| Summary: | Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping (FCM) is a powerful approach for engendering systems change. The potential of this approach was demonstrated at a recent workshop in Heggadahalli Gram Panchayat in Doddballapura district in the state of Karnataka in India. The workshop was held with stakeholders on December 12 and 13, 2025, while December 14 was reserved for in-house discussions on next steps and strategic actions in foreseeable future. The two-day workshop saw 36 participants (28 women and 8 men) representing a spectrum of stakeholders including farmers, Gram Panchayat representatives, community leaders including women, and representatives from local non-profits and government organizations (for instance: ASHA workers – who are India’s community-based frontline health workers) learning about systems thinking and the need for looking beyond immediate cause-and-effect relationships while addressing issues related to rural livelihoods, governance, and well-being. For the facilitating team from Mytri Sarva Sewa Samiti (MSSS), a well-known non-profit working in Karnataka, Boston College School of Social Work, and Common Ground, it was an opportunity to explore FCM as an instrument for triggering and evaluating systems change. Dr. Praveen Kumar from BCSSW led the facilitation of the workshop. Dr. Harish Babu from MSSS co-facilitated the sessions, and helped in translations. Dr. Sandeep K, Koushik Yanamandram, and Rhea Narielwalla from Common Ground also helped in co-facilitating the sessions, provided key insights in grounding the discussion in localized examples, and also led in organizing the workshop. The workshop was also co-funded and supported by the CGIAR Climate Action Science Program.
The workshop was designed as a participatory capacity building and collective learning process to strengthen community and Panchayat led planning using systems thinking tools. Early discussions (in day 1) highlighted a core governance challenge faced by the Panchayat. Although participatory processes such as PRAs are undertaken, decision-making is constrained by limited budgets and the difficulty of prioritizing collective needs over individual demands. Participants expressed a clear need for tools that could help identify shared priorities and high-impact leverage points rather than generating fragmented issue lists.
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