C4SSIS: Special training session: Generic methods and tools for conducting Action-Research within an AIS perspective

Why choose this special training session?

Have you ever wondered what actually action research is all about, or how to conduct quality action research within the context of your DESIRA project? Are you happy with your knowledge and mastery of some of the most basic methods and tools for conducting action research? Would you be interested to exchange with others about how they are doing in this regard? Then this special session should be quite useful for you and your project.

Registration link here

For more information, see here

Learning objectives

This special session is part of the C4SSIS course on ‘Conducting Action Research interventions for strengthening national Agricultural Innovation Systems’.

The objective of this special session is to provide learning inputs about how to implement an Action Research (A-R) approach and mobilize generic participatory methods and tools to this effect. It can benefit projects with different levels of experience and implementation of A-R approaches: projects which do not have a clear A-R strategy yet, projects which have experience with A-R and a clear idea of how they want to implement it but have not started implementing it, projects that have a clear A-R strategy and have already started implementing it.

Specific objectives will depend on the projects’ profile, but will include several among the followings:

• Provide an overview of what A-R is about and the diversity of methods and tools that can be mobilized
• Equip participants with basic knowledge about key methods and tools for A-R
• Review proposed methods & tools and reaffirm the ones projects may decide to use /adapt
• Adapt and refine projects’ ongoing methodological approaches using some of the proposed methods and tools, or adaptations thereof
• Foster reflexivity about the methods and tools projects have been using
• Provide key take-away messages and attention points to be used within projects

Overall, by the end of the special session, participating project representatives and resource persons will be well aware of what A-R entails and have strengthened their skills to select and adapt a series of basic methods and tools allowing them to design and implement a quality action-research approach within the framework of their respective DESIRA projects or other similar initiatives. In particular, participants will have learned:

• What is action research and how it relates to AIS
• How to design and implement Action-Research using a series of basic methods and tools
• How to implement A-R within a project or organizational context that may present challenges for effective A-R
• What roles researchers and non-researchers may play in an A-R process.

Overview of content

(Exact content to be adapted on the go based on actual participants’ interest & experience)

Session 1 (180 min)

1. Introduction: understanding A-R in a nutshell

• Origins, Definitions, the A-R cycle, example, A-R & participatory research: where to position yourselves / your project, Roles of researchers and non-researchers in action-research

2. Generic participatory methods and tools Part 1

• Semi-structured interviews, Focus group discussions, Facilitation, Organizing a participatory multi-stakeholder event, Systemic diagnosis of a situation,

Session 2 (180 min)

2. Generic participatory methods and tools Part 2

• Engaging with multiple stakeholders, Multistakeholder arenas, Designing participatory experimentation, Identifying & fostering local innovation, Systematizing experiences,

3. Making A-R work in your projects, A-R and AIS, Identifying and overcoming organizational rules & practices that can constitute obstacles to implementing A-R,

4. Synthesis and wrap-up

5. Special session evaluation