Are Innovation Platforms possible Institutions
for Integrated Natural Resource Management
Practices at Landscape Level?
Verrah Otiende, Joseph Tanui, Rick Kamugisha, Mieke Bourne, Jeremias Mowo
What is an Innovation platform (IP)
A broader environment for learning and change
Various actors from different backgrounds: farmers,traders, food processors, researchers, governmentofficials, development practitioners, etc.
Collective diagnosis of challenges, identification ofopportunities and plan of achieving mutual goals
Innovation platforms (IPs)
Referred to in various names including multi-stakeholderarrangements, innovation networks, coalitions or public-private partnerships
Work at a single level or across several levels: value chainor economic sector
Considered as channels for catalyzing collective action toenhance sustainable smallholder livelihoods and ruraldevelopment
IPs contribution to innovation processes through a casestudy of Kapchorwa District Landcare Chapter(KADLACC) in eastern Uganda
The AGILE concept
The African Grassroots Innovation for Livelihood andEnvironment (AGILE) concept spearheaded theestablishment of KADLACC as an IP
Evolved through insights from work carried out atcommunity and district levels that focused on:
Community assets
Institutional dynamics
Livelihood and environmental conservation
The AGILE concept
Hinged on four pillars of learning:
Exploration of livelihood opportunities
Farmer institutional development
Linking conservation to development
Lesson learning framework at various levels
Geared towards influencing community, researchand development institutions towards a holisticsustainable INRM based on the 6 principles ofLandcare
6 Principles of Landcare
Integrated Sustainable Natural ResourceManagement practices addressing primary causesof natural resource decline
Community based and led natural resourcemanagement within a participatory framework
The development of sustainable livelihoods forindividuals, groups and communities utilizingempowerment strategies
6 Principles of Landcare
Government, community and individual capacitybuilding through targeted training, education andsupport mechanisms
The development of active and true partnershipsbetween governments, Landcare groups andcommunities, non-government organizations
The blending together of appropriate upper levelpolicy processes with bottom up feedbackmechanisms
Case description
Kapchorwa District Land Care Chapter (KADLACC) isan innovation platform of 22 grassrootsorganizations
Targets the marginalized poor communities andvulnerable groups in the degraded densely populatedwatersheds with low productivity.
Facilitates collective action for integrated naturalresources management and community formulatedINRM by-laws
KADLACC structure
Why KADLACC?
The case of KADLACC provides an indication of an IPachieving tangible INRM outcomes
Study focused on seven farmer groups purposivelyselected:
Involved from inception of the platform
Have evolved over the period of the IP
Sufficiently advanced thus adequate depth ofexperience to elucidate the innovation process
Key Challenges
• Declining vegetation cover
• Declining soil fertility
• Erosion and landslides
• Conflict in Forest areas
• Gender inequality
• Weak farmer institutions and structures
Why KADLACC
Integrated development and NRM planning fromvillage to sub-county levels
Linking of farmer learning cycles to trainedfacilitators
Appreciative inquiry into the process of buildinglocal level assets and the spirit of volunteerism
Defined process of linking livelihood goals toconservation objectives advocated for by thecommunity
Major interventions through the IP
Strengthened role of local government structures inintegrated NRM planning; involvement of communitymembers in policy reform
Strategies under development for enhancing linkagesto markets in the context of environmentalconservation
Maintained agility and ability to identify newopportunities
Ensuring ownership by the local community
Major interventions through the IP
Significant increase in the number of treesplanted between 2003 and 2011
Key results
Key results
Development and implementation of community bylaws to support watershed management
Key results
Increased enterprise opportunities from land investments; income generation and asset accumulation
Outcomes at Household level:
• Reduced free range grazing
• Increased livestock production
• Increased agroforestry tree cover
• Reduced landsides frequency
• Increased food production
• Increased income opportunities
The REAL Outcomes:• Community cohesion and unity – evidenced
by the networking, knowledge sharing, relationships & trust
• Gender balancing – workloads and decision making
• Youth engagement
• Local by laws formation and implementation
Conclusion
Innovation Platforms are useful in engaging actors
at grassroots levels into integrated initiatives that
yield better returns in NRM
THANK YOU
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