Facilitating a pathway to Land Stewardship

Landcare – knowledge, capacity, solutions

Bass Coast Landcare Network

Ten Landcare Groups -eastern catchments of Western Port, Powlett River

Catchment and northern and

western catchments of

Anderson Inlet – 1250 sq km’s

Overview of networks model and theoretical

context

o Common Landcare Network structure

o Groups of groups

o Representation

o Landcare as Communities of Practice

o Networks of people who share an interest in an issue or set of issues and who develop practices and solutions together through collective information sharing, knowledge building, practical activities and peer support.

Social learning – beyond knowledge & education

o “Social learning in a policy and praxis (theory into practice) sense encompasses an awareness of levels of learning and can generate practices that question norms, policies and objectives in interactive processes involving multiple stakeholders” (Bateson in Collins & Ison 2009 pp 364)

Landcare Networks as platforms for social

learning

Social learning stakeholder interaction, good facilitation, institutional and policy support, can provide:

o Alignment of stakeholder goals, knowledge and expectations created through relationships of trust and mutual respect and leading to agreement on appropriate ‘concerted action’;

o Common understanding of issues through ‘co-creation’ of knowledge developed by taking part in joint research, trials, and interpretation of the results;

o Changes in practices resulting from this shared understanding (SLIM 2004a).

What works for Bass Coast Landcare and how we got

there

o Valued members and healthy groups support dynamic Networks

o two way communications between groups and Network

o resources allocated to group planning and project delivery

o ensure group input to all Network wide projects

o conscious efforts are made to invite and involve the range of stakeholders

o equally acknowledge Group and Network activities

o recognition awards acknowledge individuals and Groups.

Relationships and Partnerships

o Mutual benefits derived from relationships

o Joint planning and evaluation of the outcomes

o Annual presentations report against jointly planned objectives and broader organisational goals of all partners

o Security of long-term partnerships has enabled delivery of long-term projects and programs and leverage funding from other sources.

o Our staff and volunteers are valued and rewarded with professional development and advancement opportunities

Strategic planning and good governance

o Express the vision, mission and principles of the Network

o Clarify the roles of the Network and its member groups

o Provide coordination of admin services for member groups

o Identify priorities at landscape scale to guide activities and investment

o Identify alignment between Group and Network priorities and priorities at regional, state and national levels

o Support funding applications that fit Group and Network needs.

Program design, monitoring, evaluation,

review and improvement

o Program logic, Project Development Framework, Project Implementation Plans

o Monitoring, evaluating, reporting and improving projects (MERI)

Land Stewardship Links practices with values

Land Stewardship is the practice of managing land, water and biodiversity in a sustainable way for the benefit of current and future generations.

Many farmers consider themselves as land stewards - this belief is not necessarily reflected in their practices (Curtis and De Lacy 1998)

Land Stewardship Program Pathway

-different levels of learning

Landcare’s best management practice pathway to profitable and sustainable

farming

Entry Level Stewardship

Self Assessment and Action Planning

Demonstrating BMP’s through

Continuing Practice

Master Land Stewards delivering

Environmental Goods and Services Three Program

areas

Investors &

Partners

Challenges and Opportunities for Landcare

o Supporting innovation and intrinsic motivation

o Establishing the concept of ‘stakeholding’

o Involving others in the Communities of Practice

Challenges for Landcare

o Resourcing well designed and meaningful research

o Staff turnover and program planning and delivery within regional NRM agencies

o Policy development processes that have not embraced the concept of ‘stakeholding’

o Farm and other trusted advisers that claim a monopoly on the ‘real world’ of agricultural production

Opportunities for Landcare

o Develop Landcare Research Strategies, articulating members questions and identify gaps in knowledge and literature

o Actively encourage and support regional NRM Agencies to utilise participatory planning and social learning processes, enabling trusting, reciprocal and enduring relationships

o Facilitate Landcare Communities of Practice using social learning processes and the concept of ‘stakeholding’’

o Engage farm/trusted advisers in CoP activities to build understanding and support for farmer decision making