Generating Knowledge and strengthening synergies for rural development. Pilot project for an innovative approach to social learning in Muy Muy and Matiguás, Nicaragua.

Nicaragua is the most rural county of Central America; the only one where the agricultural sector is growing. But rural poverty remains high as growth tends to be exclusionary, leaving behind the land-poor, women and youth, with difficulties to connect to the dynamic sectors and often dependent on non-agricultural activities. The FDL and Nitlapán have developed significant financial and non-financial services to support the development of small scale rural enterprises. They now face important challenges to further improve their products and impact by forging more operational synergy among their programs as well as with allied organizations, and by being more effective in broader incidence in the local and (inter)national development community. The project pilots an innovative program of training-action research, focused upon the systematization of FDL-Nitlapán and similar interventions, and involving all the relevant stakeholders from clients to beneficiaries over local professional staff up to the national level directors. This should make FDL-Nitlapán a more effective 'teaming organization' and create a 'sustainable platform for social leaming among local producers-enterprises and the variety of development actors. It will also contribute to the (inter)national debate about methods to support inclusive rural development.

Keywords:NICARAGUA, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, SOCIAL LEARNING

Disciplines:Economic development, innovation, technological change and growth, Applied sociology

Project type:Collaboration project