Innovative tools developed by the World Bank Institute are being used for enhancing capacity of government and civil society to promote more effective water management
Creative and new learning tools include multimedia presentations and films, game simulation and interactive role plays as well as toolkits and core learning programs on water-related topics
These new training and learning methods are meeting client needs and an increasing demand for knowledge and information in the water sector
March 16, 2009 —By 2025, three billion people will live in water-stressed countries. Management of the world’s limited water resources, especially for food production, remains one of the most pressing issues in development. As part of its mandate for innovation in capacity development, the World Bank Institute (WBI) has been building and implementing several creative tools to foster more effective water management. The WBI Water Program is using role plays, games and hands-on simulations, as well as multimedia, to help organizations increase their capacity and skills so they can implement effective management solutions, improve their economic growth, and deliver better water services. These inventive techniques can be used in various settings and can easily be scaled up through local organizations.
The WBI Learning Module on Water Utility Reform helps to implement change efforts within their organizations. “The program focuses on the 'how' of reform by helping managers develop a coherent action plan to turn around their organization and providing them with the knowledge to put together and launch an effective communication strategy,” said Aldo Baietti, Program Leader.
The WBI Learning Module on Building Partnerships in Agriculture Water Management is another innovative learning tool. Working with DFID and the Chinese Ministry of Water, the team is producing a training video on managing irrigation through farmer water-user associations. The film will be featured in a series of South-South knowledge exchange events with the Africa and East Asia regions. A roleplay on "virtual water" bridges the gap between trade policies and water management issues, and highlights the concept of water footprint. The Water Program has also completed a simple yet informative information toolkit on the System of Rice Intensification: Achieving More with Less Water, including a booklet and CD on emerging good practices in cultivating rice, using less water and producing higher yields. The multimedia toolkit includes a step-by-step guide for farmers and practitioners, and video interviews of farmers, researchers, and others to diverse perspectives. The toolkit is available in English, and is being translated into French.
Of the world's 263 international river basins and transboundary aquifer systems, 158 do not have any type of cooperative management framework in place. The WBI team launched a new product Basin IT, an interactive training tool to simulate various development scenarios that quantify impact, illustrate trade-offs of different management choices and policy decisions and their impact on basin water management. Basin IT includes workbooks for trainers, a user's manual, and computer software. “This tool nicely blends learning from case analysis and role-plays. It is illustrative and fun, and also facilitates peer learning among practitioners on cross-cutting issues of water management,” Mei Xie, task manager for the development of the tool, which was launched in 2007.
The program has been using multimedia, educational films and interactive learning, such as serious games. One example is the video ”Increasing Farmer Incomes through Reforms of Irrigated Agriculture: Story from Office du Niger, Mali,” which highlights how Mali’s government tackled key issues such as water governance, production incentives, management of water infrastructure, and accountability. The film shows how irrigation sector reform has provided an “engine of growth” and contributed to the country’s overall economic development. Produced with IFAD and ICRISAT, another film, Investing in Agricultural Water Management Pays documented on-the-ground good practices in managing water for agriculture in rural Africa.
World Water Day is an international day of observance and action to draw attention to the plight of the more than 1 billion people world wide who lack access to clean, safe drinking water. By developing inventive learning methods to help develop capacity in the water sector, WBI is reaching change agents at the macro and micro levels, an important step towards more sustainable water management.
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