8 Weeks: September 4 – October 29, 2012
Prerequisites: OL 342.

Water Conservation and Management. A shortage of water or unreliable access to water is one of the biggest issues in development. Community water sources dry up during climate change related drought—or seasonally during the dry season.

There is competition among different segments of the community for available water. Discussing community water challenges calls for stepping back from the immediate problem and looking at the relevant underlying causes for the shortage of water in order to begin developing solutions.

This past quarter CSDi has seen a number of water related partner projects worldwide. We are seeing tremendous similarities between the projects: not enough water, too much water—and contaminated water. These challenges lead to reduced harvests, reduced income, reduced food security and nutrition, chronic ill health from waterborne disease, and flooding.

Agricultural families suffer from widespread malnutrition caused by climate variability—including extreme drought that reduces crop yields & negatively impacts livestock. These challenges exacerbate the already complex problem of poverty due to a lack of agricultural income. Combined, they lead to chronically malnourished and frequently ill children—and an inability to purchase food and pay for children’s education and health care.

The solutions that students have been developing include a community-based water use management plan. Community members will first develop a participatory mapping of water resources and uses, and then consult with a water management expert to develop a participatory process and training program for developing the water use management plan.

The course includes an overview of water conservation techniques complete with downloadable manuals and field guides for each technique. See the full syllabus.

8 Weeks: September 4 – October 29, 2012
Prerequisites: OL 342.

Climate Smart Agriculture. Depleted soils, unreliable access to water, outmoded agricultural practices and a lack of coping strategies for adapting to a changing climate are leading to reduced agricultural productivity, income generation, and food security for smallholder farmers worldwide.

This past year CSDi has participated in a number of agricultural partner projects worldwide. We are seeing tremendous similarities between the projects: eroded topsoil, gullys, not enough water, too much water, drought, and a lack of knowledge of effective techniques for adapting to a changing climate. These challenges lead to reduced harvests, reduced income, and reduced food security.

Agricultural families suffer from widespread malnutrition caused by a changing climate. These challenges exacerbate the already complex problem of poverty due to a lack of agricultural income. Combined, they lead to chronically malnourished and frequently ill children—and an inability to purchase food and pay for children’s education and health care.

The solutions that students have been developing for their projects include a community-based Climate Smart Agricultural Program. In OL 333 students and their community members will first develop a participatory mapping of crop systems, and soil and water resources, and then consult with an expert in soil, water and agriculture to develop a participatory training process for developing a Climate Smart Agricultural Program specific to their local context.

The course includes an overview of climate smart agricultural practices complete with downloadable manuals and field guides for each technique. See the full syllabus.

One of the biggest challenges in development is helping people rise out of poverty by increasing their income levels. It’s very popular these days for NGOs to encourage community members to become entrepreneurs and to start businesses. The best people to mentor new entrepreneurs are successful, experienced businesspeople. They’ve learned through the school of hard knocks what works successfully and what things to avoid in starting and running businesses

Unfortunately, NGO field staff don’t necessarily have business backgrounds. Community members don’t necessarily have entrepreneurial drive nor skills. This isn’t a good recipe for rising out of poverty. I have frequently seen piles of handicrafts gathering dust in a warehouse that a well-meaning NGO staffer suggested that community members make—but that they were never able to sell. This creates a negative impact on the community for the time and materials they expended in the production of the handicrafts.

Sajid Raihan, of ActionAid Bangladesh,  recently sent me their climate change adaptation newsletter—Climation. Sajid is the Manager of Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction for ActionAid Bangladesh.

ActionAid Bangladesh started a new project a few years ago on promoting active citizenship through people’s (participatory) research—or GonoGobeshona. For them, people’s research is a process facilitating vulnerable people to come together and discuss their problems and identify their solutions; it is a means to empower themselves to analyze their own problems and think of possible solutions according to their knowledge and understanding.

The process begins with a participatory drawing of a social map indicating vulnerabilities, and the sources of vulnerabilities and disasters.

The end result of GonoGobeshona is the community’s collective realization and ownership of the problem. GonoGobeshona enhances the communities capacity through active participation in the development process.

Says Sajid, “GGD members tend to have a bigger picture of what is happening, how, why, and their role as a community. One positive outcome is GonoGobeshona’s effect on community members level of understanding of climate change and adaptation issues. Members of these groups tend to be highly motivated and manage time to sit together and find out a solution to their problems through participatory research; they must establish themselves as the drivers of their own development.”