OPPORTUNITIES 27
less productive economically and more vulnerable to shocks, has resulted in a critical lack of basic infrastructure (roads, communications, and the like) and services (exten- sion agents, health centers, communications, credit, and so on). Government initiatives to spur economic growth and reduce poverty oſten exclude these areas because short- term economic returns are more likely to be realized when invested in more productive (and oſten less vulnerable) areas (Frankenberger et al. 2012). Partnering with private interests may prove an effective
avenue for advocating for infrastructure investment in un- derserved areas in a manner that delivers long-term benefits to vulnerable populations. Public-private partnerships— and clustering of donor, government, and private-sector investments—can maximize the potential of investments in agricultural markets, household and public assets, social protection, climate change adaptation, DRR, the financial sector, and climate-proof infrastructure that connects drought-prone regions with distant markets. Te private sector may help reduce competition, particu-
larly between NGOs, for limited donor resources and help facilitate a move toward longer-term programming. Nontradi- tional private-sector partners (for example, private equity firms, corporations with strategic investments) might be important stakeholders to help leverage government action in geographic areas or for certain subpopulations not currently being served by government. Negotiations, particularly over natural re- source concessions, between the private sector, communities, and governments should be structured to leave as much wealth as possible within a community. A recent example of this approach is the close working relationship formed between World Vision Tanzania and Pegasus Private Equity Group in support of smallholder farmer engagement in agricultural value chains (TANGO International 2012). Likewise, the World Economic Forum’s Grow Africa initiative is a public-private partnership platform to accelerate investments in agriculture leading to transformative change (ATA 2012).
LEARNING AND KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT CONSORTIA
Donors, implementing agencies, and national governments are eager to identify and replicate activities that have proven effective (or show promise) in enhancing resilience capacity and particularly in achieving wide-scale and sustainable
impact. What is missing is a robust body of evidence-based documentation on what works and what doesn’t, and how to measure success—but is emerging. As a result, NGOs eager to share experiences and learn from each other are forming learning and knowledge management consortia. Prominent examples of collaborative approaches to resil- ience knowledge management by NGO consortia include (but are not limited to) the following:
• REGLAP aims to reduce the vulnerability of pastoral communities to drought and unpredictable rains through policy and practice change in the Horn of Africa and East Africa.10
A key aspect of the consortium’s resilience
approach is to promote the integration of humanitarian assistance with development interventions by actors at multiple levels (governments, donors, national and inter- national civil society organizations) (Oxfam 2013). REGLAP contributes to improved adaptive, absorp-
tive, and transformative capacities by enhancing civil society’s ability to document and share lessons learned, conducting advocacy work around increasing resilience, and disseminating existing knowledge, good practice, and lessons learned from community-based actions to key practitioners. Tese efforts allow stakeholders to build a shared understanding of what constitutes good practice for building resilience capacity and to promote improved implementation. Key to improving transfor- mative capacity are REGLAP’s efforts toward policy dialogue. Consortium members use holistic learning to influence the development and implementation of national and regional DRR and related policies.
• Te NGO consortium ACCR aims to inform the development of resilience initiatives as a technical approach. 11
ACCR promotes evidence-based design
and implementation of humanitarian and development interventions (Oxfam 2011), with research focused on understanding how social protection, livelihoods, and DRR projects build adaptive capacity to climate change. Te consortium uses those results to help donors, devel- opment partners, and governments plan and implement initiatives that increase communities’ resilience.
• Te Resilience Learning Consortium was formed to de- velop a common, evidence-based resilience framework and to work with research partners to provide a clearer
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