Facilitating Participatory Dialogues

Lead Organization:

Fundacion EkoRural

Community of Practice:

Andes

Countries:

Ecuador Bolivia Peru

Duration:

11/2019—11/2020

Overview:

CCRP-funded projects in the Andes generate and facilitate spaces for dialogue among farmers, academics, technicians, government officials, non-governmental organizations, and politicians. The Andes CoP itself is a facilitated space that has greatly benefited from a gifted facilitator who has worked with the CoP for several years. This project will allow that facilitator to work with other grantees to improve their facilitation skills.

The purpose of this request is to strengthen the capacities of members of the Andes CoP in facilitating various forms of dialogue, in service of the CoP’s various objectives. This work will generate spaces for reflection, learning, and action that strengthen the capacities for facilitation of dialogue within among various stakeholders involved in the project work.

 

Grant Aims:

This proposal represents the next logical step in providing grantee support on facilitating participatory processes. The CoP has held prior workshops, meetings, and exchange visits dedicated to this topic. This proposal features responsive coaching, based on observation of participants in action. In addition, the learning from this process can be shared more widely through the program and beyond. The dialogue strengthening will take place in the following areas:

  • Dialogue between individuals with the following possible tools: active listening; empathy; putting oneself in the position of the other; body language.
  • Intercultural dialogue considering knowledge systems, culture, knowledge, science, positivism. For example, considering the dialogue between farmers and scientists or technicians.
  • Inter-institutional dialogue that takes into account the actors with their power, interest and legitimacy.
  • Political dialogue that allows stakeholders to influence public policy.

The emphasis in each of these areas will depend on the interests of the project teams linked to the process.

Outputs and Outcomes:

Outputs:

  • Needs identified for strengthening projects in facilitation of dialogue.
  • Knowledge and techniques on dialogue facilitation shared among projects.
  • Skills and abilities to design and facilitate dialogue are consolidated both theoretically and practically among projects.
  • A space generated for learning and exchange around the facilitation of dialogue.
  • Learning captured on deepening participatory dialogues

Outcomes:

  • Valuation of the knowledge of the communities.
  • Establishment of a dialogue between farmer knowledge and scientific knowledge.
  • Formulation and development of agricultural research that is more relevant to the problems of rural communities.
  • Greater relevance of the whole research process to farmer participants, including farmer research networks.
  • Formulation of more effective public policies taking into account the contributions of scientific research and farmer knowledge.