What are LPAs? What are CoPs?

What matters to make them work?

EAU4Food LPA-CoP facilitation training workshop ILRI 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

Private sector

Academics

Farmers Local Technical Experts

Extension workers

Local researchers Researchers

EAU4Food Consortium

LPA

CoP

Researchers EAU4Food Consortium

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

Key issues to consider in a CoP

The ingredients of a Community of practice

A community

?

The people who want to share

their knowledge with each other

Credits: Preston Rhea

The ingredients of a Community of practice

A domain

?

A meaningful field that brings people together Credits: Agrilife Today

The ingredients of a Community of practice

A practice

A set of common activities to

reflect and act upon

Credits: CIAT/Neil Palmer

The ingredients of a Community of practice

Motivation

Developing a passion for the CoP

Credits: DavidYuWeb

The ingredients of a Community of practice

A mandate

Original and/or co-created… to

generate purpose and results

Credits: European Parliament

The ingredients of a Community of practice

A structure

A balance between formal

& informal 90-9-1 etc. Credits: Isaac Mao

Activities to facilitate LPAs and CoPs

Activities to facilitate LPAs and CoPs

Convening them Credits: 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

Comms

Knowledge Sharing & learning

Engaging for wider impact

Internal communication

Publishing – capturing /

disseminating outputs

Public awareness

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 facilitating LPAs 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

LPA CoP 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.info e.leborgne@cgiar.org

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