AHI is developing and promoting the use of an "integrated natural resource management" (INRM) approach to arrive at better development strategies, practices and policies for improving environment and livelihoods. Experience has shown that there is need for bringing together multiple expertise and attention to holistic problem solving. There is need to work with and better link decision makers at different levels (community, district, national and regional), involve a wider range of actors and stakeholders in solving problems, and to take agree that the problems are complex and require inter-institutional efforts and perspectives to solve them.

The INRM approach aims at broadening R&D methods and inputs to solve a complex of poverty-livelihood-environmental issues in a practical way. Some key elements of INRM are: cohesive social groups and networks, improved economic conditions leading to enterprise development, a conducive policy environment, appropriate technologies, and improved access to information. These key elements should go along with increased local capacity, better coordination, advocacy, and facilitation of innovation systems. The ultimate aim is to ensure that there will be better livelihoods and environmental management (see Figure 1).

AHI targets the "I" and the "M" in INRM. The "I" is for integration across disciplines, scales, technologies and perspectives; and the "M" for the emphasis on management and decision making as a foundation for applying better practices and providing the necessary institutional support.

INRM is a relatively new concept, and it is evolving given field experience and internalisation of experiences. The implementers of AHI believe that a new paradigm is needed for INRM to be successful—a broader vision, a process orientation, new skills and roles, and changed attitudes. The "proof" of a successful shift would be the enhanced capacity of farmers to innovate and create various "win-win" technologies, practices, arrangements and policies. Therefore, the impact expected from AHI is two-fold: better resource management and increased productivity by the grass roots; and ability to use INRM approaches and methods by research institutions and their personnel.

EMPHASIS ON PARTICIPATION AND COLLECTIVE ACTION LEADING TO LOCAL INNOVATION AND SUSTAINABILITY

Participatory approaches are not only used for research purposes, but are used to facilitate attitude and behavioural change of farmers and community groups, so as to empower local stakeholders to take charge and solve their own problems using their own innovativeness. NRM-type interventions useful in solving hillside management problems are knowledge and management intensive, unlike variety-type interventions. It is well known that many innovations come about by combining knowledge of management principles with ITK. Therefore, emphasis on creating local capacity for improved adaptive management to address a highly heterogeneous, diverse sets of issues and conditions for different stakeholders makes more sense than being "prescriptive."

Some solutions to NRM issues require agreements between stakeholders; for example, shared grazing areas, hillside management, or rainfed irrigation management. Conflicts over the use of natural resources constitute one of the major factors limiting the adoption of NRM technologies and the implementation of locally derived and national policies. In highland areas, conflicts often arise due to shortage and competition for resources, due to breakdown of local mechanisms to cope and resolve conflict issues, and lack of incentives and possibly skills to come up with new, improved management mechanisms. Conflicts dilute or diminish social capital in local communities. Understanding NRM arrangements, conflicts and their resolution mechanisms are key to building social capital and developing and implementing alternative management strategies to transform conflict situations into opportunities for collective action, collaboration among a range of stakeholders and resource users, and effective local policies.

EMPLOYING AN INTEGRATED SYSTEMS APPROACH

An integrated, systems approach is necessary to develop technical options that address multiple objectives of farmers, communities and society at large for several reasons. Addressing sustainable productivity issues is multi-faceted and therefore requires multiple combinations of technical and socio-economic options that may be site and user specific in their combinations and application. In addition, farmers manage multiple enterprises using a range of resources over time and space, so that the management and actions are not independent. Solutions are rarely single components, but rather the "win-win-win" combinations of options that generate more income, more food and improve the environment. Lastly, natural resources (soil, water, vegetation, livestock and fish) are integrated in themselves and as such cannot be dealt with in practice exclusively.

Therefore, to improve farms and watersheds, an integrated systems approach is required so as to focus attention on the links, interactions, resource flows (nutrients, cash, labor, water, etc) and trade-offs in the system (farm or watershed), in order to better understand how to better manipulate the various components so as to optimize the returns, the interactions and the flows. The operation of the system is looked at dynamically in time and space. The research questions need to link the various biophysical and socio-economic dimensions, and often either use models or key indicators to trace multiple variables and change over time. Farmer (at farm-level) and community(s) involvement (at watershed level) are critical; as there are no prescriptive practices, but rather principles along with the options that need to be applied in context to improve system management. The experiences and results of systems research and investigation can inform researchers who develop technologies (components), are useful as advise to farmers and communities on ways to manipulate components and optimize the performance of their system or watershed.

FOSTERING PARTNERSHIPS AND ACHIEVING COMPLEMENTARITY

This is a key strategy that needs reiteration for the third phase. The main aim of integration is to relieve as many major constraints as possible by combining options and efforts. To do this, AHI would ensure facilitation of the "demand side" by bringing in expertise from various sources to ensure that issues requiring an integrated approach are addressed. AHI would facilitate strategic partnerships and that collaborative contributions would drawn in from IARCs for strategic research aspects (refer to examples in annex 2); NGOs for development aspects and NARS and NPPs for adaptive research inputs, other NPPs for institutional inputs (e.g. ECAPAPA for policy aspects, etc). Mechanisms used to set up integrating frameworks; to conceive, negotiate, and sustain strategic partnerships; and to improve coordination and collaborative modes of operating are part and parcel of the methodological work set out as core business for AHI.

MANAGING A PARADIGM SHIFT: CAPACITY AND INSTITUTION STRENGTHENING

The implementation of an INRM approach will require a paradigm shift or a change in operational modalities of research institutions. The pilot integrated watershed and district strategy cases would be used as learning and testing grounds. Capacity and institutional strengthening would be implemented at the various operational levels and would involve traditional training, facilitation and mentoring, forums for exchange of experiences and information, and iterative conceptual and practical work. A reflective monitoring and learning process will be used at regional level (to bring together practitioners from various countries and projects), at national level (to bring together practitioners and managers) and at site level (to bring together research team members and collaborators).

The paradigm shift being promoted will be to approach problems from an integrated systems vantage point not just from a component view point; to treat issues with a more holistic view (incorporating social, economic and policy elements); to give a higher priority to building local capacity to solve their own problems; and to shift to a "demand-driven", impact oriented (as opposed to the current supply driven mode) approach to research for development efforts. Ultimately, what is proposed is to promote a fundamental change from current research methods and attitudes.