Good Growth Partnership (GGP), Adaptive Management and Learning
The UNDP-GEF 6 Integrated Approach Pilot (IAP) program “Taking Deforestation out of Commodity Supply Chains” includes a strong learning and knowledge management component, the Adaptive Management and Learning (A&L) child project, responsible for overall coordination. As part of A&L activities, a strong culture of learning is being created, including through a vibrant Community of Practice. The A&L component, through the creation of Evidensia.eco, also contributed to developing a policy-relevant evidence base on the effectiveness of voluntary sustainability standards.
The Theory of Change for the UNDP-GEF 6 Integrated Approach Pilot (IAP) program “Taking Deforestation out of Commodity Supply Chains” builds on the premise that the shift towards agricultural commodity systems that are less destructive of forests is contingent on several factors related to enabling environments and production practices, financial flows and economic incentives, and market awareness and demand for reduced deforestation supply.
The approach addresses the entire commodity supply chain in an integrated and coordinated fashion in order to foster sustainability and achieve transformational impact. For greater impact and upscaling, the Program includes a strong learning and knowledge management component, the Adaptive Management and Learning (A&L) child project, responsible for overall coordination and to guarantee that the IAP is seen as a cohesive whole with a clear identity.
This entails a number of different vital elements including development of an IAP brand identity; monitoring and evaluation; knowledge management; and implementation of a partnership strategy with global-level cross cutting partners.
As part of A&L activities, a strong culture of learning is being created to improve understanding on the suites of interventions and approaches that work best and those that are less successful, as well as increased knowledge on cross cutting themes such as gender and resilience. This is facilitated by extensive exchange of information and knowledge management with Program partners as well as with a variety of external partners working in this production-protection space, including through a vibrant Community of Practice, partnership work, and dissemination of information through various means, such as print publications, digital assets, content coverage in external media and speaking events, among others.
The A&L component, though the creation of Evidensia.eco, also contributed to developing a policy-relevant evidence base on the effectiveness of different voluntary sustainability standards that are being used to promote deforestation-free and sustainable production and sourcing.
This easily accessible evidence base enables improved decision-making related to commodity production (for growers and land managers), sourcing and trading (for intermediaries), procurement (for retail and consumer goods companies), policymaking (for governments), and investment (for financiers and donors). At the same time, it supports those who are developing implementation mechanisms for responsible supply chains, including voluntary standards systems and other VSS-like programs, to better understand and continuously improve the effectiveness of these mechanisms. This includes support to filling key gaps in the evidence base, making existing evidence more accessible to key user groups, and synthesizing and communicating evidence in decision-relevant terms.