2022 Programme Highlights: Marking a pivotal point in the integrated programme
28 April 2023
Knowledge & Learning
Knowledge & Learning is a cross-cutting theme incorporated into the design and implementation of each country project and is a key function of the Regional Hub. Activities that support Knowledge & Learning, or Knowledge Management, work to capture, analyse, and disseminate the cumulative knowledge and experience of each RFS project and programme as a whole.
When implementing large-scale development projects and programmes in the agriculture, natural resources, and environment sectors, Knowledge Management is often “treated as an afterthought”, according to the GEF Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel. The cumulative experience of a programme or organisation is an under-utilised resource that, if used correctly, could improve project impact, sustainability of project outcomes, and long-term capacity development.
Knowledge Management systems exist within resilience building projects and programmes, but often fail to be effectively embedded into project design and implementation. This shortcoming is both a product of and results in a lack of resources or expertise dedicated to Knowledge & Learning. Because Knowledge Management is not adequately formalised or incentivised, projects fail to capture and apply knowledge of what works and what doesn’t within adaptive management processes and within broader policy and decision-making processes.
Well designed and executed Knowledge Management systems that allow for frequent exchange of knowledge, documented learning and project adaptation can lead to transformational change. Ongoing Knowledge Management activities support RFS teams in translating evidence and project experience in to accessible products and tools that can feed into project design and implementation processes as well as decision-making and policymaking processes at the local-, national-, and continental-level. Making sure key stakeholders have the right information at the right time can improve the quality of decision-making and build efficiency both within and between projects.
By building Knowledge & Learning activities into each of the RFS country projects, RFS is contributing to growing Communities of Practice that operate within agriculture, natural resource management, and food security domains. Each of the RFS country projects operate within unique contexts, yet they all face common challenges. Communities of Practice capitalise on that commonality, connecting practitioners and stakeholders across countries and regions for peer-to-peer knowledge exchange, support, and collaboration.
Knowledge & Learning activities take place both within country projects and across the RFS programme as a whole. Within the programme, the Regional Hub is responsible for identifying, capturing, and disseminating knowledge for use and for learning for the country projects and external audiences. Through our Implementing Agencies, RFS offers an array of tools, methods and knowledge exchange approaches to connect country projects with each other and with the Regional Hub for support on implementation, filling information gaps and scaling-up learning. The Regional Hub develops knowledge products and tailors knowledge platforms, such as the Science-Policy Interface and the Resilience Atlas, to disseminate knowledge and key information and evidence to country projects in support of improved decision-making and project implementation.
The Regional Hub also organises South-South learning exchanges, annual workshops and webinars and cultivates relationships between country project for learning and collaboration. In May 2019, the RFS Uganda project team travelled to Kenya to see first-hand the technologies and approaches the RFS Kenya project is implementing to improve smallholder access to water and restore degraded riverbanks in the Upper Tana catchment. In March 2029, RFS project teams visited project sites in the Northern Ghana to learn how local farmers and communities are benefiting from Payment for Ecosystem Services, women’s empowerment and gender mainstreaming, Village Savings and Loans, and community engagement activities.
Explore the RFS Country Projects to see more examples of how RFS countries are implementing Knowledge & Learning activities.
Stories from the Field
Explore our stories from the field to learn more about how RFS country project teams are implementing activities related to the programmatic theme of Knowledge & Learning.
Relevant resources
We have a growing library of reports, briefs, case studies, media, tools and guidelines. Explore all resources related to Knowledge & Learning to get greater insight into our programme activities.
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Learning note Ethiopia country project: Leveraging Multi-Stakeholder Platforms for Integrated Watershed Management to Enhance Food Security and Ecosystem Resilience
24 May 2023More infoThe Resilient Food Systems (RFS) Ethiopia project, Integrated Watershed Management to Enhance Food Security and Ecosystem Resilience, has been implemented since 2017 in 12 woredas/districts of 6 regions in the country.
As part of the project component focused on institutional frameworks for enhanced biodiversity and ecosystem goods and services within food production systems, functioning multi-stakeholder platforms were put in place in the project sites and related levels of local government.
This Learning Note provides background, experiences, and lessons learned through this process to scale the approach in other contexts.
Resilient Food Systems 2022 Programme Highlights
28 April 2023More infoIn 2022, the RFS programme made significant progress toward enhancing the long-term resilience and sustainability of smallholder farming systems. The 2022 Programme Highlights report showcases the achievements and innovations of the RFS regional partners, country project teams and beneficiary communities in 12 countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
The 2022 reporting period was marked by our efforts to enhance the sustainability and scaling of project interventions. 2022 saw the completion of 8 country projects and continual actions by the remaining projects to implement further sustainability measures and keep the programme benefits going. This report captures and highlights the considerable learning and knowledge that has been generated, shared and possible by the collective efforts of all RFS partners.
2022 RFS Workshop Report
15 December 2022More infoThe stakeholders from the Resilient Food Systems programme met in Blantyre, Malawi in September 2022 to attend the Annual Knowledge Exchange & Learning Workshop.
The 4-day workshop consisted of jointly-designed learning labs, sessions from Hub partners, and an interactive evidence and experience wall. The RFS Malawi team also hosted the participants on a field trip to visit their project sites in Zomba and Phalombe districts.
Country Projects
Burkina Faso
Burundi
eSwatini
Ethiopia
Ghana
Kenya
Malawi
Niger
Nigeria
Senegal
Tanzania
Uganda
Regional Hub
Project Themes
Agroforestry & Reforestation
Gender
Integrated Water Resource Management
Knowledge & Learning
Monitoring & Evaluation
Rural Extension & Capacity Development
Science, Policy & Institutions
Sustainable Land Management
Value Chains & Market Access
© 2020 Resilient Food Systems.