reflection1_theme1

= = NBDC Science and Reflection Workshop =4-6 May 2011=

Theme 1: Rainwater Management Strategies: Frameworks and Scenarios
Wednesday 4 May: 11:00 - 13:00 Organizer: Debbie Rapporteur: Lisa [capture main points into a short 'blog post' or story]


 * Short Scope Note for this conversation**

// RMS for landscapes: WHAT ARE WE TALKING ABOUT? //

The goal of this session is to develop common understanding of RMS, concepts and impacts, which will guide other areas of work. Thus this session will present an analytical framework as an introduction to the conversation, and then focus on RMS - how we define it - what we know already - and where we take it next.

We will present the landscape of options in four areas that will give the background on various component areas (land use and crops, water, livestock and trees) and provide the ‘legend’ of practice options available as we apply the framework to study landscapes and to the basin.

Zooming in a brief tour of study landscapes will give everyone an idea of what we know about the selected landscapes, current status, trends, challenges, and needs, leading to preliminary RMS recommendations. We will also step back to view the basin and what we have already learned about similarities and hear proposals for methods of mapping suitability.

Discussion will focus on how the RMS can/will be operationalized throughout the Nile BDC, and where this conception of RMS works or doesn’t work – site? Processes? Analysis? Modeling? see VIDEO REPORT FROM THE GROUP DISCUSSIONS


 * People, Presenters, Process**

Agenda:

1. Frameworks: Introduction, frameworks, definitions, scenarios (Presentation by Deborah Bossio)

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2. Landscape of practices / Legend of the map – what is known about available practices in 5 min/2 slides each topic (see the presentation): water use and management (Birhanu Zemadim) land and crops (Teklu Ekrossa) livestock (Amare Haileslassie) trees (Fergus Sinclair)

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3. Tour of study landscapes - summary of conditions and trends in water use, land, livestock, trees, social factors at each site leading to proposed RMS 5 min/3 slides each (Presentation by Bharat Sharma)

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4. Discussion on RMS (40 min) Table group discussions based on maps with annotation Where does this conception of RMS work or not work? For the site? For processes? For analysis? For modeling? How will we use these in processes and models?

Table group facilitators - keep discussion on track and give 1 min feedback to group at end of discussion (write it down too somewhere…)

Debbie Josie Amare Matthew Alan Lisa An Tilahun

5. Scaling to basin (20 min) Spatial understanding of study landscapes and basin Similarity/suitability analysis: Catherine Pfeifer (10 min -poster based) Plans for LU mapping: (Fergus Sinclair, ICRAF) (3 min 2 slides)

**Theme Reflection**


 * To what extent is the science presented so far or from this session progressing the Nile BDC? gaps, omissions?


 * 1) Session was useful in providing the scope of the projects
 * 2) Where is the novel science? (and to what extent is science the appropriate approach?)
 * 3) Scales (1) intervention (2) Management (3) Dates (4) Monitoring/control – challenge scale effects
 * 4) How will RWMS prioritized for modeling and how in the field?
 * 5) Not much new science; previous science was organized
 * 6) Science 1 – The basic scientific concept are addressed within RMS 2. RMS practices related soil management (storage + fertility if not properly presented)
 * 7) In the report scientific approach is limited
 * 8) We have the science e.g. for the land use map. How do we get it out and shared?
 * 9) What is community involvement in data presented for RWS and how rigorous is science behind it
 * 10) 1. Extent of science: good but not deep enough (too brief) need more details on methodology would be helpful
 * 11) We move on without building consensus on RWM practices that need to be implemented and modeled
 * 12) Mapping the baseline before intervention and after on the last presentation
 * 13) Science is progressing well but needs more integration. There are some gaps: - need for control areas – How to attribute change to practices
 * 14) Not enough tech details from presentations
 * 15) We recognized the sites are different (from the maps) and they have different WM solutions. We need to do more progress on the science of ….. to come out


 * What can we take forward so far or from this session to strengthen project complementarities

>
 * 1) A lot of RWM practices exist
 * 2) How to link modeling + strategic ((… practice) – how to link strategies + processes at the ground
 * 3) Seems like components of ONE project not 5 separate projects
 * 4) So far only complementarily discussed is NL/NS. However is true that RMS strategies provides an overachieving … for the whole NBDC
 * 5) Complementarily + integration – the need for integration of modeling and innovation processes highlighted
 * 6) The strategy of the inter-disciplinarily need to be strengthened though adding bottom up approach
 * 7) Approaches: the integration of RMS practices for different components (water, crop, livestock, …) made clear
 * 8) Need more communication between groups – enhance data sharing


 * What progress have we made so far or in this session on core concepts and approaches? suggestions?


 * 1) There is a good understanding of RMS, but less is known about how to take it forward. Suggestion: make this an important agenda of innovation platforms
 * 2) Key concepts seem to be broadly accepted
 * 3) The approaches followed and concepts are clearer, but integration between components needs strengthening
 * 4) What do we mean by water product and how to measure it
 * 5) Not yet
 * 6) Need to resolve the top-down approach and bottom-up approach to RMS development. How will they be linked?
 * 7) Stakeholders and communities need to be involved
 * 8) Until it involves greatly end users
 * 9) Good progress on the RMS concept – but still some gaps remaining
 * 10) RMS framework formulation, though advanced, is too generic. The practices are yet to be matched with site specific conditions
 * 11) Why not – water management in rain fed farming systems
 * 12) The development of the strategies in very good processes
 * 13) RM is everything just seems like water management Why do we need rain water concept
 * 14) Concepts are clear but less clear is how the components come together
 * 15) Common understanding of RMS definition and framework achieved
 * 16) GAP: we don’t know yet how to operationalize the concept of RWM practices
 * 17) How are concepts put into practice (action) intervention
 * 18) 1. Awareness on structural and non-structural measures RWM. 2. Possible solutions alternatives based on landscape
 * 19) Better understanding on what is RMS
 * 20) There is still a lot of misunderstanding of core concepts at all levels
 * 21) Concepts deep discussion but academic


 * Rapporteur Notes from this session**

Have been struggling with concepts of RMS – this session deals with concepts, details, what are the menu of options, look at the site assessments that have been done and preliminary strategies which have been considered.

Debbie – analytical framework for RMS. Management of all the water in the landscape. RMS must be framed in a way that is useful for communication and analysis at a variety of scales and purposes.

GOAL – STRATEGY – PRACTICE – INTERVENTION

This session focuses primarily on the practices at the landscape scale. This is a mesoscale, need to understand what is happening one scale above and one scale below to understand it properly.

Need to start a Nile BDC conversation about scenarios – is currently a blank page. Question to the group – what scenarios are you planning to use and how will you implement them?

Review presentations describing the “landscape of options”:

Birhanu - Practices focus on water source, water storage, and water distribution

Teklu – RWM practices enhance crop water productivity: i) enhance water availability (“engineering”) ii) improve water uptake b plants (“agronomy”)

Amare – concept of livestock water productivity is evolving. RWM should be based on 2 key principles: i) improving the water productivity of feed ii) enhancing efficient uses of feed resources

Fergus – trees are a multi-purpose issue; decision making is complex. Largest impact on water is in terms of infiltration. Important for landscape level water productivity, but there will be trade-offs between production and water productivity

Solomon – challenge in the modeling is how to represent the options of different RWM practices

Bharat – presentation of the 3 study landscapes chosen for the Nile BDC. Three zones: i) uplands, rainfed ii) midlands, rainfed iii) lowlands/bottomlands, irrigated and rainfed

Catherine – similarity analysis - what is represented by the study sites? The aggregation of data is important. How to identify suitability?

Fergus – mapping trees and landcover, not just static but also changes. Woody biomass, forest, water, bare soil.