Untangling some challenges and opportunities in water research on the African continent today – with focus on domestic and agricultural use Presentation: Stella Williams, Agricultural Economist, Professor Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Osun State, Nigeria The International Forum on Water and Food (IFWF) is the premier gathering of water and food scientists working on improving water management for agricultural production in developing countries. The CGIAR Challenge Program for Water and Food (CPWF) represents one of the most comprehensive investments in the world on water, food and environment research.The Forum explores how the CPWF research-for-development (R4D) approach can address water and food challenges through a combination of process, institutional and technical innovations.

1. RESEARCH TO
POLICY Integrating
communications in research
planning

2. Research
Why this conversation
for
WHAT?

3. Move from problem-
based research to
solution-based
research

4. Not too much driven by
researchers, scientists and
academics but creating
space for development
actors like policy makers

5. Research evaluated by
development impacts and
not by the contribution to
the body of knowledge
(publishing)

6. R4D – contributing to the
Policy development agenda
Research
Action
Policy
Research Action
R4K – contributing to the
body of knowledge
Spending a lot of time
studying technical issues
that interest science
(ourselves)

7. R2P - How

9. You can have brilliant
ideas, but if you can't get
them across, your ideas
won't get you anywhere.
~ Lee Iacocca

10. Don’t be such a scientist
‘Don’t be such a scientist: talking substance in an
age of style’(Island Press 2009), Randy Olsen,
marine biologist and film maker :
Scientists should pay more attention to how they
communicate their work. They should focus not
only on substance or content, but much more on
the style of communication: “….communication is
not just one element in the struggle to make
science relevant. It is the central element.
Because if you gather scientific knowledge but
are unable to convey it to others in a correct and
compelling form, you might as well not even have
bothered to gather the information”

11. Conventional research communications vs
Communications for R4D
Area Conventional Research Comms Comms for R4d
Objectives Contribute to bodies of Change perceptions and behavior, contribute
knowledge to development processes
Inform and provide information
Targets Researchers, scientists, Multiple actors (farmers, planner, policy
academics makers, private sector, NGOs, etc)
Methodology One way, mechanistic Two way, iterative process – multiple actors
Passive involved, participatory
Engaged and active
Strategies Publish in journals Strategic communication linked to changes in
Attend scientific meetings KAS of targets
Message focused Seen as part of the social sciences
Hand over information to Use multiple channels, products
media/Public Information Focused on use rather than production
When At end of research process Continuous process where communication is
seen as a process for deriving shared meaning

12. In research it is either you
publish the knowledge or
perish. In research for
development, it is either you
apply the knowledge or perish
~ Hastings Chikoko, 2001

13. …..integrat
ed
RESEARCH PROGRAMME COMMUNICATION
CYCLE PROGRAM CYCLE
National/Basin
development agenda Planning (OLM)
Reflection Identify information needs and targets
Policies
Strategies 1 1 CPWF Global Info
Communication
Strategy
Monitor and
evaluate (with
Comms
6 Monitor and
evaluate (comms
indicators)
SADC Awareness
and Comms Strategy
for the Water Sector
indicators)
2 Implementation 5 Produce and disseminate
2 Develop strategy
4
Integrate
3 communication
activities into LBDC
3 Create implementation plan and budget
MILESTONRE PLAN

14. Linking theories of change to what actors need to know
1 to effect the change
Milestone Outcome Target Change
3 or 4 Milestones most Outcome Target Target audience (actors) for Expected change in actors
likely to bear fruit & each milestone.
succeed (column 2 from OLM)
(from Milestone Plan) (from OTIB) (from Actors in OLM)
Identify 2 or 3 of your Outcome from OTIB. Identify key actors for each What do you expect the actor to
project milestones that Please provide the milestone, be as specific or change with regards to practice
are most likely to have outcome to be detailed as possible. If you do and behavior?
impact. Try to identify associated with each not give names, please give as
milestones across the milestone. What is much detail (Province, District,
project timeline, not all this milestone Institution) as possible
at the end. Pick the supposed to
milestones that you contribute to or
consider to be low accomplish.
hanging fruit, those
milestones or outputs
that your feel have the
greatest potential for
impact.

15. Linking theories of change to what actors need to know
1 to effect the change
What How Who
What information is needed to How will you send out this Who will do it?
bring about the expected message to the identified actor?
change? (from column 5 OLM)
(column 4 of OLM)
What issues/message do you Means of communication. This is Responsible partner. Indicate who on your
want to target to actors? This based loosely on the Process project team will take the lead in delivery of
should be loosely based upon Outputs column of the OLM, but this milestone to actors; and with whom they
the Project Strategy column of massaged and synthesized need to partner.
the OLM, which you refine here according to what you now know
and now. This is where you about your output and audience.
combine the original intentions
of the OLM with the specific
findings or implications of the
milestone.

16. Don’t be such a scientist
‘Don’t be such a scientist: talking substance in an
age of style’(Island Press 2009), Randy Olsen,
marine biologist and film maker :
Scientists should pay more attention to how they
communicate their work. They should focus not
only on substance or content, but much more on
the style of communication: “….communication is
not just one element in the struggle to make
science relevant. It is the central element.
Because if you gather scientific knowledge but
are unable to convey it to others in a correct and
compelling form, you might as well not even have
bothered to gather the information”

17. POLICY
integrating
communications
in research
planning