Programme

The research programme combines the following components:

Phase 1a Inception phase

The Concept Paper presented at Bonn and disseminated widely via the website, provided the initial theoretical grounding for the project. Theoretical concepts were then further elaborated at a Methods Workshop in Sri Lanka, Emerging issues are examined in a WPP film entitled: 'SecureWater: water, livelihoods and demand-based approaches' and initial project findings and outputs were disseminated at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg and the 3rd World Water Forum in Kyoto, Japan.

The Inception Report builds on the scoping studies in five countries and institutional mapping exercises carried out by the country research teams. At the end of the scoping work specific research sites were identified (see scoping studies report summaries). The report's methodological and decision support analysis have been substantially added to following the Sri Lanka methods workshop in May 2002. The major thematic research questions to be addressed in the main research phase were identified as:
1. How are livelihoods outcomes affected by changes in the nature of water supply at the households level?
2. How have interventions (including sanitation) worked for or against livelihood strategies of poor households and why?
3. How can interventions driven by demand -responsive approaches be improved so that they better fit the livelihood strategies of the poor?

Phase Ib Main research phase

The case studies produced will be of sufficient detail and policy relevance to provide the basis for capacity building of target institutions. They will be produced in written format, and they will form the basis for the reports and papers to DFID.

A decision-support group, comprising senior research team members, will develop both a methods manual and monitoring and demand-assessment tools useful to key target institutions and stakeholders. Following the Sri Lanka Methods Workshop the drafting of decision support tools has begun. These tools will be developed in concert with project dissemination partners (including the WSP). Case study use in capacity building contexts will involve a combination of government and NGO training programmes. These programmes will use the findings to illustrate key water, sanitation and livelihoods linkages of relevance to understanding demand and/or responding to demand with appropriate service levels and choices of technology for the poor.

Pro-poor decisions made in at least two key intervening agencies will reveal the extent to which policy influencing is taking place. This will include explicit recognition that implementation has to address the realities of demand in the context of livelihood activities undertaken by the poor. Interveners will also engage with project output as a result of participation in research, workshops and other dissemination activities. These events will lead to increased awareness amongst target institutions of issues, approaches and methods, as reflected in their own output and policy directions. The institutional collaboration around the network and forum will feed into broader networking at international fora.

Workshops will be held in case study countries at the end of 2003to siuss research findings adn policy issues with national-level stakeholders.

Phase II Applied analysis and Piloting Phase

Methods, tools and new approaches will be piloted within existing projects/programmes in case countries in early 2004. These projects will be chosen on the basis of the country case studies, including the scope for policy influencing and support to interveners in each country. The projects will be undertaken on the basis of existing work carried out by project partners, though some extra costs incurred will be covered by the project. If possible-within budget constraints-piloting will be extended to other countries.

Inputs into training curricula produced by June 2003 (and some, particularly in Kenya are likely to be before this), will provide a major link to policy influencing, particularly where the Curricula produced by April 2004 are followed by national governments, NGOs and private sector agencies. The process of influencing through training will be complemented by media influencing through electronic dissemination activities, including an end of project video to be produced in collaboration with the Television Trust for the Environment, as part of the Hands-On BBC World Broadcasts.

Dissemination and uptake strategy

This dissemination and uptake plan covers international, national level and intra-project levels; these will be largely parallel processes. The dissemination at major international events is accompanied by the development and promotion of the website materials. However, the need to be proactive in reaching beyond the project countries and partners is recognised and will be sought through the development and extension of the research network and forum during 2003 and 2004. This network will actively target key interveners globally as well as-it is hoped-provide a key opportunity for linkage with other research project mentioned in this report. The research network may be hosted on the www.waterandlivelihoods.org website.