Education on water for sustainable local development

Background

Since 2019, Fundación León (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 (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 (Italy) and joined by the University of Bologna (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 (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

First provider entities

Second provider entities

Development challenges

This Triangular Cooperation Initiative seeks 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 will be 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 seeks capacity building of 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 and communities facing socio-economic vulnerability, the effects of climate change are exacerbated by the direct link between poverty and the environment, in which environmental deterioration worsens poverty and vice versa. In this situation, the protection of natural resources becomes scarce, but is even more critical than ever. To this end, the Partnership member entities have been working - with varying technical capacities and geographical scope - on the incorporation of sustainable production, the development of efficient resource management systems, and inclusive strategies for communities and territorial development. Within this framework, the common challenge focuses on the access to and integral use of water resources by young people and women. For young people, their participation in the ecological transition is essential, while women play a key role in community water management, food security and biodiversity conservation.

This Initiative seeks to tap into the knowledge and experience in water resources management and climate adaptation, as well as educational approaches with a gender, 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 will identify 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 is 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 joint areas of work and accompanied by a process of systematisation of the knowledge acquired, a social event will be held to raise awareness of the issues of climate change and water resource management in the local and regional agendas.

This itinerary will kick off with a cycle of hybrid seminars, open to direct beneficiaries and communities in Argentina and Mexico, which will produce new knowledge, as well as technical and methodological tools to be acquired for the integrated management of water resources in rural contexts, among Indigenous peoples and in areas of socio-economic vulnerability.

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

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

In parallel, a consultancy has been planned, which aims to develop tools for the systematisation and implementation of good practices, lessons learnt and knowledge generated from the exchange of experiences within the Partnership. This will also include the perspective of an expert with extensive experience on the subject of environmental education, who will be able to provide an approach that goes beyond the Partnership's local experiences.

Finally, the Initiative will culminate in a conference on 'Environmental education and integrated water management', providing an opportunity to showcase the results and outcomes, as well as the main findings of the Initiative.

Direct beneficiaries (individuals)

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

More than 150 direct beneficiaries will be participating in the Initiative. In addition to the professionals of the Partnership entities involved in the activities of the Initiative, approximately 100 young people and women from the Calchaquí Valleys in Argentina and from Indigenous communities in Oaxaca, Mexico are expected to benefit directly through their participation in the seminars, in which tools for water resource management will be presented.

The initial estimate of direct beneficiaries is expected to significantly increase, thanks to the broad participation foreseen in the Initiative's closing congress, which will be 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 €

 

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