Fishing in the Forum: Research, Development and Policy Implications for the CPWF

CGIAR Challenge Program on Water and Food. 2006. Fishing in the Forum: Research, Development and Policy Implications for the CPWF. Policy and Practice Panel Recommendations. Vientiane, Laos: CPWF.

The First International Forum on Water and Food of the CGIAR Challenge Program on Water and Food (CPWF) was held in Vientiane, Laos from November 12 to 17, 2006. The Forum had two overarching objectives: • to link people together to discover what they are doing within the CPWF and in the world of water and food beyond the Program; • to articulate the links between research, policy and practice.

The Forum was designed to maximize the opportunities for people who usually work far away from one another to come together for a meaningful exchange of ideas, experiences, and techniques for improving water productivity. The core of the Forum’s program was made up of 18 (6x3 parallel) working sessions, where short introductions on topics of relevance to the CPWF were followed by structured and facilitated debate. Reports of the workings sessions were afterwards shared and discussed among all participants in ‘Open Forum’ sessions.

The ‘Policy and Practice Panel’ (PPP) comprised policy-makers from developing countries, development specialists, members of donor agencies and researchers closely connected to policy. Its key role was to contribute to the discussion, and in particular to draw out the practical consequences of the research being discussed. Panel members attended all parallel sessions. Each evening the members met to discuss and distill key issues raised during the day. The Panel had 10 members.1