This presentation comes out of the idea of uneven capacities to engage on foresight and shape research and policies agendas, so that the least developed countries, farmers’ and civil society organizations will be able to contribute with their views to shape their future. Check out "Empowering local organisations through foresight" by Robin Bourgeois, Senior Foresight Advisor, GFAR Secretariat at: http://bit.ly/17GoTt4

1. Background:
The Grassroots Foresight
Initiative
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2. Uneven capacities to engage on foresight and shape
research and policies agendas
Origin of the initiative
 Absence of Least Developed Countries
 Absence of Farmers’ and Civil Society Organizations
 The future is shaped by the views of the international community, and
organisations from advanced/emerging countries; they address global issues
with limited application to local development
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3. At GCARD2 stakeholders called for a farmer-led, farmer-
managed foresight process engaging local level organisations in a
forward thinking initiative
Call to empower farmers organisation in foresight
Call for genuine presence not symbolic
AFA and grassroots foresight
Origin of the initiative
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4. The Grassroots Foresight Initiative
Empowering
farmers
organisations
through foresight
Farmer-led Bottom-up Actionnable
• Capacity building
• Farmers as doers
• Local initiatives
• Global dialogue
• Local action plans
• Global priorities
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5. The Grassroots Foresight Initiative
Inclusiveness. Give a voice to the voiceless is a core principle of
the initiative; think of youth, women, farm workers, landless,
vulnerable groups, indigenous people...
Openness. Include also other stakeholders, not just farmers and
ensure that those stakeholders who are very useful to inject
different perspectives and information in the foresight process will
not prevent the “voiceless” to speak.
Documentation. Document all steps in the process in order to
ensure relevant comparability across local cases and transparency
in the achievement of results.
A bottom up approach. Develop a bottom-up perspective in order
to link layers and networks of social actors across scales.
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6. The Grassroots Foresight Initiative
Operationalisation of scenarios. Link scenarios with concrete
actions. This will include for example dissemination of scenarios
and a proper action plan based on a strategic analysis of the
scenarios.
Context-specificity. Consider the cultural specificities and belief
systems and ensure that farmers and farmer’s organisations are
sensitized not only to foresight as a one shot event, but also as a
permanent attitude.
Mutual learning. Provide opportunities for global food security
foresight specialists working with farmers’ organizations to
reconsider their mindset, framings and methods after having
participated to the project.
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7. The Grassroots Foresight Initiative
The Grassroots Foresight Initiative is included in GFAR MTP under
Outcome 1:
Farmers and national stakeholders empowered and informed to
better negotiate their own agricultural future
Output 1.2:
Regional foresight capabilities enhanced for greater self-
determination
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8. Process
• Use qualitative scenario building method to develop
alternative futures for the members of the FOs engaging in
this process: Question: what might happen to us in 20 years?
• Implementation through step-wise process over six to eight
months
• 15 individual cases in three different regions
Volunteer FOs
Supportive CSOs
Training of their
resource persons
Implementation in
the field
Consolidation to
voice up results
Dialogue for the
GCARD3 process
Local actions with
local stakeholders
Coordination
Facilitation
We are here 8