The Poverty Environment Network (PEN) research project was a multi-phase (2004 – 2017), global effort to quantify the contribution of forest and environmental income from natural forests to rural livelihoods across the developing tropics. The project produced and disseminated robust scientific findings, open access methods, tools and data sets with the intention of influencing how data on forest livelihoods was collected, analyzed and used. PEN was initially science-driven, seeking to address key knowledge gaps with rigorous research. The project had an implicit logic that key, high-level decision makers applying an economic lens required quantifiable information in order to value the contributions of forests to development. In later phases the importance of engagement and strategic plans for enhancing use of the methods and findings become more prominent.
The research findings have been influential in shaping thinking about the issue and engaging audiences who require quantified economic data at scale to inform decision-making. The methods and tools have had widespread use in academia and have been adapted for use by the World Bank’s Living Standards Measurement Study (LSMS) and applied nationally in four countries so far.
PEN’s success was facilitated by a number of factors – 1) the focus on addressing a high-demand niche knowledge gap, 2) the highly participatory design and implementation of the research and 3) engagement with strategic ‘amplifiers’ for use of methods and tools.
At the time when PEN was conceived, there was substantial interest in the role of forest and environmental resources in rural livelihoods and poverty alleviation from the growing environmental accounting/economics movement. At the same time, with the exception of formal employment figures, there is scant information on the number of people that benefit from forests and how.
The logistical and methodological challenges in realizing the ambitious scope of the PEN project on such a limited budget relied on working through network among PhD students and junior scholars (33 in total, supported by 40 institutions external to CIFOR). An interdisciplinary team of 15 professors and senior scientists who were responsible for research design, methods development and global analyses provided guidance to this network. An unintended outcome of this collaborative network approach was extensive exposure to, and understanding of the PEN methods, data-set and findings for all those involved, who then perpetuated their use.
In 2013 a collaborative effort between FAO, CIFOR, IFRI and the World Bank LSMS and PROFOR used PEN methods to develop an LSMS module on forest and wild products, became a significant factor in advancing PEN methods towards influencing policy level decision making. The LSMS module provided the scope to have the method applied at scale and mainstreamed into national data collection systems.
PEN’s experience shows that even in a demand driven context, it takes a long time (10+ years) for truly agenda setting research using these strategies to be mainstreamed into practice and influence development outcomes. In hindsight, there were both planning and funding continuity opportunities that would have expedited the achievement of outcomes. Key lessons from this study relate to the importance of focusing on strategic, high impact pathways for use by key audiences, the unexpected value of broad-based scientific engagement from design stages.
Mradi wa utafiti wa Mtandao wa Mazingira ya Umaskini (PEN) ulikuwa hatua nyingi (2004-2017), juhudi za kimataifa za kuhesabu mchango wa mapato ya misitu na mazingira kutoka misitu ya asili kwa maisha ya vijijini katika maeneo ya kitropiki yanayoendelea. Mradi huo ulitoa na kueneza matokeo ya kisayansi yenye nguvu, mbinu za upatikanaji wa wazi, zana na seti za data na nia ya kuathiri jinsi data juu ya njia za kuishi za misitu zilivyosanywa, kuchambuliwa na kutumiwa. Mwanzoni, PEN iliongozwa na sayansi, ikijaribu kushughulikia mapungufu muhimu ya maarifa kwa utafiti mkali. Mradi huo ulikuwa na mantiki ya wazi kwamba watendaji muhimu wa kiwango cha juu wa maamuzi wakitumia lensi ya kiuchumi wanahitaji habari inayoweza kupimwa ili kuthamini michango ya misitu kwa maendeleo. Katika hatua za baadaye umuhimu wa ushiriki na mipango ya kimkakati kwa ajili ya kuboresha matumizi ya mbinu na matokeo kuwa maarufu zaidi. Matokeo ya utafiti huo yamekuwa na ushawishi mkubwa katika kuunda mawazo juu ya suala hilo na kuvutia watazamaji ambao wanahitaji data ya kiuchumi ya kiasi kwa kiwango cha kuelimisha maamuzi. Mbinu na zana hizo zimetumika sana katika vyuo vikuu na zimebadilishwa kwa ajili ya matumizi ya utafiti wa kiwango cha maisha wa Benki ya Dunia (LSMS) na kutumika kitaifa katika nchi nne hadi sasa. Mafanikio ya PEN yaliwezesha kwa sababu kadhaa: 1) kuzingatia juu ya kushughulikia upungufu wa maarifa ya niche yenye mahitaji ya juu, 2) muundo wa ushiriki mkubwa na utekelezaji wa utafiti na 3) ushiriki na "amplifiers" za kimkakati kwa matumizi ya mbinu na zana. Wakati PEN ilizaliwa, kulikuwa na maslahi makubwa katika jukumu la misitu na rasilimali za mazingira katika maisha ya vijijini na kupunguza umaskini kutoka kwa kuongezeka kwa uhasibu wa mazingira na uchumi. Kwa upande mwingine, kwa kuwa kuna idadi ndogo ya watu wanaotumia misitu, hakuna habari nyingi kuhusu idadi ya watu wanaotumia misitu na jinsi wanavyotumia misitu. "Mafunzo ya vifaa na mbinu katika kutambua wigo wa mradi wa PEN kwa bajeti ndogo kama hiyo ilitegemea kufanya kazi kupitia mtandao kati ya wanafunzi wa PhD na wasomi wachanga (jumla ya 33, waliungwa mkono na taasisi 40 za nje ya CIFOR).""" Timu ya wataalamu wa kitaalamu wa 15 na wanasayansi wakuu ambao walikuwa na jukumu la kubuni utafiti, maendeleo ya mbinu na uchambuzi wa kimataifa walitoa mwongozo kwa mtandao huu. Matokeo yasiyotarajiwa ya mbinu hii ya mtandao wa ushirikiano yalikuwa mfiduo mkubwa na uelewa wa mbinu za PEN, seti ya data na matokeo kwa wale wote waliohusika, ambao kisha waliendeleza matumizi yao. Katika juhudi za ushirikiano kati ya FAO, CIFOR, IFRI na Benki ya Dunia, LSSM na PROFOR walitumia mbinu za PEN kuendeleza moduli ya LSSM juu ya misitu na bidhaa za mwituni, na ikawa sababu muhimu katika kuendeleza mbinu za PEN kuelekea kuathiri maamuzi ya ngazi ya sera. Mfumo wa LSMS ulitoa wigo wa kutumia njia hiyo kwa kiwango kikubwa na kuingizwa katika mifumo ya kitaifa ya ukusanyaji data. Uzoefu wa PEN unaonyesha kwamba hata katika muktadha unaoendeshwa na mahitaji, inachukua muda mrefu (miaka 10+) kwa utafiti wa kuweka ajenda kweli kwa kutumia mikakati hii ili kuingizwa katika mazoezi na kuathiri matokeo ya maendeleo. Kwa mtazamo wa nyuma, kulikuwa na mipango na fedha fursa ya kuendelea ambayo ingekuwa kuharakisha mafanikio ya matokeo. "Mafunzo muhimu kutoka kwa utafiti huu yanahusiana na umuhimu wa kuzingatia njia za kimkakati, za athari kubwa kwa matumizi ya watazamaji muhimu, thamani isiyotazamiwa ya ushiriki wa kisayansi wa msingi kutoka hatua za kubuni. """