Robert Chambers moments

Livelihood system focus

• Our focus is to improve livelihood systems (that depend to some extent but often not entirely on agricultural practices) not agricultural systems per se.

• Because we are interested in sustainable livelihoods, this draws in the environmental integrity required for livelihoods to be sustainable.

Interlocking livelihoods

• Livelihoods may not always manifest system properties at household level but different livelihoods may be interlocked, so that change in one affects others, and the system boundary is around the interlocking set of livelihoods.

• Resources used differently by people with one type of livelihood may impact on those with another type of livelihood and so understanding power and the dynamics of autonomy (a system property describing control of the flow of information and material, into, out of, and within a system) are essential.

Equity

• Meeting CGIAR goals (SLOs) requires improvement of equity (a system property describing distribution of inputs, outputs and control of flows) making this an essential system property for us to consider.

• There is an explicit need to address equity in relation to gender.

Non-linear, complex systems

• Dryland Systems does not start from the beginning and work sequentially to an end point BUT intervenes (at various points) in a dynamic system with many feedback loops.

Systems research at scale of impact

• Unique selling point• Embeds research in development• Requires partnership with development

partners and their spending (leverage)• This is the only way to get sufficient resources

to work at scale of impact• Identifies fundamental research issues that

spin off (some to commodity programmes)

What to scale up?• PAR replaced systems methods (farmer or

community integrates)• Options refined through PAR at a few sites

don’t scale because context varies, BUT• scaling only innovation processes (rather than

options to improve livelihood systems) is not cost effective. Options are:

TechnologyEffective delivery mechanisms / markets

Appropriate enabling policy and institutional environment+ +

Ingredients that can be combined in different ways across scales

Understanding options x context

• Research at scale generates understanding of what options work in different contexts (this generally applicable)

• The contextual factors that matter will vary amongst Action Sites (though there will be some commonality)

• Putting what we already know and are already doing within an options x context matrix is an immediate way of ‘systematising’ what we are doing.

Characterize variation in context across scaling domain

Initial matrix of intensification and resilience options and the contexts in which they work (soils, climate, farming system, planting niche, resource availability, institutions)

What are the nested scale questions about effectiveness of options in different contexts

that need to be addressed?

What are the gaps in options in relation to what we know about context (opportunities and constraints) ?

Spin off fundamental research / knowledge from commodity programmes

Place based research

• Focus is to improve livelihood systems over a defined geography (action sites)

• This generates generalisable knowledge by understanding options x context (requiring action sites to embrace sufficient range in context)

• Globally relevant results are emergent from the place-based complex

Characterize variation in context across scaling domain

Influence development projects so that sufficient intensification options are offered to farmers across

sufficient range of variation in drivers of adoption

Initial matrix of intensification and resilience options and the contexts in which they work (soils, climate, farming system, planting niche, resource availability, institutions)

Participatory monitoring and evaluation system for the performance of options

Scaling upSimple to use tools to match options to sites and circumstances across the scaling domain

Generate understanding of suitability of options in

relation to context – and the cost effectiveness of

different combinations

refined characetrization

refined options

Spin-off research and new knowledge

Scaling outApplication of understanding about cost effective options for different contexts beyond the current scaling domain

Global comparative understanding of how to improve dryland systems, emergent from the place-based research complex.