Co-creating Innovations to Improve Food and Livelihood Security in the Context of Changing Climate and Environment
How can programs effectively address emerging challenges faced by agricultural communities today? This course covers processes and tools to engage key actors to develop and test solutions to local challenges; the process of setting up a climate-smart locality that emerged out of IIRR’s work; and proven technologies. The course will utilize field-based learning and critical reflection process. It is suitable for government and non-government program and project managers and officers, researchers and extension officers.
Background
Climatic conditions, resources degradation and economic shifts are some of the factors influencing rural livelihoods. These in turn affect food security and nutrition, which are prerequisite for survival and well-being. For marginalized and resource poor communities, these basic necessities are threatened by the changes that are taking place in the environment. “Livelihood resilience” concept is becoming more pertinent as communities need to adjust their current economic activities, practices and systems to new realities. Participatory innovation development is inevitable if communities are to cope with the changes. Co-creation entails collaboration and integration of indigenous knowledge and new knowledge promoted by various institutions. As James Yen - IIRR founder - emphasized, effective solutions come from combining technical know-how of experts and practical do-how of the rural people. The course enable participants to integrate participatory methods and approaches to engage key stakeholders to improve productivity and sustainability in rural communities.
Objectives
By the end of this course, participants shall have:
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Explored contextual factors and concepts related to household food security and nutrition, livelihood resilience, and innovation development;
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Gained skills and knowledge in using participatory tools to understand vulnerabilities, risks and to facilitate innovation development; and;
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Identifi ed innovative approaches for improving their respective food and nutrition security and livelihood initiatives.
Course Content
Module 1: Understanding the Context and Key Concepts: Global Context, Food Security and Nutrition and Livelihood Resilience
Environmental factors including climate change impacts will be discussed to broaden analysis and understanding of current challenges that communities are faced with. Participants will be equipped with solid conceptual basis when partnering with communities to tackle current issues.
International Development Course
Session 1. Global landscape: Overview
Session 2. Climate change impacts on food systems and rural livelihoods and adaptation opportunities (Climate-smart agriculture)
Session 3. Food security and agriculture-nutrition nexus
Session 4. Food Security and Nutrition Innovations in Schools and Communities
Special Session: Lessons learned in Adaptation and Mitigation Initiatives in Agriculture (AMIA) Program in the Philippines
Module 2: Participatory Approaches to Innovation Development
Session 1. Participation, empowerment and social learning
Session 2. Climate-Smart Village (CSV) Approach: Key steps and lessons
Session 3. Participatory methods and tools (Participatory Capacity and Vulnerability Assessment and Planning, Participatory Action Research, Participatory Technology Development)
Module 3: Sustaining and Scaling
Organizations, be it formal or informal, play a critical role in sustaining initiatives and in enhancing people’s capabilities to address their challenges. Organizing must be driven from within to ensure ownership. Communities’ access to resources for resilience building can be widened through collaboration with multiple stakeholders. Agricultural innovation that builds farm resilience can be disseminated efficiently and effectively if planned. Scaling out/up must be designed taking into consideration local- and macro-level contexts.
Session 1. Organizing for empowerment
Session 2. Facilitating market linkages: Lessons learned
Session 3. Strengthening local structure and systems
Session 4. Reaching more: Learning how to scale
Module 4: Planning
Participants will prepare an action plan that synthesizes lessons learned from the course and translate these into actions that will improve their respective programs/ projects. Facilitator(s) will ensure that action plans are based on fi eld realities and organization and program thrusts.
Session 1. Presentation of process plan and guide for plan preparation
Session 2. Presentation for review
Course Fee
USD1,350.00 per participant (inclusive of board, lodging, airport transfers, and conference materials)
To Register, contact this email address, or call +63 46 419 8600 I +63 917 869 6213