Setting-up Demand-driven Innovation Communication Platforms in Trans-Frontier Conservation Areas in Zimbabwe: Promises and Pitfalls

Abstract

This paper presents the opportunities that are associated with establishing donor-funded ‘demanddriven’ Innovation Communication Platforms (ICPs) in Trans-frontier Conservation Areas (TFCAs). A mixed-methods approach was used to identify organisations and institutions working with farmers in agriculture and natural resources management. Participatory validation and planning workshops were first used to validate the data that was collected during participatory diagnosis. Secondly, possible interventions that communities could implement to address opportunities or challenges were jointly identified. Research methods included Key Informant Interviews (KIIs), Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), participant observation, and a closed-ended questionnaire. Data analysis was performed using statistical packages as well as descriptive narratives from SSIs, FGDs, and secondary data sources from which both qualitative and quantitative data was generated. Organisational data (lists of actors and institutions involved in agriculture and NRM) was analysed using Free-List Analysis under Microsoft Excel (FLAME) to generate Excel charts showing the relative salience of each organisation. Thematic analysis was used to analyse data on the different activities being implemented by farmer groups in the study sites. Results from this study show that numerous stakeholders are supporting agriculture with limited organisations engaging in wildlife conservation in the study sites. These organisations include government departments, farmer groups, non-governmental organisations, research and the private sector that can sustain the emergency of demand -driven ICPs. The findings demonstrate that collaborative engagement, modelled along participatory activities from the onset, enables stakeholders to collectively identify opportunities and challenges and formulate issue specific intervention plans. Evident in all the study sites were iterative processes involving all ICP members from the onset and throughout the life cycle of the platform activities at the ward level. Results show that ICP establishment process can suffer from a number of pitfalls including elite capture, setting up at inappropriate level, conflict, trust deficits, divergent and sometimes competing interests and priorities among platform members. Recommendations from the study include the accurate identification of key organisations and farmer groups during participatory diagnosis, validation and planning processes which set the basis for a robust foundation for the establishment of demand-driven ICPs.