The importance of stakeholder involvement for capacity strengthening

“We all bring different skills and understandings to the table”

Capacity strengthening is an incredibly important outcome area for the Hub. By this we mean building the capacity of researchers to address aspects of water security within their local communities; increasing the capacity for researchers and stakeholders to work together to address those same issues and complexities; and building on the capabilities of researchers to work in new, interdisciplinary ways and become research leaders in their own fields. When we come together as a Hub, we always take the opportunity to move forward with these ambitions. In Colombia this involved a writing workshop for our Early Career Network, and cross-pollination opportunities for members of our different teams, for example our Ethiopian and Colombian colleagues are working collaboratively on socio-ecological justice and social cartography. Within the Assembly programme we addressed the big, integrating themes of the Hub – risk frameworks, systems approach, and data integration – in interdisciplinary groups, and highly interactive sessions. We also continued learning together about intersectionality and gender, socio-ecological justice, and impact, building on strengths within the Hub to inform those working in other fields.

One highlight of the Assembly for me, was the opportunity to learn from and discuss water security with stakeholders from the Colombian collaboratory. This happened across two sessions – one on socio-ecological justice; and in a stakeholder roundtable which brought together representatives of local communities, NGO’s, collective organisations, and local governance. In both sessions we touched on the importance of sharing experiences and approaches if equitable and holistic decisions are to be made around water resources, and the understanding that ‘expert’ input from academics relies on community input in a dialogue of equals. We all bring different skills and understandings to the table, and perspectives from women, children, indigenous communities, local leaders, politicians, and those who manage infrastructure are equally important in guiding academics as we help to address local issues with locally-driven solutions. Knowledge exchange is, after all, a two way process.

~ Caroline Grundy, Hub Manager

We asked some of our colleagues to share their reflections on stakeholder involvement in the Assembly, and the importance of this within the Hub’s work.

“His teachings left me thinking about how we interact with water and encourage me to consider my existence”

During the Hub Assembly we had the incredible opportunity to listen and learn from a variety of stakeholders that reflected the complexity of managing and dealing with water security issues in Colombia. During the socio-ecological justice session we learned about the Arhuaco worldview through the words of Alfonso Torres-Villafañe. His teachings left me thinking about how we interact with water and encouraged me to consider my existence, both as transient and part of a greater intention. Among my notes were these words he shared with us: “The imbalance of water is the imbalance of the person. The human is not the one that dominates the world. Our existence is fleeting. We cannot indebt ourselves beyond our own existence, this is a rule established from the origin. To exist without creating harm and retribute all that is received.” 

We also had the opportunity to listen and learn from a stakeholder panel session, composed of representatives from the Misak indigenous community, the Bocas de Palo afro-descendent community, the community-based rural water management associations AquaSur and AquaCol, and farmers’ leaders from the Piedras river sub-basin, among others. Each member of the panel shared their world vision, the past and current struggles of their communities, and the ways in which we could move forward and create safer ways to manage and distribute water. These interactions became even more relevant the following week when some of us had the chance to share some of our own insights during the AGUA conference in Barranquilla. In hindsight I see these two events as a single flow of knowledge that started in Cali and made its way to Barranquilla – transported by researchers from all continents, all of us trying to retribute all that is received.

~ Ángela Bayona-Valderrama, University of Leeds

“I see that indigenous communities are powerful allies in protecting and improving water security for everyone”

During the Assembly, stakeholders from the indigenous community were invited to speak with the Hub participants, who are each leading very different lifestyles. The things that struck me were the strong bond and the mutual respect between the indigenous community and the academics, shown in their interactions and the way the Colombia team’s research is designed to maximise assistance to the community, whilst minimising disruption to their culture and way of living. It is humbling to understand the community’s perspective of the land and the water flowing through it. It is also refreshing to see water and the surrounding biodiversity, and generational human-nature interlinkage, through a lens that might be uncommon for a scientist or unfamiliar for a city-dweller like myself.

Through conversation with our Colombian colleagues who work closely with the community, I see that indigenous communities are powerful allies in protecting and improving water security for everyone living in the place we call home. The importance of the funding body was also well exhibited in the Assembly sessions. While my opinion of the “money people” might be stark and stubborn, I am well aware that they play a key role in research. Local community or financial controller, communication is crucial and key to building bridges of understanding between all parties. As a relatively new addition to the Hub I take these discoveries and lessons close to heart, and it’s my sincerest hope to replicate similar passion and integrity when working with the stakeholders of my collaboratory.

~ Kwa Yee Chu, NUMed