First Sudanese Learning Route on Natural Resource Management and Agricultural Productivity: 2000-kilometre journey of knowledge sharing
By Mia Madsen
IFAD-supported
projects in Sudan organised a Learning Route on Natural Resource Management and
Agricultural Productivity, from 24
October to 2 November 2016. The Learning Route was the first of its kind to be
organised in Sudan, building on the
knowledge of project staff and the IFAD Sudan Country Office.
In early
November the first ever Learning Route (LR) on Natural Resources Management
(NRM) and Agricultural Productivity was concluded in Sudan. Participants
described the knowledge-sharing event as a ground-breaking tool for knowledge
sharing among peers. IFAD-funded projects in Sudan, the Central Coordination
Unit for IFAD-funded projects, the Sudan Country Office and Procasur all contributed to the planning
and implementation of the route.
The main
objective was to share best practices from NRM and increased agricultural
productivity in Sudan, while highlighting the importance of strong linkages
between agriculture and sustainable NRM. IFAD project staff have shown great
interest in the methodology developed by Procasur, having participated actively
in LRs abroad over the last few years and made use of the knowledge acquired in their daily work.
As part of
increased knowledge management efforts within the Sudan portfolio, a Knowledge
Management core group was set up in early 2016 with the task of coordinating
knowledge sharing between the projects. Group discussions led to the idea of
organising an internal LR in Sudan, which would at the same time develop the
capacity of IFAD projects to use the LR as a knowledge sharing and policy tool.
In September 2016 project staff got ready to implement their first LR in Sudan after
having participated in a workshop by
Procasur. Read more about it here.
The LR
methodology is a peer-to-peer knowledge-sharing tool which seeks to inform development
practice and enhance project implementation. It is structured as a learning
journey where participants visit communities. They share their knowledge of what works, why,
and above all, how. This is the connecting dimension of the process which
includes the exchange of challenges, experiences, good practices and results.
Following the field visits, participants develop Action Plans where they seek
to articulate and apply some of the lessons learned to their own context and
projects. The Action Plans are closely monitored and followed up by host
communities and other LR participants to ensure the new knowledge is used in an
effective way for enhanced project delivery and effectiveness.
The
first Sudanese Learning Route
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The first Sudanese Learning Route took its
participants on a 2,000-kilometre-long journey |
The Sudanese Learning
Route on Natural Resource Management and Agricultural Productivity can be
described as a highly dynamic and immersive road trip where 35 people working
with IFAD-supported projects, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry,
Ministry of Animal Resources and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning visited
three IFAD supported projects, namely BIRDP[1],
SUSTAIN[2]
and WSRMP[3].
During the 10-day journey, a convoy of 11 vehicles drove through several
states, covering about 2,000 kilometres. The participants joined actively in
the field visits, sharing their perspectives on different innovations for
strengthening land tenure security and NRM governance, and highlighting the
concomitant link to agricultural productivity.
It started with an official opening session in Khartoum where participants and other development partners were provided with the conceptual framework and methodology. The three host projects delivered short presentations on their respective cases. This was followed by a panel discussion where Sudanese experts highlighted challenges related to sustainable NRM in Sudan and their impact on agricultural productivity. Before the participants embarked on their 10-day field journey, an experience fair was organised where each host project had the opportunity to brief others about the specifics of their case.
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Part of
the field visits included vivid presentations from host communities on progress
made. ©Mohammad Makki Hanafi
|
The first field visit was to the BIRDP project area in the
Butana region where participants learned about community networking for NRM,
and more specifically about how six communities have established the At Tasab
Network as a way to join hands to protect their natural resources and livelihoods.
The participants visited range pastures of the At Tasab Network and interacted
with women, youth and elders . The six communities have organised themselves,
protected their rangelands against foreign stakeholders through patrolling, raised
a common voice about the challenges they face, and also come together to ensure
certain basic services in the area, such as veterinary services and
telecommunications. It highlighted the importance of networks for social
mobilization and empowerment, and especially for addressing a sense of
isolation which many communities experience; thereby enabling them to deal with
key land and NRM governance challenges, including those linked to large-scale
land acquisitions by foreign and domestic investors.
Sinnar
state: Linking improved agriculture with NRM
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Learning
Route participants learn about
SUSTAIN’s technical package during a field visit to Sinja, Sinnar State. ©Mia Madsen |
After learning about the importance of community networking
for NRM, the participants continued their journey to the SUSTAIN project area
in Sinnar state to learn about its integrated package for improved crop farming
and impact on NRM and agricultural
production in the area. The participants visited farmers who practice
traditional farming as well as farms under improved agriculture, and learned
that agricultural productivity was enhanced thanks to the use of chisel
ploughing, crop rotation and drought-tolerant seeds. The case study analysis
indicated the need for an integrated approach to agriculture and livestock farming
so to avoid increased pressure on land and the project is working on this by encouraging farmers to
use crop residue as fodder for livestock, which eases the pressure on rangeland.
Stock routes and conflict resolution mechanism in North
Kordofan
After the SUSTAIN field visits, the participants continued with an 8-hour drive to
North Kordofan and the WSRMP. The project presented their experiences in
conflict resolution between crop and livestock farmers, and in the demarcation
and co-management of livestock routes. The participants visited a
Conflict Resolution Centre (CRC) in El Rahad, which was established to solve
disputes related to NRM in the Kordofan region. Some of the disputes handled at
the CRC are conflicts between settlers and nomads, and have been referred to
the CRC by the formal courts. After the visit to the CRC, the routeros visited
a stock route demarcated by the WSRMP, met with Mobile Extension Teams who have
been established to reach out to pastoralists in the area, and learned about
the co-management mechanism of stock routes, piloted by the project.
“In addition to the cases presented by the other projects, I have learned how to organize a Learning Route, especially the roles of the Methodological Coordinator and the Technical coordinator, and how to select and write a Learning Route case and present it to others”. Aida Osman, Gender and Community Development Officer, BIRDP
Peer-to-peer learning
The lessons and innovations
presented during the LR were well received by the different projects. As part
of the peer learning, each project identified particular challenges and
received advice from others on how to address these challenges: BIRDP received guidance
especially from SUSTAIN on how to strengthen adoption and uptake by other
communities, and on how to strengthen inter-state coordination from WSRMP.
SUSTAIN drew lessons on networking as a vehicle for adoption of their “improved
farming practices” and BIRDP provided inputs on strengthening the integration
of crop and livestock farming systems, and WSRMP on securing stock routes. WSRMP, which is close to completion,
received advice on how to institutionalize the good practices developed during
its exit strategy – including linking up with the new Livestock Resilience and
Marketing Programme. The Programme learned from all other projects and aims at
incorporating their good practices. Each project developed an Action Plan to
integrate the lessons learned into their operations, which they presented during
the wrap-up meeting in Khartoum. Participants were encouraged to continue
seeking advice from each other and sharing lessons in the implementation of
their Action Plans.
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The
participants gather for a group photo in North Kordofan ©Mohammad Makki Hanafi
|
Next steps
At the closing session in Khartoum
each project team presented their Action Plans. BIRDP was inspired by the
improved agriculture package promoted by SUSTAIN, while the SUSTAIN team planned
to integrate community networking for NRM in their project activities. The LRMP
team committed to building on the experiences of the co-management mechanism and
the conflict resolution centres from WSRMP. The Action Plan developed by the WSRMP
team includes the draft of a road map on the way forward for the co-management
of stock routes, inspired by the community networking displayed during the
BIRDP visits. During the closing session the Methodological Coordinator Dr Omer
Egemi, and IFAD Lead Land Tenure Specialist Harold Liversage provided insights
from the LR and ideas for future engagement in NRM in Sudan. The closing
session in Khartoum was attended by the Minister for Agriculture of Khartoum
State.
“I'm convinced that the Learning Route is a powerful learning tool which enables participants to share their experience, analyze their challenges and arrive to a reasonable solution on how to address present challenges. The challenge for us now is to see how we can continue sharing knowledge in other areas such as microfinance for example”. Isam Altahir, M&E Officer, SUSTAIN
As a way
forward, it has been suggested for the Sudan Country Office and projects
involved to continue using LRs as a tool for strengthening multi-stakeholder
dialogue and policy engagement on land and NRM governance and other thematic
areas. The IFAD-funded projects are already planning similar knowledge sharing
events in the future, including a LR on NRM where Sudanese policy makers could
be invited, as well as a LR on microfinance and the ABSUMI[4]
model to be developed together with the Agricultural Bank of Sudan.
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