Partnerships and facilitation for sustainable agricultural development in the Eastern Gangetic Plains
December 11, 2025
Earlier this year, the South Australia committee supported Dr Tamara Jackson, Senior Research Fellow from the University of Adelaide, to travel to Nepal where she delivered a workshop on ‘Partnerships and Facilitation’ as part of Project Rupantar, a long-term ACIAR project.
Project Rupantar, aims to define the processes and practices (technical options, scaling interventions, policy settings and implementation) that can be applied to achieve sustainable, efficient, diversified food systems at scale in the Eastern Gangetic Plains of Bangladesh, India and Nepal. This area is home to 450 million people, with the world’s highest concentration of rural poverty and a strong dependence on agriculture for food and livelihood security.
The area has the potential to become a major contributor to South Asian regional food security, but agricultural productivity remains low and diversification is limited. ACIAR and DFAT have invested more than $25 million into diverse farming systems research in this region over the past decade.
The workshop on ‘Partnerships and Facilitation’ was held in Bhedetar, Nepal and focused on the need for strong institutional memory and knowledge sharing to ensure Project Rupantar’s continuity and accountability and emphasise the power of collaboration and systems thinking in transforming food systems, highlighting that no single actor can drive change alone.
The training underscored the need to document partnership processes and refine approaches tailored to South Asia’s cultural and social context. Next steps include leveraging lessons from CSA, documenting outputs, and pursuing leadership training opportunities.
According to Tamara, the targeted outcomes were:
- Developing interpersonal and formal relationship management skills
- Facilitating partnerships to scale climate-smart agriculture initiatives
- Promoting institutional memory and knowledge sharing
- Strengthening collaboration for food systems transformation
“Each of these targeted outcomes focused on building interpersonal and partnership management skills, scaling climate- smart agriculture through collaboration, promoting institutional memory, and strengthening alliances for food systems transformation have been achieved through a combination of capacity building, applied practice, and strategic knowledge dissemination,” she said.
“The discussion explored the effectiveness of formal versus informal partnerships, highlighting the importance of building trust through shared purpose and strong relationships, especially with farmers. Participants emphasised the value of structured reflection on partnership dynamics and feedback systems, particularly in the context of climate-smart agriculture (CSA), where bundled technologies present unique scaling challenges,” said Tamara.
According to Tamara, at the individual level, participants significantly developed their interpersonal and formal relationship management skills. Through structured training sessions and practical engagement with partners, they gained expertise in navigating both formal agreements and informal interpersonal dynamics. This has enabled participants not only to negotiate and maintain partnerships but also to sustain them in ways that support long-term agricultural and development goals.
As a short-term outcome, participants demonstrated improved communication and negotiation skills during partnership discussions. In the medium term, they have become more effective facilitators of collaborative initiatives, ensuring inclusivity and balance between local stakeholders and larger institutional actors. Over the longer term, this skillset is expected to contribute to more durable and resilient collaborations in agricultural research and development.
“In terms of scaling climate-smart agriculture, participants have applied their improved project management skills for collaboration with government agencies, development partners, and research institutions. This directly enhanced their capacity to facilitate and scale promising technologies such as zero-tillage mustard and maize in the project areas,” she said.
Further, according to Tamara, this training and associated collaboration delivered tangible benefits for South Australia by strengthening its connections with international partners and showcasing local expertise on a global stage. In particular, it brought together two influential South Australian water sector leaders – the Honourable Karlene Maywald, in her role as South Australian Water Ambassador, and Mr Steven Morton – with new stakeholders across South Asia’s agricultural and water sectors, including government agencies, NGOs, researchers, and the key international research center, CIMMYT.
“This linkage not only elevated South Australia’s profile as an innovator in water management but also positioned it as a strategic partner in advancing climate-smart agriculture and food systems transformation,” she concluded.
