NOTES FROM DISCUSSIONS AT SRP “RIVER BASINS” WORKSHOP
MAY 28TH & 29TH 2012, ADDIS
Participants:
Vladimir Smakhtin (IWMI)
Simon Cook (CRP5)
Claudia Ringler (IFPRI)
Francoise Molle (ICARDA/IRD/IWMI)
Katherine Snyder (IWMI)
Matthew McCartney (IWMI)
David Purkey (SEI)
Marcela Quintero (Peru-CIAT)
Keith Shephard (ICRAF)
Yumiko Kura (Worldfish)
Jonathan Lautze (USAID)
Mark Giordano (IWMI)
Peter McCornick (IWMI)
Sanmugam Prathapar (IWMI)
Tilahun Amede (IWMI/ILRI/CPWF)
Day 1:
Basins and a question of scale
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Basins are a tool to help generate an understanding of processes
Need to make generalizations beyond basins
On the basin definition- the land intervention and water quality are fully involved. Land- in terms of
pollutants, sediments. Linking with a wider economic view- a wider societal process
The politics is beyond the basin
How do ecosystem services fit into the fabric of a basin?
Research at the scale of management- tie research to where decisions are being made
Decision scales are different- the scales start to nest and accumulate
Some drivers are beyond the scale of the basin
The landscape is a effectively a “sub-grid” variations within basins
A lot of the work is cross basin and beyond it, but this does not mean it is restrictive
How the basin responds to pressures
The need to be systematic, having the right protocols so that we can do this across basins
Who’ll be doing this integration?
What do river basins as systems do for development collectively?
Nile basin- consider the basin concept but what happens if there are other actors
We have different scales for different problems – the SRP boundaries do not need to be rigid
If we focus on a basin we shouldn’t lose the landscape functions
Land, water and people are inside the basin. The basin integrates all sorts of land use. We are
covering most of it. Let’s not only think of it as a hydrological water boundary.
The Information systems SRP vision was to build up good data on all the ecosystem services, whilst
accommodating the basins as a framework
The need for really good data sets. The basins are experimental areas (sentinel sites because they
represent a range of conditions and help gain insights on a range of issues)
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We need to try to find sub categories within the basin SRP under which different institutes and groups
can formulate their projects.
Boundaries between SRPs will have to be loose, as the current SRP structure is far from ideal
Need for sub SRPs (e.g. CCAFS)- sub categorization will be necessary but that’s just logistics
There are no major contradictions. Different problems have their own scales and integrating this into
the SRP is a different issue.
What’s the expected impact of the research?
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Impact - start from the notion of what problem you want to resolve?
We need exciting science indicators- need to know how we want to be evaluated
Data
If there’s a general need for data, what is the strategy? Need to look at what problem we’re going to
solve and what data you need to do that
Is it a gap that’s necessary to solve that problem?
Can we fill the data through another approach?
Data is driven by the problem that needs to be solved
Provide protocols to keep data archived in a consistent way (putting them together and sharing
How do we make sure that the data doesn’t get lost?
The problem within the CG /IWMI- unlimited types of data
New ways needed - technologies to measure things from space. We need to link with big players,
universities, ground observations are not developing.
Strength of CG- capacity to implement a standard set of measurements
Trying to develop national capacity for surveillance systems
In some cases you collect data and look for application afterwards
Failure that the data couldn’t be translated, instruments couldn’t be put in place
Use of crowd sourcing e.g. Bangalore- t-shirts with censors to measure air quality
o This works for some areas not others
o Its trickier for soils and water
o Helps for air pollution monitoring and human disease outbreaks- depends a lot on the topic
Use of mobile phones
Nano technology
Water quality kits being given to schools- data is reported
For developing countries it’s the community based measurements of things such as water that can be
implemented
Research questions themselves- local villagers collecting data (the issue is collecting data more into
the public domain)
ICRISAT’s group- community based drought monitoring
There’s more socio economic data that’s being shared now
Other
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The CRPs are pro poor and more development oriented
People are also part of the solution, not just the problem. How can improve development pressures to
respond to both demands of the sustainable resource use but is also equitable?
Lack of good data (lack of being able to measure things which makes managing these resources
difficult)
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Integrated gender, poverty and equity at the beginning of a project rather than trying to understand
the impacts afterwards
The use of economic tools analysis
How can the models fit?
Data collection and setting up protocols that can be used across the board
o Stakeholder platforms – giving them a voice remains a challenge. If done right helps with
equity and basin decisions will be more accepted
How can we incorporate the voices of farmers and the poor with regards to basin decisions?
Day 2:
Ecosystem services:
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Ecosystem services is a huge trend along with the attempt to quantify its metrics and monitor the
impact
o Nobody can translate it- they’re difficult to quantify and lack understanding. Research is being
done to show this can be built into the decision making process
o Link ecosystem services with poverty alleviation
o Ecosystem services,-not only ecosystem services per se but all the benefits, hydropower,
irrigation,etc.
 What are the economic benefits for that particular ecosystem service? How can these
economic benefits be better shared?
 What is the ecosystem service that is being valued?
 Can we quantify or analyze the collective use of ecosystem services? Can this be
done through total factor productivity?
Corruption in the water sector
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This needs to be defined broadly from the development side as well to include government structures
and the actual impact of corruption
Perhaps one area to analyze would be reverse impact on uptake because of the corruption in the
private sector
Can this be tied into FDI?
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The other element of this corruption is around infrastructure and FDI
What insight can be provided to improve the outcome when looking at intensification?
Perverse incentives
Technology development trends
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Biofuel development- there was a spike in 2009 in terms of investments in developing countries but
that’s still growing
Competition for fuel and food
Land grabbing- particularly in Africa- stats on the extent of buying up of land (FDI)
o We need to have a broader focus rather than fragment
Trend in Latin America- signature of free trade agreements with developed countries. This will
change agriculture in basins. This is now a reality. It’s another scenario of change in basin strategy
Mining is growing fast- gold, silver, they use a lot of water and pollute the water
Massive urbanization trends that can change landscapes
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Doubling of food production of large private farms and smallholders forming cooperatives
The future of what production is on farms and not from forests. Increase of tree products from farming
systems- this will affect water
We talk a lot of these changes and what’s happening. Can we start thinking about reporting on these?
Mapping and the use of water on these changing landscapes. Not only internally but also for external
use
Governance- differentiating it from the other SRPs.
o How can we improve participation? Think about what scale of governance and institutions
actually works and what doesn’t?
o Are the basin organizations actually effective? Do they do something effective? At what scale
should we be designing these?
Are there problems in basin science/management that can be eradicated completely in the
next 5-10 years? Problems that are close to resolution?
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Vulnerability to drought through a combination of system selection- structural measures, insurance
etc that could give you short wins
Many cropping systems underperform to manage drought risk. There are opportunities in livestock
systems, opportunistic cropping- good area to work with CRP7
Could we say we have a baseline evaluation of ecosystem services in the major basins of developing
countries?
In 5 years could we have a baseline that has moved to ecosystem services?
Baseline and how the baseline could change given the different scenarios of change
Research interaction- dialogue with people who live and govern the basins
Develop protocols for monitoring and evaluation and demonstrate this in the river basins- this might
be an impetus to develop a common framework
Action items:
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Look at how do different activities relate to SLOs
Work out the process of face to face SRP meetings in the future
Establish working groups as needed
Communicate with the centers who are absent and update them on the discussions and
developments that occurred during the workshop
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