Introduction to the CoP concept

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Introduction to the CoP concept
Antonio Rota STA Livestock and Farming
Systems Technical Advisory Division (PT) 12-13
January 2009
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Who are we?

• An International Financial Institution and a
  specialised UN agency dedicated to eradicating
  poverty and hunger in rural areas

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Goal

• To empower poor rural women and men in
  developing countries to achieve higher incomes
  and improved food security

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Operations

• One of the largest sources of development
  financing for agriculture and rural development
• Since inception (1978) has provided more than USD
  10.6 billion in loans (788) and grants (2057)
• Investment programme growing at 10 percent per
  year
• 200 ongoing programmes and projects for a total
  of USD 3.2 billion
• Operating in 115 countries

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Activities supported in IFAD's projects
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New IFAD Operating Model

• IFAD is determined to increase its development
  effectiveness, efficiency and relevance in
  helping its member countries to reduce rural
  poverty (Strategic Framework)
• Action Plan targeting more than 40 deliverables
  in the three broad areas of
• Strategic planning and guidance
• Project quality and impact
• Knowledge management and innovation

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Main driving changes

• Results-based Country Strategy Opportunity
  Programme (COSOP)
• Quality Enhancement/Quality Assurance for Project
  Design
• Country Project Management Team (CPMT) for
  project design implementation
• Direct Supervision and Implementation Support
• Country Presence
• Innovating Sharing Knowledge and Learning (KM
  Strategy, Innovative Mainstreaming Initiative)

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Need for Partnership

• To work with partners to identify/develop
  innovative solutions
• To compensate IFADs relatively limited
  expertise and human resources in specific areas
  (such as fisheries and aquaculture)
• To address the complexity of development
• We need an innovative business model for working
  together within and outside IFAD

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Is this a common need?

• We need to learn how to connect all the
  dotshow to integrate the work of science groups
  with that of the many other players in
  developing-country agriculture in ways that
  deliver all the given specific pieces needed to
  support, improve and sustain African farming in
  specific circumstances.
• This will require all research institutions to
  start talking to development institutions, to
  start building new kinds of partnerships, and to
  start taking on some radical new ways of doing
  business. Its bound to be a messy process. But a
  necessary one.
• Carlos Sere, Director of ILRI received three
  days ago

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Concept of Community of Practice (CoP)

• The concept of CoP has emerged within
  development communities as a way of strengthening
  the connections among like-minded persons who
  seek to improve, through joint actions and
  collaborations, both knowledge and practice for
  improving the effectiveness of rural development
  and poverty reduction programs

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Scope

• To identify key problems and opportunities to
  develop collective strategies and priorities
• HOW
• To promote livestock, fisheries and aquaculture
  as tools for poverty reduction
• To empower poor farmers/livestock
  keepers/fisherfolk to actively participate in
  decision-making processes and in the management
  of their livelihoods.

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Key Features

• Continuous interaction
• Multi-stakeholder approach
• Convergence towards common objectives

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Value of the proposed CoPs

• Three BEs
• Be innovative, effective, and demand-driven
• Be proactive supporter of partnerships, dialogue
  and efficient collaborations
• Be people and poverty focussed

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IFAD Comparative Advantage

• Relevant cross-sectoral knowledge on a wide
  variety of rural development issues (e.g.
  microfinance, gender, institution development)
• Catalyst role test innovations and replicate and
  scale up successful innovative approaches.
• Advocating role make sure that poverty
  eradication issues are included into
  international agendas of governments, donors and
  funding institutions
• Work directly with poor rural communities and
  grassroot organizations to enhance their access
  to assets, services and opportunities they need
  to overcome poverty.
• International Financial Institution (i.e. support
  to research programmes and technology transfer)

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Expected outputs

• A common ground for building new partnerships and
  establishing new strategic working relationships
  among development partners to promote livestock,
  fisheries and aquaculture as tools for poverty
  reduction
• Identification of national (international)
  expertise/ champions for supporting in-country
  participatory process for project design, project
  implementation and supervision support at country
  level
• Exchange experiences/relevant knowledge, share
  innovative solutions, best practices/lessons
  learnt, and support learning across institutions/
  countries
• Opportunities and facilitation for the
  elaboration of common strategies/policies/operatio
  ns/advocacy for pro-poor livestock/fisheries/aquac
  ulture development
• Access to technical backstopping/advisory
  services for Quality Enhancement of project
  design, implementation and supervision.

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Model
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Conclusions

• Three3 BEs
• Be guided by precise strategic objectives which
  are quantitative/qualitative and operational.
• Be developed as a well balanced system,
  self-organized, with sustainable organizational,
  administrative and financial support (at least to
  build a solid start-up)
• Be able to combine innovations and new practices
  with the specificities of each partner and with
  the utilization of his specific knowledge.

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Conclusions

• All these aspects must be arrange by the COP
  members and should be in line with their
  expectations and interests.
• Appropriate working modalities and organizational
  arrangements need to be discussed and worked out
  in detail by its members
• A sustainable multi-stakeholder knowledge
  management system, with an overarching identity
  and overall common purposes, need to be
  established to support stakeholders needs, and
  in particular of farmers who can benefit from
  more appropriate and effective practices.

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Conclusions

• IFAD intends giving an important contribute to
  all these aspects and will continue supporting
  the overall initiative.
• However without committed people it will not be
  possible to go ahead and build a concrete and
  powerful Community.