In 2006, I was on a Center-Commissioned External Review team to assess a program of a CGIAR institute which was implemented in several countries. After field visits, document reviews and talking to various people, I was totally improssed with the way that Institute has used partnerships as an approach to program governance and implementation. The Institute chose not to maintain expensive research laboratories in its headquarters but allocated donor funds to help key partners carry out their part of the research program. This distributive approach to fund allocation considerably strengthened partner universities and NARS.

In work that we have done in Asia, impact and multiplier effects were achieved only when our NARS partners were committed and had local ownership of the project. Multi-stakeholder partnerships has thus become our modus-operandi.

A scaling up initiative is essentially a research and development (R&D) project as it performs the twin functions of monitoring and evaluation and extension. To ensure sustainability, donors often require R&D projects to adopt multi-stakeholder partnerships as an approach in project governance and implementation. The range of partners could come from networks, donors, international research organizations, universities, national agricultural research and extension system (NARS), non-government organizations (NGOs), local government units, environmental organizations, health and nutrition sector, private companies, and men and women farmers.

Stakeholder meeting for radio soap opera project, Ho Chi Minh City

How to select project partners

Partners are often selected following established criteria of a project. For instance, in an integrated pest management IPM) project, the relevant partners would inevitably those from the Ministry of Agriculture’s plant protection department, universities, NGOs, local government, and farmers groups. However, partner selection may go beyond the written priorities for selecting partners. Often, there is a preference to work with strong partners who are committed and have demonstrated their ability to get the job done.

Despite the use of participatory approaches such as joint planning of collaborative activities, the major challenges in working through partnerships are ensuring that the partnerships are mutually beneficial, that there are no unrealistic assumptions and expectations about the project, and activities are carried out as planned.

How to get partner commitment

To enlist commitment of partners, it is important to find out their needs and expectations. This is best done informally. Once their requirements are known, it is easier for the project to work with them and get their commitment to the project and to commit to a timeline.

How to deal with dysfunctional partners

Partnership conflicts sometimes occur and affect project implementation. In extreme cases, a dysfunctional partners may have to be removed. One way to effectively deal with a problematic partner is to dilute his decion-making authority and eventually sideline him by increasing the number of project sites within the country. By doing this, it could foster competition which could result in better project performance and the problem is resolved without a loss of face.

Another way is to understand why the partners are not functioning and help them get back on track. A general pattern in partnership projects is to find partners working fine at the start of the project and later drop out. By understanding and supporting partners, decisions to drop them can be arrived at amicably. This will enable the partner to gracefully bow out of the project.