Social learning and climate change adaptation: evidence for international development practice

The potential for social learning to address complex, interconnected social and environmental challenges, such as climate change adaptation, is receiving increasing attention in research and practice. Social learning approaches vary, but commonly include cycles of knowledge sharing and joint action...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Ensor, Jonathan, Harvey, Blane
Formato: Journal Article
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: Wiley 2015
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/76591
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author Ensor, Jonathan
Harvey, Blane
author_browse Ensor, Jonathan
Harvey, Blane
author_facet Ensor, Jonathan
Harvey, Blane
author_sort Ensor, Jonathan
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description The potential for social learning to address complex, interconnected social and environmental challenges, such as climate change adaptation, is receiving increasing attention in research and practice. Social learning approaches vary, but commonly include cycles of knowledge sharing and joint action to co-create knowledge, relationships, and practices among diverse stakeholders. This results in learning and change that goes beyond the individual into communities, networks, or systems. Many authors have focused on analysis of case studies to better understand the contexts in which such learning occurs. In this paper, we look across this literature to draw out lessons for international development practice. To support those looking to purposively design social learning interventions for adaptation, we focus on four areas: lessons learned and the principles adopted when using a social learning approach, examples of tools and methods used, approaches to evaluating social learning, and examples of its impact. While we identify important lessons for practice within each of these areas, three cross-cutting themes emerge. These are: the importance of developing a shared view among those initiating learning processes of how change might happen and of how social learning fits within it, linking this locus of desired change to the tools employed; the centrality of skilled facilitation and in particular how practitioners may shift toward being participants in the collective learning process; and the need to attend to social difference, recognizing the complexity of social relations and the potential for less powerful actors to be co-opted in shared decision making.
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spelling CGSpace765912024-08-27T10:35:03Z Social learning and climate change adaptation: evidence for international development practice Ensor, Jonathan Harvey, Blane climate change agriculture food security The potential for social learning to address complex, interconnected social and environmental challenges, such as climate change adaptation, is receiving increasing attention in research and practice. Social learning approaches vary, but commonly include cycles of knowledge sharing and joint action to co-create knowledge, relationships, and practices among diverse stakeholders. This results in learning and change that goes beyond the individual into communities, networks, or systems. Many authors have focused on analysis of case studies to better understand the contexts in which such learning occurs. In this paper, we look across this literature to draw out lessons for international development practice. To support those looking to purposively design social learning interventions for adaptation, we focus on four areas: lessons learned and the principles adopted when using a social learning approach, examples of tools and methods used, approaches to evaluating social learning, and examples of its impact. While we identify important lessons for practice within each of these areas, three cross-cutting themes emerge. These are: the importance of developing a shared view among those initiating learning processes of how change might happen and of how social learning fits within it, linking this locus of desired change to the tools employed; the centrality of skilled facilitation and in particular how practitioners may shift toward being participants in the collective learning process; and the need to attend to social difference, recognizing the complexity of social relations and the potential for less powerful actors to be co-opted in shared decision making. 2015-09 2016-08-25T11:51:27Z 2016-08-25T11:51:27Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/76591 en Open Access Wiley Ensor J, Blane Harvey B. 2015. Social learning and climate change adaptation: evidence for international development practice. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change 6(5):509-522.
spellingShingle climate change
agriculture
food security
Ensor, Jonathan
Harvey, Blane
Social learning and climate change adaptation: evidence for international development practice
title Social learning and climate change adaptation: evidence for international development practice
title_full Social learning and climate change adaptation: evidence for international development practice
title_fullStr Social learning and climate change adaptation: evidence for international development practice
title_full_unstemmed Social learning and climate change adaptation: evidence for international development practice
title_short Social learning and climate change adaptation: evidence for international development practice
title_sort social learning and climate change adaptation evidence for international development practice
topic climate change
agriculture
food security
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/76591
work_keys_str_mv AT ensorjonathan sociallearningandclimatechangeadaptationevidenceforinternationaldevelopmentpractice
AT harveyblane sociallearningandclimatechangeadaptationevidenceforinternationaldevelopmentpractice