Learning pathways the heart of the Addis Ababa Share Fair

When we began planning the content focus of the Addis Ababa Share Fair, we looked for a unifying process that we could use to focus our discussions and exchanges on the 4 main themes chosen forn the event: climate change, land, livestock, and water. Our IFAD colleagues Roxy and Willem suggested we talk to Ariel Halpern from PROCASUR in Chile. He was working on something they call 'learning routes' - on the PROCASUR web site (see also this presentation).

These learning routes take anything up to three weeks - which is MUCH longer than our planned Addis Ababa Share Fair. But we could borrow and adapt the original idea for use in Addis Ababa ...

Using the name 'learning pathways,' we have devised a process as follows for the 4 major thematic conversations at our Share Fair:

Each pathway will integrate the key thematic knowledge processes and major knowledge spaces in a participatory process of mapping, sharing and connecting the people attending.

1. The first phase is ‘mapping’, where the participants gain an overview, and collectively characterize the activities and talents in the theme. We want to ‘map’ what’s happening in the thematic area in Africa, by whichever way best suits the group. We want to map what the people participating are doing. This could result in some kind of high level gap analysis based on the knowledge of people in the session.

2. The second phase is ‘sharing’, where selected initiatives – chosen to highlight innovative or important experiences - are exposed and explored in a peer assist mode. We want to hear and share diverse experiences – from grassroots, science and policy, and intermediary levels. We want to look across the full process of knowledge (and information and data) creation, sharing, communication, and use. This should result in a rich dialogue and conversations where promising ideas and experiences are surfaced, get feedback, and can be taken forward.

3. The third phase is ‘brokering’, where people get together in facilitated discussions that foster collaboration and the forming of future joint ventures. This should result in people getting together to collaborate in new or extended activities that create, share put knowledge to work in the theme.

Read more about the approach we will use ...

Find out about learning routes on the IFAD social reporting blog

The share fair web site and wiki

Arial Halpern from PROCASUR is attending the Addis Ababa Share Fair!