Building a Culture of Learning in AAS

1. Building a Culture of Learning in AAS Marina Apgar, Postdoctoral Fellow, WorldFishCenter KM4CRP Workshop, ILRI, 17 – 20 October 2012

2. 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

3. 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

4. Aquatic Agricultural Systems Asia mega deltas African Inland GBM* The Coral Triangle Mekong Niger Lakes Victoria-Kyoga Zambezi South Pacific Community • 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 (where learning from Coral Triangle will be scaled out) Population living on <$1.25/day, per grid cell (resolution : 9 km at the equator) *GBM: Ganges-Brahmaputra-Megna delta Source of poverty map: CGIAR SRF Domain Analysis Spatial Team (2009)

5. 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

6. Integrated and Learning focused KM

7. 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

8. 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!

9. 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

10. 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

11. How do we work across CRPs?