekong The Coral TriangleGBM*

Zambezi

Population living on <$1.25/day, per grid cell (resolution : 9 km at the equator)

NigerLakes Victoria-Kyoga

Source of poverty map: CGIAR SRF Domain Analysis Spatial Team (2009)

*GBM: Ganges-Brahmaputra-Megna delta

(where learning from Coral Triangle will be scaled out)

South Pacific Community

African InlandAsia mega deltas

•   High numbers of poor and/or     High % of total population dependent on AAS•    High vulnerability to change (climate/sea level/water)•    Potential to scale out 

Aquatic Agricultural Systems

The AAS RinD approach

• Focus on communities and the systems they use

• Build on the strengths of the poor and vulnerable

• Work across different geographic and institutional scales

• Carry out research in the context of development processes

• Transform gender norms and power imbalances

• Support learning and innovation• Focus on outcomes and impact• Foster CGIAR alignment

Integrated and Learning focused KM

What is KS & L in AAS?

• Sum of integrating practices which, over time, produce a culture of learning

• Support collaborative decision making

• Support PAR of RinD• Include facilitation of

dialogue and reflection • Ensure integration across

IM, M & E and Comms• Qualitatively different way

of doing KM

What holds it all together?

• Nested ToC (project, hub and program) and M&E

• AAS Theme 6 research on KS & L and IA

• AAS RinD as PAR across scales• Reflexive iterative learning

cycles for 2 goals:

1. Improved program implementation

2. Monitoring and evaluation of outcomes and impact• Build IM, M & E and Comms that

support multiple goals

Cannot separate them!

KS & L implementation in AAS

Framing:• Engage with cross CRP IDO development and use of

ToC for nested and whole program view

Design:• Design M & E system for multiple goals• Participatory design of the program of work in the hubs –

defining the nature of the PAR

Resources:• Nested and integrated KM team (IM, M & E and Comms)

– Program level Theme 6 Team– Hub Knowledge and Action Researcher – manage

PAR process

Practices

• Integrated teams – within program and beyond

• Map networks and monitor their progress

• Reflection introduced in key moments (AAR)

• Work the shadow spaces• Manage inherent tensions

in bottom-up and top-down program

• Ensure ethical PAR practice

How do we work across CRPs?