1. Learning Platforms on Land Governance & Food Security
LANDac, CIFOR, Food & Business Knowledge Platform & Shared Value Foundation
WORKING SESSION
World Bank Conference on Land & Poverty, Washington DC 2017

2. Working session Multi-stakeholder approaches & local priorities Sharing LANDac experiences
Learning platforms
Background
Approach
Geographical focus
Some early findings
Work in progress…
Moving forward
Referees
Inputs and experiences
Existing networks and initiatives

3. Learning platforms: rationale
Initiatives for making land-based investments more inclusive and sustainable: rise in multi-stakeholder approaches; with the Learning Platforms we aim to link these initiatives more to local contexts
Interest from business to know more about local context and local priorities, both for risk aversion, but there might be future business opportunities as well
The initiative does not want to focus only on directly involved stakeholders, but also on the broader investment area
Beyond a focus on mainly economic and environmental impacts, take a broader focus on livelihood options more broadly

4. Learning platforms: building on…
Recursive/ social learning key to enhancing corporate performance: adapting and shaping business models over time
Outcomes of business models in terms of local development impact and food security are very much shaped by realities on the ground, including local priorities, expectations and broader developments
Dynamics: consensus at one point is never the consensus in one year from now
Giving due attention to alternatives in relation to people’s future aspirations

5. So: what’s a Learning Platform?
Main idea:
combining multi-stakeholder dialogue with bottom-up research into local context, accompanied by follow-up activities
Three phases
Mapping local context: what is happening ‘under the radar’, including local priorities, expectations, trust, engagement, participation and aspirations + engagement other stakeholders
Organize 3-day multi-stakeholder meetings, to share outcomes of the local mapping exercise and setting an agenda for action
Support and monitoring through follow-up meetings and maintaining in close contact with key informants from the community as well as companies involved

7. Tanzania – Kilombero ACTIVITIES
Investments in food and cash crops, different linkages to and level of involvement of local communities
Engagement with companies and other local stakeholders present
Conducting fieldwork in close cooperation with key stakeholders from the area: companies & communities have questions
PRELIMINARY FINDINGS
Issues related to local governance
Communication & information: most dissatisfaction especially in those cases where people were expecting certain benefits that did not materialize
Broader developments in the area: migration, climate change, other investors etc.
Guiding future interventions? Information about people’s priorities and entrepreneurial ideas -> Planning via multi-stakeholder approaches

8. Discussion points
How is it that we can meet the expectations of local communities and companies?
How to improve communication lines between companies and their neighbours? Innovative examples?
How do companies see and organize themselves as part of the community? And how to prepare yourself for entering a community?
How can district governments use such platforms to inform their policies?
Suggestions for linking up in Tanzania, Mozambique and Uganda? Ongoing work? Existing initiatives?