Barotse Hub 2013 RinD Implementation, Emerging Outcomes & Main Lessons

1. Barotse Hub 2013 RinD Implementation, Emerging Outcomes & Main Lessons Tabeth Chiuta Regional Director for Africa Lusaka, Zambia

2. Context to/of the 2013 Work plan • A hub characterized by high poverty levels & underdevelopment against high resource capital providing for fisheries, livestock and crop production, as well as crafts

3. Context to/of the 2013 Work plan • Deep rooted cultural traditions and customs; and strong dependency on handouts

4. Context to/of the 2013 Work plan • Well articulated and stakeholder shared Hub Development Challenge & Long Term Development Goal • HDC: To make effective use of the seasonal flooding and natural resources in the Barotse floodplain system through more productive and diversified aquatic agricultural management practices and technologies that improve the lives and livelihoods of the poor • Long Term Goal: Increased household incomes and sustainable food & nutrition security for ALL

5. Agreed and Focused Approach – a combination of community and household approaches targeting initial communities

6. Well articulated and shared RinD framework Farm productivity & diversification Diversified farming systems Dietary diversification Community level initiatives High potential agric. value chains Cattle Rice High potential NRM value chains Fish Aquatic Plants Integrated themes: Gender Effective Governance Health & Nutrition Learning/Sharing/Communication Engagement & Empowerment Effective Partnerships HUB strategic initiatives Flood risk management Gender transformative approach Awareness + communication in schools Canal management Environmental management [malaria breeding sites, pollution, fire] Baseline studies Ecosystem services Agro biodiversity Agric. Knowledge + info systems Governance Program operations Governance Management Communications Capacity building for implementation

7. 2013 Work Plan Theme 2 Theme 1 Theme 3 Theme 4 Activity Theme 9 & 10 Theme 5 Activity Theme 7 Theme 6

8. Barotse Hub Implementation – Key Achievements Fish Value Chain Study implemented with full support, collaboration and participation of key stakeholders • Generated data and information on the: • structure and performance of the fish value chain and potential specific products / market channels most suitable for the stakeholders to develop • institutional and policy environment of the fish VC • drivers, trends, issues and opportunities in the fish VC • gender norms and power relations, how they affect the fish value chain actors, and how they may change • constraints and opportunities

9. Barotse Hub Implementation – Key Achievements Fish Value Chain Study implemented with full support, collaboration and participation of key stakeholders

10. Barotse Hub Implementation – Key Achievements Fish Value Chain Study implemented with full support, collaboration and participation of key stakeholders

11. Barotse Hub Implementation – Key Achievements Agro-biodiversity Baseline Study • Over 400 individuals in 10 AAS-target villages plus 20 cohort villages (2 cohort villages per AAS target village). • agro-biodiversity survey [especially the focus group discussions] enabled the AAS CRP to get a good handle on areas for productivity improvement and the design of appropriate interventions

12. Barotse Hub Implementation – Key Achievements • Barotse Hub GTA Initiative • Hub effort focused on: • Partner landscaping to identify and strengthen the network of organizations around gender • Capacity building and dialogue on GTA which provided staff and partners to learn how to integrate GTA in their work • Social and Gender Analysis I [SGA] to provide a framework to understand people in the context of the 10 AAS Barotse Hub villages, through the lens of gender relations and social difference; & design and conduct benchmarking around gender norm change

13. Barotse Hub Implementation – Key Achievements • Flood Risk Management Initiative, with a focus on: • Literature review • GIS and Remote Sensing desktop work • Institutional and Social study literature review • Partner engagement – [Concern, WB, DMMU, Harbour Master, BRE, Met Department, Water department, UNZA, OXFAM, Barotse University] • Preliminary field data collection and the production of canal distribution map

14. Barotse Hub Implementation – Key Achievements • Implementation of community action plans: • crop diversification • awareness and advocacy on fish conservation • exploring the feasibility of establishing saving internal lending communities [SILC] • dialogue on canal clearing for irrigation • Community facilitation team and Hub team capacity building • BRE capacity building • Initiating the knowledge sharing and learning framework [platform], focusing on: • capacity strengthening • establishing processes for documentation at community level

15. Barotse Hub Implementation – Emerging Outcomes • Fish value chain consortia organized around innovation platforms are being formed to work on facilitating increased and more equitable participation in value chains • There is increasing efforts towards improved efficiencies through better post-harvest handling that will lead to increased income for households that participate in target value chains • Increasing and strengthening partnership and coordination between BRE, Department of Fisheries and communities, and the capacity building for the BRE and community facilitators on fisheries issues.

16. Barotse Hub Implementation – Emerging Outcomes • AAS communities are mobilizing themselves to implement action plans developed from their visions and action plans: some are leading in the production of vegetables and fruits, whilst others have started to controlling illegal fishing methods. • There is a growth of community facilitation teams which are led by the communities themselves • More women taking up leadership positions

17. Barotse Hub Implementation – Emerging Outcomes • Increased awareness on fisheries management issues and the need for co-management by AAS communities, making co-management a critical area for the program • Improved commitment of the Indunas and Silalos to the programme • Ownership and sense of belonging by the Lozi people has improved

18. Barotse Hub Implementation – Key Lessons • The need for all activities to address community identified priorities for the 10 villages engaged in the program • Need for improving linkages between the different components of the program • Need for increased documentation and improved knowledge sharing and learning among partners. • Need to improve the science support in ongoing community work

19. Barotse Hub Implementation – Key Lessons • There is a general lack of understanding of Research in Development (RinD), Participatory Action Research (PAR), and GTA among the AAS implementing partners and hence the need for capacity building • Need to continuously engage and dialogue with the communities on the RinD approach to reduce research fatigue

20. Barotse Hub Implementation – Key Lessons • The flood risk management is a subject matter is of huge relevance to stakeholders – potential to generate early outcomes • Good working relationships with key implementing partners & managing CG centers is beginning to generate interest from other CG centers such as ILRI, CIFOR

21. Barotse Hub Implementation – Major Challenges • Uncoordinated planning and implementation of the various hub initiatives • Resource mobilization to support the Hub RinD programme • Capacity challenges • The development agenda lagging behind due to inadequate resources. • Lack of alternative livelihood options • Limited knowledge sharing and learning opportunities among communities

22. Barotse Hub Implementation – Major Challenges • Increased workload for community facilitators • Inadequate capacities to implement PAR for AAS staff and implementing partners • Lack of an information sharing culture among the AAS implementing team • Research fatigue in the communities • Traditional authority sensitivity around some issues [e.g. gender & land tenure]

23. THANK YOU