Collaborative learning in practice : examples from natural resource management in Asia

Abstract

Drawing on research and practical experiences from China, South Asia, and Southeast Asia, this book presents and analyzes novel approaches to collaborative learning and communities of practice. Case studies show how, through joint efforts with researchers and other actors, local communities address and learn from challenges in managing natural resources. They demonstrate the merits of learning strategies that use a variety of methods, that are grounded in the local context, that involve facilitators, that are monitored from the outset, and where there is a strong environment of collaboration and dynamic process management. The book shows that learning strategies that are both innovative and collaborative can lead to sounder rural development. Collaborative Learning in Practice will be of interest to academics, researchers, and postgraduate students in development studies; practitioners and development professionals, particularly in the fields of capacity building and participatory action methodologies; as well as program managers and decision-makers in donor organizations and development agencies worldwide.