Living labs
Indice degli argomenti
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Using TWW as an input for agricultural production requires some adaptations both in the agricultural practices, the irrigation techniques, and the governance bodies. Moreover, social acceptability would limit its use. In this framework, Living Labs are an appropriate learning space that would open to the adoption of the technical innovation through a social innovation.
The demonstration fields of the target areas have been equipped with effective irrigation technologies and/or techniques adapted to the local context and tailored to the use of treated wastewater (TWW) and drainage water which quality is enhanced according to the fit for purpose approach. The irrigation innovative trains adapted to TWW are identified in each intervention area together with the appropriate measuring and monitoring devices. The latter allow for the monitoring of soil water content and salinity levels, yield and quality of crops, and for the overall impact of the chain at demo-level and for simulating its up-scaling impact.
Accordingly, three momentum phases throughout MENAWARA lifespan can be foreseen. These phases shall lay the foundations for a sustainable learning space.
MOMENTUM PHASE I: Lab in each location for National Stakeholders
The Debate:
• Water allocation and cropping pattern for TWW reuse: water budgeting, irrigation techniques, legal, and governance dimensions.
• The state of the art of wastewater influent quality, fit-for-purpose treatment train, expected effluent quality and tailored use.
• Groundwater pollution by nitrates: possible solutions including FIA systems. (Arborea intervention area).
The lab curriculum was based on the preparatory documents prepared by MENAWARA that paved the way for the implementation of the pilot actions and that considered all available studies and data (including legal and governance dimensions).
MOMENTUM PHASE II: Lab in each location for National Stakeholders
The Pilot implementation:
- Once the treatment train is operational, a demonstration of its efficiency and the reliability of effluent quality shall be performed (inspection test). The quality and reliability of the supply shall be considered together with the rules for allocation in compliance with equity principles among users and in response to the crops’ requirements.
The lab curriculum shall demonstrate the adequacy of the pilot in terms of actions and results to what was discussed and agreed upon in Lab.1 and shall be based on the executive documents of the pilots.
MOMENTUM PHASE III:
The Evaluation:
- This Lab is supposed to integrate some stakeholders from different pilots in the same country and from different countries and incorporate results and impacts of at least 1 irrigation season. It is intended as a cross-fertilization activity that shall yield Lessons Learnt and Best Practices, these being the characteristics that differentiate a Living lab from a Pilot Action.
The evaluation phase could coincide with the international roundtables expected to be implemented by each partner. The involvement of different stakeholders will be limited to the other PPs and associated partners unless the budget of each PPs allows to extend participation to other stakeholders. South-South exchanges addressed to farmers could also be organized during the same week in order to enlarge the audience including their perspectives.
The Lab curriculum shall be based on the evaluation process implemented in each pilot and the associated preliminary results.
THE LIVING LABS PROCEDURE AND MATERIAL:
LLs are interactive and debate is essential. The animator shall introduce the concept and the problematics accounting for the heterogeneity of backgrounds and interests and keeping in mind the objective. This shall be followed by interactive exercises and arena debates well oriented and allowing all stakeholders to express thoughts and doubts with view of a final common agreement (specific focus groups should be organized to collect women’s perspectives).
Audio-visual material, open space sessions and well-structured debate arenas shall backbone each LL, in addition to evaluation sheets.
The use the Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI) could be used to support assessing current women’s empowerment, agency and inclusion within the agricultural sector and how it can be affected by the new technologies and practices. The WEAI can also be used more generally to assess the state of empowerment and gender parity in agriculture, to identify key areas in which empowerment needs to be strengthened, and to track progress over time. (http://www.ifpri.org/publication/women’s-empowerment-agriculture-index)
A PROFESSIONAL ANIMATOR WHOSE INVOLVEMENT STARTS FROM THE PREPARATORY PHASE OF MATERIAL DEVELOPMENT AND LL ORGANIZATION AND EXTENDS TO MEETINGS ANIMATION AND REPORTS DRAFTING IS A NECESSARY CONDITION FOR THE SUCCESS OF THE LABS.