meeting+14

= NBDC Team Meeting #14, ** 14 March 2013, 15:00 - 17:00 **= toc
 * ILRI Addis Ababa (DG meeting room 26) **

Agenda

 * 1) Review ** action point tracker ** from last meeting
 * 2) Review process of **refining messages ([[file:NBDC Key Findings-Messages Evidence  StepsSL ajd.docx|NBDC Key Findings-Messages Evidence StepsSL ajd.docx]]) and reporting about next steps** from recent NP4 meeting
 * 3) **Science meeting** in June 2013: Who, what, how?
 * 4) **Publication pipeline**: how to keep it updated, what is missing right now?
 * 5) ** Round of short updates ** ** for comms and coordination ** (at every team meeting there will be this short round of updates on STEP: stories, travel, events, publications) and a round of what's up on the NBDC website and wiki.
 * Events and travel plans?
 * Publications?
 * Other stories?
 * New on the web & wiki:
 * **Website:**
 * **[|Digital Stories: a creative way of capturing and communicating research] **
 * [|Using ‘WAT-A-GAME’ for participatory natural resources management planning in Ethiopia]
 * [|Communal grazing land management in Fogera: Lessons from innovation platform action research]
 * **[|Capacity building in progress: students’ theses for and through the Nile BDC] **
 * **[|Best bet rainwater management strategies: Towards location-specific best practice in Ethiopia] **
 * **[|The ‘happy strategies’ game: Matching land and water interventions with community and landscape needs] **
 * **Wiki:**
 * **Please update the key contacts list!**
 * Meeting minutes from last team meeting including **Polyscape tool** description.
 * __How tools and process facilitate farmer researcher interaction in NBDC__ (document by Fergus)
 * Recent NP4 meeting minutes
 * ** Distilling Key Messages **
 * Steering committee meeting minutes: 2011, [[file:SCMeeting_minutes_ 11May2012.docx|2012]], 2013
 * Kabe watershed end of project workshop minutes
 * 1) **Thematic issue for the next meeting**?
 * 2) AOB?


 * Next team meeting: ** Thursday 11 April 2013: ** thematic meeting. **

**Check the list of action points and find them in red in the minutes below.**

Minutes
Attending: Kathryn, Simon, Teklu, Birhanu, Gebre, Gerba, Kindie, Randall, Zelalem, Belay, Beth, An, Kiros, Alan, Kees, Ewen.

Welcome back to An and welcome to Kiros.

Action point tracker

 * Everyone has to review this and update this list of action points **.

Review process of ** refining messages **
The work by Doug has been very helpful and is really taking into account The evidence relies heavily upon the 'Rhetoric vs. reality' publication and upon the N1 report - we need to expand this.
 * ([[file:NBDC Key Findings-Messages Evidence StepsSL ajd.docx|NBDC Key Findings-Messages Evidence StepsSL ajd.docx]]) and reporting about next steps ** from recent NP4 meeting


 * Next steps**:
 * Everyone to have a careful look at the messages and beef up evidence, including evidence sources **by 22 March**. This should be everyone's priority for now. Ewen to circulate link for the page where people can edit the messages.
 * Eventually, if we don't have evidence we should drop the messages that are not substantiated.

Blog posts are featuring quite some evidence as well - they can be used as //placemarkers// for evidence but evidence should be available in other formats (publications etc.) The evidence can be from NBDC or from other sources (e.g. RiPPLE) too? It can be from both - although that means that in some places evidence might be overwhelming. What we are trying to do is to use the pile of evidence from NBDC. We should start from NBDC evidence (if we have it) and then go to second level about 'evidence associated to NBDC e.g. RiPPLE' and then third level of evidence (other sources). We need to specify forthcoming papers and authors in the publication pipeline (see below).

There are more technical messages (e.g. from N3, N4, N2 work by ICRAF) that are difficult to place under these overarching messages. These were quite specific and added later to the list of 40 messages. We could also look at the outcome pathways to develop the messages.

In June, there is a plan to organise a science meeting - we could have an organising committee to link all technical messages coming out as a starting point to take that forward.

We have to make sure that the technical messages are integrated in the broader messages (as this supports our overarching message). We want to make sure that our messages (including technical ones) are not prescriptive but rather about approaches and ways to think about these approaches. These 'technical' messages are not fully worked out yet. The policy implications are not yet figured out etc. We need to collect these messages by June or July and think of producing a different synthesis cutting across all NBDC outputs. In July-August we would be able to extract 'pure' NBDC evidence.

**In summary**:
 * We have these 6 headline messages that need to be further populated with stronger evidence - by the end of next week.
 * We then share these out there with whoever needs to read them (how is mentioned below).
 * The more specific messages emerging from technical work are a parallel strand that might come up later on. We have to work further on these and possibly use the June meeting to bring them out...

Other follow up points from the NP4 / stakeholder meeting
Read the minutes from a small discussion about this following the recent NP4 meeting.

Ewen produced a 2-pager about the workshop - which Doug edited. We need to decide what to do with this. (Kees) It would be good to produce a 2-pager to explain what happened, what was discussed and what will be done with it as it is an official National Platform meeting.

Ewen to send both documents to Kees and Kees will look at the 2 docs (Ewen's version and Kees's version) and will summarise this.

Do we want to launch the messages? It might be too early. However, In July there will be a workshop in Bahir Dar, a steering committee in April and we could perhaps present that consultation brief there and at other meetings with e.g. MoA and at SLM technical committee meeting soon. For the SLM-TC meeting, Belay could present it as part of bilateral meetings and prepare this with Simon.

We can develop a consultation brief format (similar to and based on the NBDC brief template) - Ewen to look into this with KMIS team and develop this template asap.

** Science meeting ** in June 2013: Who, what, how?
We could organize a call for abstracts - this would be a semi-compulsory exercise. During 1 or 1.5 days we would have everyone present their work, then organize some 2-page paper to develop proceedings based on this. This could include students' work as well.

This could be combined with the Bahir Dar meeting (22-24 July) - which will be about inviting regional and federal level actors to have a discussion among different regions and reflect about what is going on in their region. Amanda could help with this. We generally feel it's actually preferable to organize separate meetings: the science meeting here and whoever needs to go could go to Bahir Dar (Kees, Belay, Doug).

The science meeting would take place in late June - early July. This event needs to be doodled by Ewen. Organizing committee for the science meeting: Doug + someone else. Alan and Simon will discuss who could organize this. What could be considered in the agenda of the science meeting (discussed in the after-action-review session after the national platform meeting 4).
 * Finished publications;
 * Half-baked work (abstracts) – and how they’re related to our messages;
 * Masters students’ theses
 * CPWF cross-basin work on learning (e.g. documentation of innovation platforms or modeling across basins etc.);

** Publication pipeline ** : how to keep it updated, what is missing right now?
Everyone has to go review this pipeline and update it with details about their planned work. Doug can also help peer review any paper.
 * Kathryn, Beth, Emily finalizing paper on livelihoods in space and time in the Nile Basin (land degradation and development) combining qual and quant work from Emily's surveys to look at spatial / temporal
 * Kathryn: Paper on decentralisation: Public administration and development.
 * Simon: Draft paper on expansion of eucalyptus in the Nile
 * Simon: Analysis on flow duration of Nile
 * Simon: Characteristics of rainfed farming household/communities across the three CPWF basins.
 * Teklu, Charlotte, Amare: alternative land use systems method for system productivity (draft) presented last week in a workshop and now sent over to review
 * Teklu and MSc students: Ecosystem services and economic effects of land degradation.
 * Teklu: determinants of system productivity
 * Birhanu: Research report under review to be finalized next week, on participatory monitoring and hydrological w9th Mathew)
 * Hydro-economic modeling for Fogera (with Emily)
 * Data analysis of ??
 * Gebre: Adoption study draft report (comments expected) and sent to various conferences (World Water Week etc.)
 * Gerba: Contributed to N3 reports on Happy Strategy Game, site characterization etc.
 * Fact sheets on the 3 sites
 * Randall: Working on 1 paper on alternative to water productivity and performance indicators
 * Zelalem: Contributing to baseline survey paper by Kathryn (RWM planning)
 * One paper on IP research process
 * One on intervention pilots (action research)
 * Belay: Possibly a paper on policy process in NBDC - based on interviews with people
 * Beth: IPs and issues of power representation with Josie, Zelalem, Kathryn, Aberra
 * PV politics and participation
 * Perhaps later on participatory tools e.g. wat-a-game etc.
 * (planned) Livestock and fodder interventions from IP work
 * (planned) Agent-based model based on soil conservation
 * An: Starting the closure report and will prepare overview of all publications:
 * Prioritization framework
 * Catherine has finished a report on rainwater management strategies and interaction models (on the wiki) to publish as an NBDC
 * Jens on analysis of rainfall data (draft stage)
 * Adoption study by Gebre - it can be shared at this stage
 * Paper by Catherine P submitted last year on rainwater management strategies and
 * Another one on adoption maps - is it submitted? Unclear
 * Idea from Lisa to work on rainwater management practices database
 * (possible) Fire analysis?
 * Kees: RIU on termites - but what shape? With Don Peden, Haile and Wollo Uni and Makerere Uni
 * Work in Nakasongola?
 * CPWF wants a basin story - internal reflections on R4D process - what went well or not. Kees will make an outline on this this week or next . Doug and Kees to work on this through interviews. Doug to make a synthesis to share for peer review . How does this relate to other CPWF basin stories? Each basin will develop their basin story which will be quite specific to each of them indeed. Doug is doing this also. We should not repeat what Doug is doing in that sense. Lack of interdisciplinarity has been a red thread in the NBDC. Looking at the basin history we could look at our shift into outcome focus and ups and downs. Simon is interested to be part of this.
 * Eva: work on platforms with Aklilu. Josie will know where we are there on this.

Doug will contact ICRAF to check their publications. DONE MSc / PhD theses to be uploaded by Ewen on the pipeline page -.

The likelihood of publishing should be mentioned there too.

Late May there is a 2-day writeshop in Kenya to produce a synthetic write-up about innovation systems/platforms. We are hoping to get Paul Mundy to lead this writeshop.

**Round of updates** Round of short updates for comms and coordination (at every team meeting there will be this short round of updates on STEP: stories, travel, events, publications).
 * Stories:
 * Blog post on learning event Wat-A-Game by Beth/Zelalem.
 * Capacity building on IP after next week.
 * Birhanu / Simon on participatory report.
 * Consultant hired to do web-based data observation systems - all data to be uploaded, all photos to be uploaded and shared in the next weeks.
 * Travel / Events:
 * Week of 24-26 April for Steering committee meeting.
 * Next week Thursday for the integration workshop.
 * AfroMaison meeting Tunisia 15-20 April (Simon reporting about it in Fogera)
 * New staff starting this month - to be introduced
 * 10 June: CPWF peer assist in Peru
 * Mon-Tue IP CD + field visit
 * 4-5 July Beth and Kees in Uni of Manchester Innovation for dev't
 * October-November: Final NBDC meeting (to be scheduled) - Kees, Simon etc.

Any other business
There is also a lot of work to do still beyond preparing publications. At some point we should have a meeting about that next week with: Beth, Kathryn, Simon, Alan, ? Beth, Randall and Josie will plan a meeting to discuss the scientific approach to take our work forward in the next year. Beth will use some write-up she prepared.

Agric extension strategy comments by Simon to be finalised, signed and shared then. Doug to send this doc again.

Skype minutes for this chat:
[3:08:34 PM] *** ILRI Ethiopia added Doug Merrey** * [3:11:01 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: Eva - can you hear? [3:13:46 PM] Eva Ludi: yes, fine [3:28:31 PM] Doug Merrey: Sound cutting in and out and I cannot find the link on the wiki you mentioned [3:29:14 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: cable damaged at Djibouti so internet will be slow [3:29:42 PM] Eva Ludi: if you type - can you do it a bit further away from the mic - else we just here key strokes.... [3:31:06 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: Kees is suggesting distilling technical messages from the June Science meeting [3:31:29 PM] Doug Merrey: I am on the wiki now [3:31:47 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: good [3:32:20 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: Beth is making the point that we need to take care not to isolate tech messages from outcomes [3:33:14 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: Messages shouldn't be too specific e.g. apples grow well here [3:33:25 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: More about approaches, issues [3:34:34 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: losing yo- can you type [3:34:42 PM] Doug Merrey: I am getting no sound now [3:35:35 PM] *** Call ended, duration 27:02** * [3:36:00 PM] *** Missed group call.** * [3:37:21 PM] Eva Ludi: dough & I have been dropped [3:40:06 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: Talking about the 2 pager [3:40:47 PM] *** Group call** * [3:57:53 PM] Doug Merrey: Sound is deteriorating, I cannot hear again [4:01:53 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: we do a doodle poll to decide on dates [4:02:03 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: REgional workshop in late July - small presence [4:02:24 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: Science meeting late June early July - will do a doodle poll [4:03:02 PM] Doug Merrey: So I will get to science but not other one. No problem [4:03:27 PM] Doug Merrey: I will be happy to help organize the science meeting [4:03:35 PM] Doug Merrey: No sound coming now... [4:03:41 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: that sounds good [4:05:05 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: Talking about conference in Ambo in late May [4:05:22 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: do we link? [4:05:29 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: We need to participate [4:05:37 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: But is separate from Science Meeting [4:06:39 PM] Doug Merrey: Democracy in action [4:07:54 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: Kees looking for facilitator for Regional meeting in Bahir Dar. [4:08:01 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: Maybe Amanda? [4:08:16 PM] Doug Merrey: Amanda is excellent for that [4:09:57 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: Publication pipeline [4:11:15 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: Beth is making point that we are focusing too much on end point and not enough about remaining work to be done [4:11:19 PM] Doug Merrey: I cannot hear her at all [4:11:46 PM] Doug Merrey: I see the pipelina and science meeting as ways to plan work for rest of year--science work that is [4:11:46 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: There is still much to be done on IP's, Watagame etc [4:12:49 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: Noted Doug but we need an urgent focus on integration across disciplines to make sure we have a coherent body of work [4:13:07 PM] Doug Merrey: Yes [4:14:47 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: Talking now about having a dedicated meeting on integration next week [4:15:38 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: It is a one nbdc meeting [4:15:43 PM] Eva Ludi: is this integration relating to publications or much broader? [4:15:56 PM] Doug Merrey: not clear at all [4:15:58 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: integration of research [4:16:20 PM] Eva Ludi: so - accross N's? [4:16:39 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: e.g. Beth has been talking to modellers about applying their modelling work at a more local scale and feeding into innovation platforms - that kind of thing [4:17:14 PM] Doug Merrey: Excellent. And getting abstracts of papers planned for the science meeting will also flush out ideas for integratiion [4:17:19 PM] Eva Ludi: ok, that makes sense. guess that will need some sserious discussions - probably on a better internet connection [4:17:34 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: if we get the work integrated it will support the messages much better [4:17:54 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: Josie also keen. Eva, you could join too if you like? [4:18:23 PM] Eva Ludi: yes. depending on when you meet next week - might even join you in person - will be in AA but on a different project and not sure about the programme yet [4:18:26 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: Need to be careful not to bite off more than we can chew in terms of further work [4:18:51 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: Kees looking for ODI representation at Bahir Dar meeting in July [4:19:07 PM] Eva Ludi: need to discuss with Josie [4:19:12 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: Eva: would be good if you could join in person [4:19:39 PM] Eva Ludi: ill see if I find out more when we have what on - should be able to get back later today with hopefully more details [4:20:16 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: good [4:20:30 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: Back to publication pipeline\ [4:20:59 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: Doug has been working hard on the publication pipeline [4:21:05 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: Doug? [4:22:43 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: Beth, Katherine, Emily are finalizing something on livelihoods over space and time in Nile basin [4:23:02 PM] Doug Merrey: Put it on pipeline! [4:23:45 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: Also submited paper on decentralization to Public Admin and Development [4:24:11 PM] Doug Merrey: i listed that but it is not completely accurate info on pipeline [4:24:11 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: Simon: draft paper on expansion of eucalyptus across Nile [4:24:22 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: Paper on flow duration across the Nile Basin [4:24:56 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: Cross basin characterization of households relying on rainfed [4:25:24 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: Charlotte, Teklu: paper on alternative land use systems for system productivity [4:25:34 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: This is the paper sent to Doug [4:25:51 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: Submission to Ecosystem Services [4:26:02 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: Paper on economic effects of land degradation [4:26:24 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: Determinants of system productivity - not certain [4:27:07 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: Berhanu - research report under review - participatory monitoring of hydrology [4:27:13 PM] Doug Merrey: I hope these will go onto pipeline [4:27:26 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: Paper with Emily - hydroeconomic modelling [4:27:29 PM] Doug Merrey: Berhanu's paper was captured--i think it i sbeing reviewed in IWMI [4:28:11 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: Gebre: N3 adoption study - draft report. [4:28:26 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: Will be revised for journal publication [4:28:47 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: Also a couple of conference papers - Ambo meeting and world water week. [4:31:12 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: Gerba: need to make sure we include senior research assistants [4:31:29 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: Randall: alternative indicator for water productivity - ideas for a paper [4:31:47 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: Zelalem: Rhetoric and realities [4:32:29 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: N2 team work on IP processes and intervention strategies [4:33:40 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: Belay: Kees suggests something on policy process - think about later [4:33:55 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: Beth: paper on power and representation in IP's [4:34:07 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: Another one on Participatory video [4:34:22 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: One on participatory tools [4:34:38 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: One on livestock and fodder interventions from IP work [4:34:59 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: One on agent based model on SWC - collaborative with PhD student in UK [4:35:30 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: An: working on closure report [4:35:46 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: One on prioritization strategies [4:36:03 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: Catherine Pfeiffers - strategies, interactions, models [4:36:15 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: Jens work on rainfall data [4:36:52 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: Pfeiffer submitted last year on RWM strategies [4:37:01 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: Also one from her on adoption maps [4:37:20 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: Lisa on RWM strategies database [4:37:27 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: Lisa on fire analysis [4:37:45 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: Will be clearer once closure report complete [4:38:01 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: Kees: RIU termites [4:38:10 PM] Doug Merrey: Quite along list--how many will actually materialize? Esp those listed by An and beth? [4:38:19 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: With Don [4:38:49 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: E-mail them direct would be my suggestion [4:39:05 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: Kees - Basin Story with Doug [4:40:30 PM] Eva Ludi: following on from the basin story - what will we have to do overall - comparison across basins - towards the end of CPWF? [4:41:12 PM] Eva Ludi: for example -use of plaforms, etc. [4:44:32 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: difference between basins in what is meant by @basin story@ [4:45:13 PM] Doug Merrey: i agree with Kees [4:47:25 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: Eva: work on platforms with Aklilu could be published - Josie [4:48:39 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: Gerba: fodder fact sheets [4:49:25 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: Beth: use FEAST and SLATE tool - could lead to interesting results [4:49:50 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: Simon - list of theses - are these on the pipeline page? [4:49:59 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: Ewan will update [4:53:29 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: Berhanu - blog story about realtime weather monitoring and flow data from our sites. [4:53:59 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: Belay - participated in Vital Signs meeting - Gates funded. Open access data system [4:54:30 PM] Doug Merrey: What about comments on extension strategy? [4:54:35 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: yes [4:58:49 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: Afromaison meeting Tunisia mid April [4:59:01 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: New IWMI staff starting [4:59:28 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: Peer Assist in Lima Jun 10 [5:00:57 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: Belay: Oct/Nov meetings. Last NBDC meeting [5:02:18 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: Look at ACtion points on wiki and make sure they're being dealt with [5:02:24 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: Pipeline - update [5:02:41 PM] ILRI Ethiopia: Review messages [5:03:02 PM] *** Call ended, duration 1:22:09** *