Multi-stakeholder learning partnerships in support of small-scale farming
22 January 2011
The
December 2010 issue of "Farming Matters", a quarterly magazine published by the Centre for learning
on sustainable agriculture (ILEIA) addresses the theme of "Partnerships for learning." Some
questions raised in this issue include: what do the many different people and organizations
labelled as "stakeholders" in small-scale family farming learn from each other? How do they learn
to work together to create more sustainable agriculture? What drives them to collaborate?
The magazine features a number of interesting case studies on learning-based approaches for facilitating change and social transformation, including the role of certification schemes as mechanisms for multi-actor learning and the description of a new planning, learning and accountability system developed by the Belgian organisation Vredeseilanden (VECO). Implemented jointly with VECO's partners in Indonesia, the aim is to systematically integrate lessons learnt from field experiences into the steering of the organization.
In his thematic overview, Stephen Sherwood notes that as a first step towards assuring democratic facilitation, a practitioner needs to carefully manage how he or she goes about promoting change. In particular, locally led learning processes need to:
- help individuals in understanding themselves as learners (through open discussion of learning styles and processes of critical reflection);
- encourage individuals to expand their learning experiences and styles (overcoming barriers and exploring new strategies);
- employ a variety of instructional approaches (so that participants experience different ways of interacting and learning);
- create an environment in which tolerance and diversity can thrive; and
- create a climate in which collaboration exists (where participants work with one another as resources).
All the articles can be downloaded via the link below.
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