Education on water for sustainable local development

Background

Since 2019, Fundación León, in Argentina, and the Secretaría de Relaciones Internacionales del Gobierno de la Provincia de Tucumán (Secretariat of International Relations of the Government of the Province of Tucumán - SERI), in Argentina, have been working on the development and implementation of 'El Futuro está en los Valles' (The Future is in the Valleys), a multi-stakeholder local development strategy for the Calchaquí Valleys in Argentina, where water scarcity, lack of access to services and geographical isolation have had a negative impact on the quality of life of the Calchaquí community. This line of action was strengthened through the Quinoa Initiative, co-financed in the 2021 edition of the ADELANTE Window, in which all of the knowledge, experience and relational capital of the Partnership member entities was harnessed to create and apply sustainable agriculture models, with an integral approach and adapted to indigenous populations, thus guaranteeing the prominent role of small-scale producer organisations.

The insights and knowledge obtained within the framework of this experience has also strengthened the Partnership, formed by the Fundación León, SERI, AVSI Mexico and Fondazione AVSI, in Italy, and joined by the Università di Bologna (University of Bologna), also in Italy. It has also allowed for the design of new cooperation agendas, synergies and methodological tools for a more in-depth technical exchange and the generation of new models that can be adapted and replicated.

The Secretaría del Medio Ambiente, Energías y Desarrollo Sustentable de Oaxaca (Secretariat for Environment, Energy and Sustainable Development of Oaxaca), in Mexico, and the UN Women headquarters in Argentina are lending their efforts as collaborating entities. These entities will contribute by sharing success stories in the implementation and development of public policies for the protection and conservation of natural resources, the reduction of environmental impact, the promotion of biodiversity, and mitigation and adaptation to climate change, in order to promote an environmental culture based on education, social participation, inclusion, equity and equality. In addition, they aim to tap into the knowledge of gender mainstreaming in the specific thematic areas addressed by the Initiative, in order to identify good practices, potential strategies and innovative elements.

Entities and roles

Beneficiary entities

Fundación León

Argentina

Secretaría de Relaciones Internacionales, Gobierno de la Provincia de Tucumán, Argentina

Argentina

First provider entities

AVSI México A.C.

Mexico

Second provider entities

Fondazione AVSI

Italy

Universitá degli Studi di Bologna

Italy

Collaborating entities

Secretaría del Medio Ambiente, Energías y Desarrollo Sustentable de Oaxaca, Mexico

ONU Mujeres Argentina, Argentina

Development challenges

This Triangular Cooperation Initiative sought to strengthen the Fundación León, the Secretariat of International Relations of the Government of the Province of Tucumán - Argentina and the Partnership as a whole, through the exchange, adaptation and comparative systematisation of the experiences of the Partnership member entities, with the objective of acquiring knowledge products and adaptable solutions that can be implemented through educational and cooperation projects and strategies.

Building on the work that began in the Quinoa Initiative, further contributions have been made to the 'The Future is in the Valleys' strategy, but this time, responding to the challenge of climate adaptation by encouraging the commitment and participation of young people and women as future producers and participants in sustainable development.

This Triangular Cooperation Initiative sought to promote capacity building among the Partnership to create a water education model for youth and women from Indigenous communities in rural areas, characterised by improved water management and focused on local development and sustainability.

Triangular approach

In rural contexts with Indigenous populations that are facing socio-economic vulnerability, the effects of climate change are exacerbated by the direct link between poverty and the environment: environmental deterioration worsens poverty and vice versa. Care for natural resources has become scarce, but is even more critical than ever. In this regard, the Partnership member entities have been working - with very different technical and territorial capacities - on incorporating sustainable production, the development of efficient resource management systems, and inclusive strategies for community and territorial development. Within this context, the shared objective focused on the access and integral use of water resources by young people and women. It is essential for young people to participate in the ecological transition, while women play a key role in community water management, food security and biodiversity conservation.

This Initiative sought to maximise the knowledge and expertise in water resources management and climate adaptation, as well as educational approaches with a gender-sensitive, youth and a socio-economic vulnerability perspective in order to create a 'Model for integrated and equitable water management in rural and indigenous contexts.' The model identified good practices, recommendations and lessons learnt to develop methodologies and tools for water education, adapted to rural contexts and Indigenous peoples, and with a strong focus on youth and women.

Sectoral approach - Contribution to the 2030 Agenda

Primary SDG

Goal 4.7 By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development

Secondary SDG

Goal 13.3 Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning

ADELANTE SDG

Goal 10.2 By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status

Goal 17.17 Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships

Territorial approach

Intervention methodology

The action plan of this Initiative was oriented towards the exchange, feedback and development of knowledge and practices accumulated by the Partnership member entities in the territory, maximising their knowledge in the field of education and water resources management. Following an itinerary of activities focused on the creation of spaces for collaboration and accompanied by the systematisation of the knowledge, a social event was held to bring awareness of the issues of climate change and water resource management to local and regional agendas.

The itinerary began with a cycle of hybrid seminars, open to direct beneficiaries and communities in Argentina and Mexico, which led to the generation of knowledge as well as technical and methodological tools for the integrated management of water resources in rural contexts, among Indigenous peoples in areas facing socio-economic vulnerability.

In addition, the Partnership member entities held two workshops. The first was led by UN Women and was aimed at enhancing knowledge to incorporate a gender-based approach in the development of projects, programmes and territorial development plans. The second workshop was led by Fondazione AVSI and focused on virtuous training models in vulnerable socio-economic contexts, highlighting the experiences of environmental education to reverse climate change.

In addition, a study visit to Argentina took place, led by the University of Bologna, which aimed to promote knowledge and practical tools in the field for bio-irrigation and sustainable agricultural systems to counteract the impacts of climate change.

In parallel, a consultancy was carried out to develop tools for the systematisation and implementation of good practices, lessons learnt and knowledge generated from the exchange of experiences within the Partnership. It also included the perspective of an expert with extensive experience on the subject of environmental education, who was able to provide an approach beyond the Partnership's local experiences. The result was a high-quality product that proved to be useful for the Partnership and for other entities working on the issue.

In addition, the Initiative came to a close with a congress on 'Environmental education and integrated water management', which provided an opportunity to share the outcomes and products, as well as the main findings of the Initiative that were captured within the 'Environmental Education Model for Sustainable Development: integrated and equitable water management'.

Lastly, it should be noted that the Partnership had the possibility to share the outcomes following the joint work carried out in national, regional and international forums, such as the United Nations Water Conference, highlighting the experience of one of the beneficiaries.

Launch of the Seminar in Amaicha
30 August 2022

"Integrated Water Management" Seminar
20 September 2022

2^nd workshop "The educational challenge in contexts of vulnerability: good practices with a focus on environmental education"
2 November 2022

3^rd workshop "The educational challenge in contexts of vulnerability: good practices with a focus on environmental education"
4 November 2022

Seminar on Integrated Water Management with a Gender-based Approach

14 November 2022

Workshop on Integrated Water Management with a Gender-based Approach

16 November 2022

2^nd Seminar on Integrated Water Management with a Gender-based Approach

22 November 2022

Congress on "Environmental Education and Integrated Water Management”
22 - 24, February 2023, Oaxaca, Mexico

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›› See the video

Direct beneficiaries (individuals)

According to Rule 9 of the Guidelines for Applicants: all persons participating in the activities of the Initiative.

There were more than 54 direct beneficiaries in the Initiative. In addition to the professionals of the Partnership entities involved in the activities of the Initiative, approximately 124 young people and women from the Calchaquí Valleys in Argentina and from Indigenous communities in Oaxaca, Mexico benefited directly through their participation in the seminars, in which tools for water resource management were presented.

The initial estimate of direct beneficiaries was significantly exceeded through the Initiative's closing conference, which was open to the general public through live streaming on various virtual platforms.

Budget

EU contribution: 142,538.93 €

Co-financing - Triangular Cooperation Partnership: 60,726.59 €

Total budget: 203,265.52 €

The information gathered in this IMPACT section is the result of the first 'joint ex post analysis exercise' of the Initiative which, as foreseen in the policy framework of the ADELANTE Window, took place one year after the end of the implementation period.

For more information on these exercises, please consult the ADELANTE Window 2021 Impact Report.

Continuity of the Partnership

STARTING POINT: Existing relationship that responds to the logic and definition of Triangular Cooperation.

The Partnership has not been consolidated and has not been maintained over time.

However, some of the Partnership member entities have continued to engage in bilateral collaboration in the core areas of the Initiative.

In addition, thanks to the knowledge generated in the framework of the Initiative, some of these entities have initiated bilateral relations with other entities as knowledge providers.

Application of generated knowledge

The knowledge generated has been applied by some of the Beneficiary entities.

This has led to capacity building to provide training for its technical teams and lend its expertise on the fundamental right to water and sanitation.

During implementation, the Initiative involved final beneficiaries (local and Indigenous communities in the Calchaquí Valleys in Argentina and in the Oaxacan Mixtec region in Mexico).

Several of the Beneficiary entities and the First provider entity have continued to work closely with these groups, who have benefited from and applied the knowledge generated throughout the Initiative.

Presentation of the ‘Water Education Guide’ at the ECLAC Regional Water Dialogues.

Impact

Applying this knowledge has enabled the Beneficiary entities to successfully tackle the development challenge that gave rise to the Initiative with the necessary quality assurance. At the same time, the other Partnership member entities have increased the impact of their interventions.

In addition, it has led to high-impact actions beyond those planned in the Initiative, such as awareness-raising actions and the presentation of new development projects based on the ‘Handbook’ produced in the Initiative.

FACTORS THAT HAVE ENABLED THE IMPACT:

Mutual trust and a good rapport between the individuals from the Partnership member entities.
The relevance of the knowledge generated as a response to the challenges of the Beneficiary entities and the final beneficiary groups.

FACTORS THAT HAVE HINDERED IMPACT:

Political instability and changes in government in some Latin American countries, which poses the risk of disrupting relationships and previous collaboration with several entities.

Future perspectives

Maintain bilateral relations between the different Partnership member entities and collaborate with new entities to establish Triangular Cooperation models.

Continue to make progress in the transfer of knowledge to the beneficiary groups, monitoring and evaluating the impact in their respective areas of intervention.

Continue to highlight the outcomes of the Initiative through the ADELANTE Window.

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