Presentation on CPWF's achievements and lessons by Alain Vidal, former CPWF director, at CPWF's final grant event at IFAD in October 2014.

1. Research for Development Impact
Lessons, Tools, and Successes
Alain Vidal, former CPWF Director
CGIAR Consortium

2. IFAD’s grant to CPWF
Key achievements
Introductions first:
a democratic warm-up…
A short history of CPWF
Grant achievements
 Demonstrated pro-poor impact
 Linking research and development
Lessons learnt

3. Warm-up debating points…
Improved agricultural water productivity will
necessarily yield enhanced food security
When dealing with agricultural water, the main
development issues are still more technical than
institutional
Developmental impact is more easily achieved
through uptake from well-trained research
beneficiaries than by long-term engagement with a
broad range of partners

4. Niger
Water, food and poverty analyzed in 10 basins
1.5 billion people
50% of the poorest < 1€/j

5. CPWF in Phase 2 (2009-14)

6. CPWF – an experiment to test new
R4D approaches on water and food
Food security now central to global
debates - ahead of natural resources
and sometimes ahead of poverty)
Food security to a large extent
misinterpreted and causes for food insecurity
misunderstood
 Food security about equitable access and distribution
more than about income (Amartya Sen) plus provision of
ecosystem services

7. Agricultural productivity does not
always ensure food security
Source: World Bank, FAO

8. Why a challenge program ?
CPWF challenged
 the accepted discourse on water’s role in
development
 the way research addresses water issues
CPWF explored
 Successful technical and institutional innovations (outcomes)
resulting into increases in household income and food security
for the poor (impact)
 How policy dialogues (engagement) help generate outcomes
from research and eventually impact for the poor

9. Are you still with us ?

10. Key achievements
Demonstrated pro-poor impact
CPWF has shown how improved water access and
management improve people’s wealth - food,
income and much more
But only through enhanced
capacity and empowerment
 Key to help people achieve
food security

11. Local innovation and
economic growth in Vietnam

12. Diversification supporting
economic growth
12
Before After
Growth rate of Bac Lieu province (2004 – 2006) 15.7%/year
Income of rice-shrimp system: ca. US$ 2,150/ha/year

13. Impact on farmers’ income
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Ninh Thanh Loi Ninh Hoa
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14. Triggers for change
14
S
S
Social conflicts
between brackish
(shrimp) and
freshwater (rice)
environments
Higher income
US$2,150 /ha
8700 farmers
adopted innovation
Reduced pollution
Low income
< US$ 1,500/ha
Polluted aquatic
environment
Improved locally-
responsive zoning
together with
sluice gate
management

15. Demonstrated pro-poor impact
What is on the menu this week ?
CPWF Research-into-Use projects:
 Community-Based Fish Culture in
Bangladesh
 Companion Modeling in Laos
 Integrated termite management in Uganda
 Shallow ground water irrigation in the Volta
IFAD-funded innovation fund projects
 Study tour between Cambodia and Laos
 Participatory video in the Nile

16. Key achievements
Linking research and development
CPWF developed a series of tools and approaches
that have potential to facilitate positive development
impacts (More on repackaging in next session)
CPWF tried, tested, and proved better ways for
linking research to development (relatively short and
cheap)
 65% of survey respondents considered
CPWF events and materials to be
overall more accessible, applicable,
relevant and timely than other research

17. Lessons learnt for CPWF and IFAD

18. Institutional learnings
Linking R to D requires strong institutional set-up,
strong personal relationships, building on existing
networks and dynamics, and incentive
Connecting research to a specific
audience requires tailoring and
repackaging, in an iterative process
and several times, maintaining
networks and close relationships
Both are time intense, require
context knowledge and diplomatic skills

19. How can IFAD benefit ?
Huge potential from better understanding of and
engagement with CGIAR R4D
 Shared values and objectives
 IFAD’s broad set of in-house technical skills
Mechanism to bring in CGIAR
expertise more systematically,
especially in countries where
both institutions are focusing
their efforts

20. Future investments should…
Build upon and support working « baskets of smart
moves »
Focus on institutional capacity to address poverty
and food security, even where water is perceived as
the main constraint or driver