what are learning & practice alliances and communities of practice?

What are LPAs?What are CoPs?

What matters to make them work?

EAU4Food LPA-CoP facilitation training workshopILRI Ethiopia, Addis Ababa

13-15 August 2012

Ewen Le Borgne

Overview

• What are LPAs/CoPs in EAU4Food?• Why such platforms?• The ingredients of an LPA/CoP• Activities to facilitate LPAs/CoPs• Key issues to consider in facilitating LPAs/CoPs• The CoP/LPA facilitator…

What are LPAs/CoPs in EAU4Food?

What is a CoP? What is an LPA?

Approach?

Process?

Network?

What is an LPA?

… who come together to share learning, support innovation

and scale up solutions

‘A group of actors, including researchers, decision-

makers and practitioners …

What is an LPA?

Researchers

Focused on the big picture

Other technical experts

Decision makers

Merging policy and practice

Diverse membership

Private sector

What is a CoP?

‘A specific group of like minded

practitioners…

… who come together to solve shared

problems’

What is a CoP?

Farmers

Farmer-led

Extension workers

Researchers

Locally-focused

Practice-oriented

What is a CoP? What is an LPA?

Membership will overlap…

… and evolve

Local researchers

NGOs

Government experts

CoP / LPA representatives

Privatesector

Academics

FarmersLocal TechnicalExperts

Extensionworkers

Local researchersResearchers

EAU4FoodConsortium

LPA

CoP

Researchers EAU4FoodConsortium

Policy/ decision makers

Why such platforms in EAU4Food?

Why such platforms in EAU4Food?

Why platforms?•Involve stakeholders in the research and innovation process and enhance commitment to research processes, ownership of research results and strengthening of research capacities•Ensure that research aims to tackle the problems encountered on the ground •Ensure that research results are translated into policy and practice by involving the direct users (e.g. farmers, decision makers) in the research process •Create conditions for long term cooperation and coordination in the sector•Link up the local level where research usually takes place with the sub-national / national arena where policies are formulated

The ingredients of an LPA/CoP

The ingredients of a learning and practice alliance / community of practice

A vision Its essence

Credits: Kristin Marshall

The ingredients of a learning and practice alliance / community of practice

A Structure

Its arborescence Credits: Carlos Zardoya

The ingredients of a learning and practice alliance / community of practice

Activities

Its presence

Credits: ILRI

The ingredients of a learning and practice alliance / community of practice

Embedding

Its resilience?

Credits: Kelly Hart

The ingredients of a learning and practice alliance / community of practice

Some impact

The evidence of its success

Credits: CIAT/Neil Palmer

Activities to facilitate LPAs and CoPs

Activities to facilitate LPAs and CoPs

Convening themCredits: ILRI/Ewen Le Borgne

Activities to facilitate LPAs and CoPs

Cementing them

Building relationships, Building an agenda, Organizing activities to get people to work together

Credits: ILRI

Activities to facilitate LPAs and CoPs

Connecting them

Among & across platforms

Credits: Ewen Le Borgne

Activities to facilitate LPAs and CoPs

Understanding them

Monitoring, process documentation etc.Credits: ILRI/Tezira Lore

Activities to facilitate LPAs and CoPs

Sustaining them?

Rotating activities? Technical inputs? Financial and other resources? Institutionalisation ?

Credits: The Pauls

Key issues to consider in facilitating LPAs and CoPs

Key issues to consider in facilitating LPAs and CoPs

Relevant agenda?

Credits: Bilal Kamoon

Key issues to consider in facilitatingLPAs and CoPs

The right mandate?

Credits: European Parliament

Key issues to consider in facilitating LPAs and CoPs

Power issues?Credits: NotBruceLee

Key issues to consider in facilitating LPAs and CoPs

Representative members?

Credits: ILRI / Ewen Le Borgne

Key issues to consider in facilitating LPAs and CoPs

Solid engagement?

Key issues to consider in facilitating LPAs and CoPs

Turnover?

Credits: The-G-UK

Key issues to consider in facilitating LPAs and CoPs

Incentives?

Key issues to consider in facilitating LPAs and CoPs

Action!

Credits: ILRI

Key issues to consider in facilitating LPAs and CoPs

Time!

And other resources…

Credits: Darren Tunnicliff

Key issues to consider in facilitating LPAs and CoPs

Impact!

Credits: ILRI

The CoP/LPA facilitator

Profile of the CoP/LPA facilitator

LPACoP Both

Good communicator

Well networked

Good listener

Technically apt

Technically respected

Good negotiator / conflict resolution

Flexible

Generalist with specialist focus

Respected

Specialist with generalist aptitude

Committed

Charismatic

Digs deeper Goes wider

The presentation has a Creative Commons licence. You are free to re-use or distribute this work, provided credit is given to ILRI.

More information

http://www.eau4food.infoe.leborgne@cgiar.org

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