Capacity building for IFAD-invested rural projects in Bangladesh
Abstract
IFAD has been in partnership with Bangladesh for more than 30 years, contributing to rural development through various projects, focusing on small producers and entrepreneurs, value chains and market access, climate change adaptation, and various marginalized groups, especially poor rural women.
Through a map of innovations, case studies and a learning route, best practices of selected IFAD projects have been documented and shared with policymakers, project staff and local partner organisations. Ongoing and later projects can also benefit from the use of such tools. Local champions have been identified as important sources of knowledge. With appropriate knowledge management tools, this knowledge can be properly utilized to replicate or scale up the best practices.
PROCASUR Corporation had been promoting various successfully tested tools and methodologies for knowledge management and knowledge sharing for a long time. INAFI Bangladesh, the national chapter of a global network, has been working in the country for more than a decade, contributing to the capacity development of its partner organisations in many development issues.
INAFI-PROCASUR partnership, with the support of IFAD set the aim to facilitate improved knowledge management, and to encourage more robust peer-to-peer knowledge sharing culture among IFAD projects. To realize this vision, a stronger INAFI-PROCASUR partnership could develop capacities for INAFI to introduce, for the first time in Bangladesh, some innovative knowledge management and knowledge sharing tools and methods already tested by PROCASUR.
Over time, there have been many innovative approaches used by the projects and many good practices that led to their success. In some cases, these good practices were scaled up in later initiatives. Knowledge sharing across projects, however, has been limited. Each project has its own format and methodology for documenting best practices and successful experiences. The success stories are usually shared in workshops and seminars once they have been documented and published.
Principal organizations involvedInternational Funds for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Country Office (ICO), Bangladesh
PROCASUR Corporation
International Network of Alternative Financial Institutions (INAFI) Bangladesh
Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC), the Ministry of Agriculture
Local Government Engineering Department (LGED), the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development & Cooperatives
Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF)
Nowabenki Gonomukhi Foundation (NGF)
Rural Reconstruction Foundation (RRF)
Timeline
June 2013 – December 2014Progressive knowledge management activities in Bangladesh
A two-member team at INAFI Bangladesh worked with PROCASUR to introduce new knowledge management and knowledge sharing activities in Bangladesh. Out of the 7 ongoing IFAD projects at that time, 4 closing projects were selected to identify and document their innovations and best practices.
In order to realize the aforementioned goal, the following activities were undertaken:
Capacity building of INAFI staff in systematization and documentation of case studies and implementation of Learning Routes:
INAFI team participated in a Learning Route[1] (LR) in Vietnam in July 2013, in order to become oriented with the development process and implementation of LRs. Subsequently, the team also received training on systematization of case studies using various tools, such as map of actors, timeline, and map of past, present and future, among others prescribed by PROCASUR.
Mapping innovations and best practices of selected IFAD projects in Bangladesh:
After the capacity-building of the INAFI team, a concept note was prepared by INAFI-PROCASUR and presented to the selected projects in separate bilateral meetings, to explain the process of mapping and documentation of best practices. INAFI-PROCASUR, with cooperation from the projects, selected 2 case studies, each from 2 projects: NATP[2] and SCBRMP[3]. The cases were shortlisted, based on various criteria. Upon discussion among INAFI-PROCASUR, ICO and respective projects, the final cases were selected. The 4 case studies were developed, based on a one-day field visit for each, a literature review and project discussions. The final draft for each case was shared with the project for validation.
Case study systematization:
3 in-depth case studies were developed from 2 closing projects: MIDPCR[4] and FEDEC[5]. The cases were selected following the aforementioned process. The systematization process included a 4-5 day field visit for each case of FEDEC, and a 10-day field visit for the case of MIDPCR. Prior to the field visits, a case study systematization plan was developed, and shared with the respective projects. The systematization process included personal interviews with local champions, group work using various tools, and focus-group discussions among others. The team also visited places of interest for each case study (local markets, areas vulnerable to climate change etc.) where information was collected from local people. The information and analysis were also validated by the community as well as the project, prior to finalizing the case studies.
Developing the Learning Route:
A concept note of the LR was developed and shared with FEDEC. The LR was designed by INAFI-PROCASUR, based on the 2 FEDEC case studies. The development process included meetings with the host project and its local partner organizations. A call for participants was disseminated in early August 2014 among all IFAD projects. INAFI-PROCASUR team visited the field in August 2014, prior to the LR, and together with the farmers and local project staff reviewed the group work done during the systematization process. The team also visited the home of local champions, and with their assistance, finalized the design of the field visit for the LR.
Implementing the Learning Route:
The LR titled “Scaling-Up Bangladesh Rural Development Best Practices: Lessons Learned by FEDEC in the Development of Value Chains” was implemented in Satikhira and Jessore districts of Bangladesh in September 2014, hosted by the two NGOs, RRF and NGF. Policy and management level staff from 6 IFAD projects, representatives of partner NGOs and an IFAD Knowledge Management Officer (KMO) participated in the LR, where the 2 case studies on FEDEC were shared. The 20 participants had the opportunity to visit the relevant farmers and hear their life stories. The participants also identified the best practices and lessons learned from the cases, and provided recommendations to the project.
Facilitating development of action plans:
At the end of the LR, an action plan was developed by each project (6 action plans in total), based on the best practices and lessons learned from the cases visited during the LR. The action plans included good practices and lessons learned by the participants, who agreed on adopting those in their own projects. Follow-up discussions and workshops were organized to finalize these action plans and to receive the participants’ feedback on the LR.
Innovative approaches in the case studies
Seven case studies from 4 projects have been developed and shared with all the IFAD projects. The cases include experiences of the selected beneficiary groups, their best practices, and lessons learned from their experiences. This has helped highlight various good practices of the projects that have contributed to its success and have the potential to be scaled up or replicated.
In most cases, the case studies are focused on individual beneficiary or project participant to narrate their success stories and the role of the project behind this success. As a result, the cases are shortlisted and selected by the project alone. At times, third party evaluations are conducted where case studies of individual success stories are documented.
The approach used by INAFI-PROCASUR ensured the inclusion of multiple stakeholders in the selection of the case studies, based on some criteria outlined by the same stakeholders. ICO, INAFI-PROCASUR and the respective projects together decided on which best practices they want to highlight and share with others. The selected case studies demonstrate innovative approaches in rural development, have significant positive impact on the community, and facilitate empowerment of marginalized women.
These case studies attempted to map all actors involved in the respective cases, and include as many of them as possible in the systematization process. For instance, in case of Flower Cultivation under FEDEC project, even though the main focus was on the flower farmers, the case study also included information obtained from the traders’ association, other small farmers and flower traders in the area. Usually the success stories published in the rural development sector focus mainly on the farmer or the direct project beneficiary, rather than taking into account other variables, such as gradual development of the community or the area, or other actors involved in the value chain development, aside from the farmers.
Learning Routes in Bangladesh
Various learning routes have been implemented by PROCASUR in different countries. This has been the first attempt to introduce Learning Routes in Bangladesh, which could contribute to strengthening the knowledge management and sharing framework of IFAD projects. Through this first LR, 20 participants (17 men and 3 women) from different IFAD projects became acquainted with new methodologies and tools which can be applied in sharing the success stories of the projects. Exposure visits to project areas is a common practice among development practitioners to disseminate the success stories. Although the visits are followed by reports by the participants, there are usually no follow-up activities to ensure integration of the lessons learned in their respective field of work. Moreover, with exposure visits, the flow of knowledge goes in one direction – from the host to the visitors. The LR, on the other hand, introduces a two-way knowledge transfer, where the participants learn about good practices and innovations, which brought success to the hosts, who in turn receive recommendations from the participants, upon their analysis of the case study. The LR promotes both knowledge transfer and knowledge sharing culture.
As the participants get to interact with the local champions, they learn first-hand information about their life, their livelihoods, and their development over time. In LRs, the hosts (in this case the NGOs) and the local champions become important actors in a direct knowledge transfer.
The LR methodology has been proven to be effective in getting the projects to share their best practices and lessons learned, and to encourage the culture of knowledge-sharing across IFAD projects. The projects acknowledge that LR is a method that can be successfully used to promote their innovations and best practices as well as to learn from other projects and replicate some of the good practices as they deem fit. With this LR, 20 management level staff from different projects became oriented with the tool.
The feedback from the participants regarding the LR was inspiring. They appreciated the initiative and the concept of Learning Routes, which worked as an effective platform for them to meet and know one another, and to initiate knowledge and experience transfer among them.
Through this process, INAFI-PROCASUR partnership has been recognized as an expert technical assistance provider in advanced knowledge management and knowledge sharing in Bangladesh.
Challenges and opportunities in the process of change
Maintaining the timeframe for the assignment is important and challenging due to the nature of projects involving multiple stakeholders. Sufficient time and motivation are required to bring all the stakeholders together, as their involvement is crucial for the process to be effective.
Sustainability of the new knowledge management and sharing activities is also a concern. Case study systematization and implementation of a successful LR require funds. The ongoing projects do not have the provision for including such activities at this stage. Hence, external funds are necessary to carry out these activities.
It has been evident that IFAD projects have many good practices with the potential for upscaling. The local champions are also an important source of knowledge. With appropriate knowledge management tools, this knowledge can be properly utilized to replicate or scale up the best practices. Peer-to-peer learning, with the participation of local champions, can be used for expansion of the existing projects in new areas.
The projects have the opportunity to use the expertise and experience of INAFI-PROCASUR in innovative knowledge management and sharing process to develop their own capacity in this area. If interested, the projects can develop partnership with INAFI-PROCASUR to receive hands-on training on case study systematization methods, and development and implementation of LR. INAFI is currently the only service provider in the country specializing in such advanced knowledge management and knowledge sharing tools. Partnership with INAFI, in contrast to international consultants, can also ensure closer follow-up and continuation of the process at a lower cost.
Some of the new projects of IFAD (scaled-up projects of FEDEC/NATP) are still in the process of getting approved. The knowledge management and sharing activities (in-depth case studies and LRs) may be incorporated if respective project and IFAD feel the need. The upcoming projects that are still being designed or will be in the future can be motivated to integrate in their activities provision for capacity building in advanced knowledge management and knowledge sharing activities.
Lessons learnt
Over the years, best practices of IFAD projects have been documented by each project in their own format. All the IFAD projects have their KM staff and, in some cases, consultants to ensure that their good practices and success stories are properly documented. The knowledge management framework, however, varies from project to project. Peer-to-peer learning across projects is not a common practice. Even though exposure visits are used frequently as a method to transfer knowledge, this practice is not so common among the projects to learn from each other. As a result, there has been scope for improvement in both knowledge management and knowledge sharing process for all IFAD projects.
Sensitizing the projects through bilateral meetings about the advanced knowledge management and knowledge sharing tools has been proven to be an effective approach in introducing new tools. As a result, the project staff and the representatives of partner NGOs have been cooperative at every step of the assignment. They were also very receptive to the new approaches of knowledge management and knowledge sharing introduced by INAFI-PROCASUR.
In-depth case studies give more insights to the factors affecting the success of the project and its beneficiaries. Longer time in the field during systematization and various tools used provide better understanding for the researcher and, hence, for the reader.
Working with ongoing projects to improve its knowledge management and knowledge sharing practices may be more fruitful than working with the closing projects. Aside from sharing their knowledge, ongoing projects themselves can also benefit from the exercises and tools introduced by INAFI-PROCASUR.