Partnering in international agricultural research for development: lessons from the ILAC learning laboratory

This paper presents results of a workshop on partnerships in agricultural research for development (AR4D) organized by the Institutional Learning and Change (ILAC) Initiative of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). The workshop brought together members of the ILAC Learning Laboratory to discuss a wide range of issues related to partnership, including how and why partnership is important for their work, the types of partner they engage with, the various roles played by partners in achieving common objectives, and the types of relationships developed over time. They also discussed obstacles and issues that need attention to enable more effective partnering. Drawing upon these discussions, the workshop participants produced this paper, which summarizes their experiences and draws out common themes and lessons. It presents an overview of the role of partnership in AR4D and summarizes experiences with partnership in the Learning Laboratory, including success factors and areas requiring further attention. Beyond documenting the experiences of the Learning Laboratory members, the paper aims to stimulate dialogue about the use of partnership and improvements needed in the way organizations participate in and manage partnerships in AR4D

The Institutional Learning and Change Initiative: an introduction

At a time of rapid environmental, social and technological change, the Institutional Learning and Change (ILAC) Initiative promotes critical reflection and improved ways of working within the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). The goal is to enhance the contribution of agricultural research to sustainable poverty reduction. The ILAC Initiative draws on the expanding body of knowledge encompassing complex adaptive systems, innovation processes, organizational learning and program evaluation, and promotes the examination of research paradigms, institutional norms, management practices and professional behaviours. The Initiative aims to improve agricultural research and development efforts in four key areas: a) developing the capacity of researchers and managers to lead their own learning and change efforts; b) promoting the development of management systems and practices that support continuous learning and change; c) supporting an organizational culture of learning and change; and d) fostering donor and system-level support for learning and change initiatives in CGIAR centres and programs. This Brief outlines the rationale for ILAC within the CGIAR, highlights the main features of the Initiative and briefly describes the expected results and benefits for the CGIAR

20 Exemplary Service-Learning Projects

In 1998, Chicago Public Schools became the largest school district in the country to require that students do service to their community as a graduation requirement. Since that time, hundreds of thousands of students have provided millions of hours of service to Chicago\u27s neighborhoods and communities

Report on the scoping study for the project on ‘Impact Evaluation Approaches for Collaborative Agricultural Research and Development’

In response to calls for new approaches for evaluating the impact of agricultural research and development programmes, and to the need to improve the impact of these programmes to meet the global demand for greater food security, a scoping study was conducted to provide a basis for a project on ‘Impact Evaluation Approaches for Collaborative Agricultural Research and Development’. Coordinated by the Institutional Learning and Change (ILAC) Initiative, an Inter-Centre Initiative hosted by Bioversity International, in collaboration with the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), an Australian university, and Research Into Use (RIU), a programme funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID), the study sought to follow up on the findings of an international workshop on ‘Rethinking Impact: Understanding the Complexity of Poverty and Change’, held in Colombia in March 2008. Research Into Use provided two small grants totalling $76,000 to support the scoping study and other collaborators provided in-kind contributions for staff time, as well as an additional estimated amount of$10,500 from the ILAC budget (provided through a grant from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs; DGIS) for consultancy fees and travel. High on the list of findings was the need to develop ways of evaluating the impact of complicated programmes that involve a range of institutions, disciplines, situations, methodologies and goals, and complex programmes which are emergent and responsive to changing needs and opportunities. Such programmes are becoming the norm in the field of agricultural research and development, but the approaches used to evaluate their impact tend to be based on those used for the simple programmes predominant in the 1960s and 1970s which usually focused on crop improvement. Within the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), crop improvement programmes now account for only about 25% of the CGIAR research centres’ work, and the need for methodologies suited to evaluating the impact of complex programmes has become imperative. The scoping study for the proposed impact evaluation project lasted from September 2008 to May 2009 and involved conducting a series of activities. These included: • reviewing existing methodologies and other resources • documenting the current status of impact evaluation in the CGIAR system • conducting interviews with key informants • identifying potential donors • identifying and assessing possible case studies • developing a design for the project • preparing a funding proposal to submit to donor agencies A proposal for funding the project, specifically for researching impact evaluation and developing methodologies over a 4-year period, was submitted to the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) in April 2009. The interest of other donors will continue to be investigated in order to scale up the project activities

Minding the Gap: An Assessment of Racial Disparity in Metropolitan Chicago

In cooperation with the Human Relations Foundation of Chicago (HRF), CURL and the Jane Addams Hull House examined inequalities among racial and ethnic groups in Chicago. Drawing from a broad range of existing data sources, researchers documented areas of reduced inequality as well as other areas of persistent inequality. Minding the Gap: An Assessment of Racial Disparity in Metropolitan Chicago examines seven quality of life measurements: income, wealth and employment, education, housing, transportation, health, the lives of children and the criminal justice system. This report, by examining these seven systems, not just one, creates a unique context for understanding both the complexity of these individual systems and the relationships between these systems. The goal of this effort is not only to educate the public about these gaps, but also to serve as a catalyst for public and social policy discussion throughout the region by initiating a community engagement process. The report was featured in a Sun-Times Editorial

Advancing girls\u27 education in light of COVID-19 in East Africa: A synthesis report

More than a billion students around the world have been affected by school closures in the past year and a half (March 2020 to August 2021) due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The persistence of the pandemic and the severity of the risks posed by the disruption of education necessitate a strong understanding of the present state of girls’ education in East Africa. This study aimed to understand the current problems posed by COVID-19 for girls’ education in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda; identify the gaps in understanding with regard to these problems; and illuminate solutions. The study is based on a rapid desk review of peer-reviewed and grey literature, coupled with nearly 30 key informant interviews with a range of East African organizations working on education and/or gender issues. These methods were complemented by an interactive, participatory workshop in which interviewees and other education stakeholders validated and supplemented the initial study results. Key findings from the study are summarized in this report

Addressing the health workforce crisis: towards a common approach

The challenges in the health workforce are well known and clearly documented. What is not so clearly understood is how to address these issues in a comprehensive and integrated manner that will lead to solutions. This editorial presents – and invites comments on – a technical framework intended to raise awareness among donors and multisector organizations outside ministries of health and to guide planning and strategy development at the country level