Difference between revisions of "Learning & Adaptive Management"

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* [http://www.ircwash.org/news IRC Source: Resource centre]
 
* [http://www.ircwash.org/news IRC Source: Resource centre]
  
* [http://www.reseaucrepa.org/ CREPA: Resource centre]
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* [http://www.ircwash.org/news/learning-about-resource-centre-networks Resource centres: CREPA in Burkina Faso, Resource Centre Network Ghana, SAWA in Uganda, Resource Centre Network Nepal (RCNN) in Nepal and RASHON in Honduras]
  
 
* [http://www.rashon.org/ Red de Agua y Saneamiento de Honduras: Resource centre]
 
* [http://www.rashon.org/ Red de Agua y Saneamiento de Honduras: Resource centre]
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* [http://www.nepal.watsan.net/ WASH-Resource Centre Network Nepal: Resource centre]
 
* [http://www.nepal.watsan.net/ WASH-Resource Centre Network Nepal: Resource centre]
  
* [http://www.netwas.org/index.php/misc/Netwas-Uganda.html NETWAS Uganda: Resource Centre]
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* [http://www.washuganda.net/ NETWAS Uganda: Resource Centre]
  
* [http://www.dewpoint.org.uk/ DEW Point: Resource Centre]
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* [http://r4d.dfid.gov.uk/Search/ResearchContactsResults.aspx?SearchType=All&OrgID=51019&OrganisationName=DEW+Point%2C+the+DFID+Resource+Centre+for+Environment%2C%0D%0AWater+and+Sanitation DEW Point: Resource Centre]
  
 
* [http://www.sswm.info/ Sustainable sanitation and water management: Toolbox]
 
* [http://www.sswm.info/ Sustainable sanitation and water management: Toolbox]
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* [http://www.endwaterpoverty.org/ End Water Poverty: Alliance]
 
* [http://www.endwaterpoverty.org/ End Water Poverty: Alliance]
  
* [http://www.globalwaterchallenge.org/home/ Global Water Challenge: Alliance]
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* [http://www.globalwaterchallenge.org/ Global Water Challenge: Alliance]
  
* [http://washcharter.org/ WASH Sustainability Charter: Alliance]
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* [http://sustainablewash.org/wash-sustainability-charter WASH Sustainability Charter] in English and French.
  
* [http://washghana.wordpress.com/ WASH in Ghana]
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* [http://ghanawashproject.org/ Ghana WASH Project]
  
 
* [http://www.globalwaterchallenge.org/ Global Water Partnership]
 
* [http://www.globalwaterchallenge.org/ Global Water Partnership]
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* [http://www.ircwash.org/resources/learning-alliances-scaling-innovations-water-sanitation-and-hygiene IRC: Learning alliances: Scaling up innovations in water, sanitation, and hygiene]
 
* [http://www.ircwash.org/resources/learning-alliances-scaling-innovations-water-sanitation-and-hygiene IRC: Learning alliances: Scaling up innovations in water, sanitation, and hygiene]
  
* [http://web.idrc.ca/uploads/user-S/11605726301Anexo_1-IRC_LA_book_chapter.pdf International Centre for Tropical Agriculture: Learning alliances: An approach for building multi-stakeholder innovation systems]
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* [https://cgspace.cgiar.org/handle/10568/70181 International Centre for Tropical Agriculture: Learning alliances: An approach for building multi-stakeholder innovation systems]
  
 
* [http://wedc.lboro.ac.uk/resources/conference/33/Verhagen_J.pdf WEDC Conference: Learning alliances for integrated sustainable innovations in urban water management]
 
* [http://wedc.lboro.ac.uk/resources/conference/33/Verhagen_J.pdf WEDC Conference: Learning alliances for integrated sustainable innovations in urban water management]
  
* [http://www.washcost.info/page/565 WASHCost: Learning alliance Mozambique]
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* [http://www.ircwash.org/news/learning-alliance-mozambique WASHCost: Learning alliance Mozambique]
  
 
===Acknowledgements===
 
===Acknowledgements===

Latest revision as of 00:23, 7 July 2016

Learning or knowledge management, supported at national and decentralised levels, engages in continuous learning and reflection and is thus able to adapt to changing circumstances and demands (based on experience).

Why is it important for sustainable services at scale?

Building a learning sector with the capacity to continuously innovate, evolve and adapt based on evidence is a must for delivering sustainable services and requires the capacity and willingness to address failure, do things together, better and differently.

Ideally, learning takes place at all levels and brings people together at each level. Alliances can link learning initiatives horizontally and vertically (between districts and national level) to help ensure that lessons from practice feed into policy guidelines and that tools are shared with those responsible for service delivery.

Learning alliances

Learning alliances can help:

  • connect research to policies and practice
  • scale up innovative approaches
  • coordinate responsibility, information and knowledge
  • consolidate and disseminate knowledge

The main benefits of learning alliances:

  • support for complex problem solving
  • harmonising and coordinating sector actors

Resource centres

Resource centres and learning alliances should address real problems that people want to solve and aim to make information available to help individuals and groups address specific needs.

Examples

Many countries have formal learning and training programmes linked to government structures and civil society or government-supported resource centres.

  • Gujarat, India: public sector resource centres at sub-district level support local panchayats’ in all aspects of system management and act as a focal point for knowledge and contacts.
  • South Africa: WIN-SA is a network of organisations that focus on improving knowledge sharing in the water and sanitation sector, targeting decision makers in government and non-government water services sector.
  • Andhra Pradesh (India) and Burkina Faso: WASHCost learning alliances bring the findings from research into life-cycle costing for sustainable water and sanitation services in rural and peri-urban areas.

Other field experiences

The following project(s) are using learning & adaptive management methods.

Akvorsr logo lite.png
RSR Project 497
Communication Knowledge Management Initiative


Recommendations

Incentives: People need incentives to participate. ‘Talk shops’ will not keep people on board. Learning alliances should be formed around real problems that people want to solve.

Facilitating resource centres and alliances: A good facilitator encourages interaction between formal meetings. Facilitation comes at a cost; some supporting agency has to commit time, money and capacity to the learning processes and the actors in the initiative.

Adapting to local contexts: Resource centres and learning alliances take different forms in different contexts. Key elements include:

  • identifying and involving stakeholders – good stakeholder mapping is essential
  • a participatory process for developing a shared vision, objectives and activities
  • communication channels, process documentation, monitoring and feedback

Selected references, tools and templates

  • Smits, Stef; Moriarty, Patrick and Sijbesma, Christine (eds) (2007).Learning alliances : Scaling up innovations in water, sanitation and hygiene. Delft, The Netherlands, IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre.
  • Verhagen, J., Butterworth, J. and Morris, M.A., 2008. Learning alliances for integrated and sustainable innovations in urban water management, Waterlines, 27 (2), pp. 116-24.

Other links

Acknowledgements

IRC