Integrated Natural Resources Management:
Putting Practice into Action
 Fourth INRM Task Force Workshop
ICARDA, Aleppo, Syria
September 16–19, 2002

To enable practitioners and researchers from NARS, NGO, the CGIAR and civil society organizations to exchange experiences on integrated natural resources management (INRM), synthesize the lessons learned from previous and on-going projects and initiate the preparation of multi-institutional action plans that build upon these lessons and result in greater synergies.

An international workshop is proposed to:

• Provide a forum for the exchange and dissemination of successful experiences in the area of INRM

• Develop communities of practices of researchers and practitioners of INRM

• Synthesize the lessons learned from previous and existing INRM projects

• Develop dissemination mechanisms for the approaches and methods to conduct INRM research

• The expected immediate beneficiaries will be staff from NARS, NGO and other civil society organizations who are actively involved in putting INRM research into practice

• The CGIAR institutions will benefit from the development of communities of practices leading to the preparation of inter-center projects

• The rural poor will benefit from the improved adaptive capacity and greater livelihood strategy options developed through the application of INRM research

Plenary sessions will include:

• Comparative and constructive analyses from case studies on what succeeded, how it succeeded, what failed and why, and syntheses of lessons learned

• Reports on the progress on INRM communities of practices on impact, learning to work together, advocacy, mainstreaming/implementing

• Development of joint action plans to implement better targeted INRM and to better mainstream INRM into the CGIAR agenda

Suggested topics to be followed as themes during the meeting:

1. What are the benefits (and the transaction costs) of integrating efforts at a site or across sites, using specific examples and drawing lessons and generic principles from these specific examples 

2. Analyze case studies on how to scale out 

3. Analyse specific case studies of the specific impacts of INRM practices. This will include conducting cost-benefit analyses of INRM practices. Cost-benefit analyses here must be taken in the broad sense of environmental, social and economic costs and benefits. 

4. How to institutionalize INRM approach roles of different actors such as extension and research, policy makers. What is required at the national, regional and other levels? 

5. How to organize the facilitation necessary to implement the INRM approach.

The organizers of the meeting are now calling for the submission of one page abstracts on any of the topics as outlined above. The format of the abstracts should be, 

Title 
Authors 
Institutional Affiliation 
Contact address and details 
Abstract

The deadline for receipt of abstracts is July 31, 2002. Final organization of the sessions will depend on the numbers of abstracts per topic received.

Funding will be available to support the attendance of representatives from outside the CGIAR, i.e., NARS, NGO's, civil society organizations etc. Representatives from the CGIAR centers are asked to nominate suitable participants and forward this information to their colleagues who may be interested in attending the meeting. Participants from CGIAR centers will be expected to cover their own costs.