Designing research for impact

A framework guiding transdisciplinary research

for sustainable development

Elske van de Fliert and Oleg Nicetic

The need for transdisciplinary and trans-institutional approach

While sustainability in itself is multi-faceted, many of the

targets are interrelated and can often not be tackled
independently from one another

however many research for development initiatives are

sector or discipline focused, and often do not
reckon with possibly conflicting interests at the
level of targeted communities. Consequently,
impact remains limited or not scalable
The need for transdisciplinary and trans-institutional approach

Transdisciplinarity: crosses
and fades disciplinary
boundaries to create a holistic
approach, blends methods and
assumptions to create a new Soil science
methodology in which
conclusions relating to one Social science Development
discipline reckon with the
Communication
implications for the other
disciplines
Agronomy Agribusiness
Communication functions: platform
for dialogue, facilitation of collective
planning and decision making
Case study: maize production in NW Vietnam
Case study: maize production in NW Vietnam

Maize production
dramatically reduced
poverty in NW Vietnam
Case study: maize production in NW Vietnam

But economic
development was offset by
large scale soil degradation
Case study: maize production in NW Vietnam

Resulting in unsustainable
production in the long term
Case study: maize production in NW Vietnam

ACIAR NW Vietnam
Research project 2009-2013

1. Manage soil erosion and crop production:

 Erosion management practices
 Diversification of production system
 Intensification of production system on
gentle slopes

2. Establish alternative value chains competitive

with maize

3. Design outreach mechanisms and internalise

into the extension system
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Case study: maize production in NW Vietnam

Northern Mountainous Agriculture and Forestry

Project partners Sciences Institute (Lead partner),
in Vietnam Institutes: Centre for Agrarian Systems Research and
Development
Plant Protection Research institute,
Hanoi University of Agriculture (Agricultural
economics)
Tay Bac University from Son La.

Lai Chau provincial Extension Centre

Extension:
Lai Chau Plant Protection Sub-Department
Son La provincial Extension Centre

Farmers: H’mong,Thai & Kinh farmers from Tam Duong (Lai Chau province)
9 Dao, Thai & Kinh farmers from Mai Son & Moc Chau (Son La province)
 Framework ‘Innovation for Sustainable Development’

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BASIC / APPLIED
RESEARCH

ADAPTIVE
RESEARCH
Impact CHANGE DIAGNOSTIC -Adaptation of Development
-Capability
human, social,
- Behaviours
RESEARCH innovation model
economic, -Outreach and describing content
- Communitie
environmental, institutionali- and process
s
physical sation model
DEVELOPMENT
- Capacity building
- Services, inputs,
infrastructure

Development system
providing access to learning,
innovations, services, infrastructure
 Framework ‘Innovation for Sustainable Development’

11

BASIC / APPLIED
RESEARCH

ADAPTIVE
RESEARCH
Impact CHANGE DIAGNOSTIC -Adaptation of Development
-Capability
human, social,
- Behaviours
RESEARCH innovation model
economic, -Outreach and describing content
- Communitie
environmental, institutionali- and process
s
physical sation model
DEVELOPMENT
- Capacity building
- Services, inputs,
infrastructure

Development system
providing access to learning,
innovations, services, infrastructure
 Framework ‘Innovation for Sustainable Development’

12

BASIC / APPLIED
RESEARCH

ADAPTIVE
RESEARCH
Impact CHANGE DIAGNOSTIC -Adaptation of Development
-Capability
human, social,
- Behaviours
RESEARCH innovation model
economic, -Outreach and describing content
- Communitie
environmental, institutionali- and process
s
physical sation model
DEVELOPMENT
- Capacity building
- Services, inputs,
infrastructure

Development system
providing access to learning,
innovations, services, infrastructure
System-wide facilitation of change Communities
Project partners
Change in a VC actors
local subsystem, Local Gov, NGOs
higher level sub-systems
are the context
Provincial government
Provincial DARD

MARD
VAAS
Ministry of Planning
and Investment
System-wide facilitation of change Communities
Project partners
Transformative VC actors
change-change Local Gov, NGOs
across the system
Representative
of advisory Provincial government
group Provincial DARD

MARD
VAAS
Ministry of Planning
Advisory and Investment
committee
Mechanisms to operationalise transdisciplinary R4D

• Annual reflection and planning meeting

• Annual innovation workshops
• Participatory Needs and Opportunity Assessment
• Participatory monitoring and evaluation
 Photo stories
 Scenario analysis

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PM&E developed and applied in NW project

Steps in PM&E
o Planning meeting
Wider community, trial objectives agreed upon,
farmers researchers chosen

o Regular review meetings (2-3 weeks)

Review and adjust the trial implementation

o Community feedback meeting around harvest

Capture the opinions of the community on trialled
farming practices and how they may be included in
existing farming systems

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PM&E developed and applied in NW project

Steps in PM&E
o Participatory assessments of yield in experimental plots
Reach agreement between farmers and researchers
on yield estimates

o Participatory evaluation of a field trials

Evaluation of economic and environmental performance
of experimental treatments
Compare experimental treatments with farmers’
own fields.

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Lessons learned

o The participatory monitoring and evaluation system was an

effective mechanism that provided opportunities for
researchers to experience farming systems and led them to
acknowledge the need for transdisciplinarity

o Institutional cultures and existing inter-institutional

relationships need to be recognised and understood before
deciding the level of disciplinary integration to commence at

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Lessons learned

o For PM&E systems and any other participatory tool to be

effective, the local research partners have to take ownership
over the process

o Vietnamese researchers and farmers have to set the level of

participation and power relationships between them

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Lessons learned

o Funding bodies should understand need for the project

design to be flexible enough to accommodate farmers’
feedback throughout the life of the project

o Reasonable budget and time allocation is needed for

participatory diagnostic study and training activities

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Lessons learned

A young lecturer from Tay Bac University who stated:

“We listened to farmers’ voices and all activities were designed
to answer farmers’ needs and wishes. This is a highly valuable
approach that we would like to adopt in the future”

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