Funder-Initiated Communities of Practice as a Means for Sharing and Creating Knowledge in Order to Strengthen the Adaptive Capacity of Systems

Nicklin, Claire; Chancellor, T.; Garcia, Angelo Joseph; Gohole, Linnet; Haussmann, Bettina I. G.; Kaijage, Prudence; Cady, Jane Maland; Miller, Keith; Moore, Marah; Nelson, Rebecca; Powers, Megan; Some, B.

doi:10.9707/1944-5660.1554

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…For instance, at the East and Southern Africa Community of Practice Annual Meeting held on September 30 through October 3, 2019, farmers' participation in the research was reported to have contributed to improved productivity through a combination of actions and activities; and to some extent, farmer capacity to undertake research had increased, and the farmers see the network as an instrument for learning. As reported by Nicklin et al (2021), through social learning, the communities of practice of the McKnight programme have given a range of actors in Africa and the Andes a place to build their adaptability concerning food system research and action.…”

Section: The Roles Of Key Players In the Frn Network And Their Influe...mentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of farmer research networks (frn) principles in influencing farmers adoption of improved groundnut cultivars in Singida Rural District of Semi-Arid Central Tanzania

Humphrey,

Respikius,

Mabebe

2023

J. Agric. Ext. Rural Dev

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Farmer Research Networks (FRN) is a participatory approach aimed at supporting the agroecological intensification of smallholder farming. FRN was envisaged in Latin America and Africa, however, little has been documented on how the application of FRN principles influences adoption of agricultural technologies. Guided by networking, innovation systems and Roger's theories of diffusion of innovations, this research assessed how the application of three principles, that is, 1) farmer participation, 2) usefulness of on-farm research, and 3) collaboration amongst players in networks influenced the adoption of improved groundnuts. Cross sectional mixed research methods were used. Findings show that farmers participated in forming FRN groups, the production of Quality Declared Seeds and the provision of farmer-to-farmer extension services. On-farm research was instrumental for observational and experimental research whereby farmers were able to see, learn, and adopt the innovation. Players collaborate through joint research, learning, and sharing of knowledge and resources; farmers' field days; and project meetings. It is concluded that farmers participated in conducting on-farm research and collaborated with different players in the network, indicating that FRN principles were applied to influence the adoption of improved groundnuts. The study recommends farmer participation in preliminary meetings and strengthening the linkage between farmers and more actors.

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Section: The Roles Of Key Players In the Frn Network And Their Influe...mentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of farmer research networks (frn) principles in influencing farmers adoption of improved groundnut cultivars in Singida Rural District of Semi-Arid Central Tanzania

Humphrey,

Respikius,

Mabebe

2023

J. Agric. Ext. Rural Dev

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“…Communities of practice theory states that social practices "are formed through pursuing any kind of enterprise over time" (Farnsworth et al, 2016, p. 2) with "self-organization as a defining feature" (Nicklin et al, 2021, p., 71). Nicklin et al (2021) point out that "communities of practice can be an effective means to spread and create knowledge" (p. 70). The values orientation of the ALC-CoP is defined by its commitment to transdisciplinary, participatory, and action-oriented approaches to agroecological research and education (Méndez et al, 2017).…”

Section: Community Of Practice Orientationmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Undergraduate Agroecology Research Fellows Program Engages Co-learning Through Participatory Action Research

Nordstrom

Horner

Méndez

et al. 2022

Front. Sustain. Food Syst.

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This paper addresses the role of an Undergraduate Agroecology Research Fellows Program (UARFP) toward a more critical and equity-oriented agroecology pedagogy. As a model rooted in action, Undergraduate Agroecology Research Fellows (UARF) become members of the Agroecology and Livelihoods Collaborative (ALC) Community of Practice (CoP), at the University of Vermont; a transdisciplinary research and education group that engages in community-based participatory action research (PAR). Through this model, UARFs support undergraduate student engagement in an advanced agroecology course, through which a PAR process centered on soil health takes place with regional farms. This triangulated learning format involves in-class and on-farm lab work, alongside the embedded UARF enrichment program, through which agroecological principles are examined via inter- and transdisciplinary educational lenses. Within this context, the objectives of the pedagogical research presented in this paper were: 1) To analyze the ALC-UARFP perceptions of transdisciplinary co-learning through PAR, and 2) extract key lessons learned for critical pedagogy, through this model in action. Our methodological results illustrate the strength of participatory inquiry to capture stakeholder perspectives, iteratively informing the program's direction, and providing key lessons learned. Parallel to this evaluative strength, the qualitative results suggest that authentic undergraduate engagement in PAR offers great potential for the development of increasingly transformative educational programs. Further, our UARFP model, grounded in reciprocal and transdisciplinary co-learning within an agroecological community of practice, pushes the praxis needle toward a more comprehensive and critical agroecology pedagogy.

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“…The international program director of the CCRP had a clear vision when she came to the CCRP in 2008, “we talk about everybody bringing their experience and perspective and thinking to a place and having an exchange of ideas that would inform our work in order to move forward with a new collective understanding for the projects and for yourself” (Parker, 2017, p. 10). This approach coupled well with the 2004 work of the CCRP scientific director, who had cultivated regional communities of practice that would allow for an open exchange of ideas among grantees (Nicklin et al., 2021). Incorporating multiple perspectives necessitated the space and tools to facilitate the sharing and communication of ideas.…”

Section: Reflectionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Applying a systems and complexity lens to building evaluation capacity: Learning from a multicountry donor's experience

Vang¹,

Moore

Nicklin

2021

New Drctns Evaluation

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Although the evaluation field has increasingly integrated systems thinking and complexity science (STCS) into its work, little has been published on how capacity is built to do STCS‐informed evaluation. The chapter helps address this gap by exploring paired concepts drawn from the STCS and evaluation capacity building (ECB) literature: adaptive action and culture; boundaries and systems and structures; interrelationships and leadership; and perspectives and communication. The ideas are grounded with illustrative examples from a reflective case narrative of an international donor organization and the system surrounding it. Ultimately, the case shares how STCS can reimagine ECB and how increased capacity of the participants and organization can change the broader system.

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Funder-Initiated Communities of Practice as a Means for Sharing and Creating Knowledge in Order to Strengthen the Adaptive Capacity of Systems

Cited by 4 publications

References 0 publications

The role of farmer research networks (frn) principles in influencing farmers adoption of improved groundnut cultivars in Singida Rural District of Semi-Arid Central Tanzania

The role of farmer research networks (frn) principles in influencing farmers adoption of improved groundnut cultivars in Singida Rural District of Semi-Arid Central Tanzania

An Undergraduate Agroecology Research Fellows Program Engages Co-learning Through Participatory Action Research

Applying a systems and complexity lens to building evaluation capacity: Learning from a multicountry donor's experience

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