CCAFS-ILRI Workshop on Communications and Social Learning in Climate Change

8-10 May 2012
ILRI Campus, Addis Ababa

Priority change areas (group work)

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After the reframing from the Group work session on 'what is the value of social learning and communication for climate change?' and the presentation of CCAFS's vision of impact and social learning work, participants worked in different groups to identify some of the main changes that CCAFS should prioritize along the learning loop continuum, some activities to achieve this and all groups were also asked to identify one activity that CCAFS should certainly NOT take on.

Group 1

Goal 1: Co-related and local knowledge is acknowledged as equally authoritative and credible in CAFFS communication and publishing
Activities:

• Documenting
• Impact analysis of social learning and the role of local content

Goal 2: Social learning is validated as mainstream CG methodology
Activities:

• Illustrating current examples
• Developing M & E

Goal 3: CCAFS more equitably integrates socially differentiated ('stuff', i.e.) partners, project + relationships
Activities:

• Experiment with different approaches
• A gap analysis vis-a-vis partners
• Convening and catalyzing platforms at different scales
• Demonstrating how social learning balances power relations

Goal 4:Social learning catalyses collective action towards CCAFS goals
Activities:

• CCAFS contributing to informed collective decision making
• Providing opportunities for informed learning scales e.g. learning lab
• Supporting the development of learning platforms to governance systems by convening, research process support and M & E framework.
• Investigating and documenting what are the triggers to action especially collective action (behavior + attitudes, what is the relationship)

Goal 5: Governance processes are more evidence based and inclusive
Activities:

• All levels - local government + community
• Capacity building supporting partners in packaging evidence, user friendly for decision making and action of course including feedback loop

Group 2

Goal 1: Strategy of how CCAFS can document the learning process
Action:

• Theory, methodology - how best to support partners doing it
• Inventory of knowledge on particular approaches (inside, outside CG)
• Social network analysis of people/organizations working across 3 regions

Goal 2: CCAFS takes social learning approach (model) creates new opportunities. Bangladesh model – link to higher scales/policy/government
Action:

• CCAFS promotes an innovation systems approach and follows an internal one within CCAFS
• Support partners of existing initiatives doing it and disseminate information about their work

Goal 3: Information technicians taking a social learning approach
Action:

• Shared learning across NARS/farmers/organizations form an alliance
• How to document – internships

Goal 4: Research question: incentives for actors to participate in innovation systems (platforms. Scenarios: longer time frame how to link to the short term needs (e.g. farmer, market innovation systems
Action:

• Create an on-line journal to document lessons.

Group 3

Goal 1: Institutional change
Activities:

• The practice of research for development is reformed & exemplified
• CCAFS research for development is driven by demand (knowledge + practice)

Goal 2: Mindsets at different time scales are respected and discussed

Goal 3: Autonomous + Endogenous science and innovation is integral to action research and policy formulation
Action:

• Autonomous adaptation is integrated into the practice of agricultural research
• Community knowledge is a global public good
• Social learning is commonly involving citizens + scientists equitably...
• Policy is influenced by social learning
• Citizens are scientists too
• Grants to add CCAFS to existing science + motivation by citizens etc
• Communities of practice
• Innovation capacity for CCAFS at sub-national levels is built

Goal 4: SLICCA methods are live tested and advanced (Note: SLICCA = Social learning in climate change & agriculture, and it was mentioned as a joke)
Activities:

• The capacity to evaluate the impact of social learning on action exists is used
• Meta studies of evaluations of SL + action have been communicated
• Social learning leads to approaches that are institutionalized in CCAFS, CG orgs and partners

Goal 5: Knowledge + practice is spread and scaled
Action:

• Sub-national CCAFS knowledge + practice builds on cross-regional experience through SL+ A systems
• Innovation knowledge from M&E + Learning are scaled and spread
• Workshops, publications and outputs on SL
• Supporting cross scale networks weaving alliances

What CCAFS shouldn't do

• CCAFS should not invest in dissemination of climate forecast without a cost effective investment (without looking at potential use for it)
• Demonstrate and lead by example - don’t try to change the CG
• Build a new web platform
• Become the social learning facilitator
• Reinvent the wheel
• Forget that it's all about common public goods
• Forget that local decision-making is connected with other levels