Managing frame diversity in environmental participatory processes - Example from the Fogera woreda in Ethiopia

Emeline Hassenforder; Marcela Brugnach; Beth Cullen; Nils Ferrand; Olivier Barreteau; Katherine Anne Daniell; Jamie Pittock

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2016.03.052

Managing frame diversity in environmental participatory processes - Example from the Fogera woreda in Ethiopia

J Environ Manage. 2016 Jul 15:177:288-97. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2016.03.052. Epub 2016 Apr 22.

Authors

Emeline Hassenforder¹, Marcela Brugnach², Beth Cullen³, Nils Ferrand⁴, Olivier Barreteau⁵, Katherine Anne Daniell⁶, Jamie Pittock⁷

Affiliations

¹ French National Research Institute of Science and Technology for Environment and Agriculture (IRSTEA), Water Resource Management, Actors and Uses Joint Research Unit (UMR G-EAU), Montpellier, 361 Rue J.F. Breton, BP 5095 34196, Montpellier Cedex 5, France; AgroParisTech, France; The Australian National University (ANU), Fenner School of Environment and Society, 48 Linnaeus Way, Acton, ACT, 2601, Australia. Electronic address: emeline.hassenforder@gmail.com.
² University of Twente, Water Engineering and Management Group, PO Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, Drienerlolaan, 5 7522 NB, Enschede, The Netherlands. Electronic address: m.f.brugnach@utwente.nl.
³ The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), P.O. Box 5689, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Electronic address: bethselinacullen@gmail.com.
⁴ French National Research Institute of Science and Technology for Environment and Agriculture (IRSTEA), Water Resource Management, Actors and Uses Joint Research Unit (UMR G-EAU), Montpellier, 361 Rue J.F. Breton, BP 5095 34196, Montpellier Cedex 5, France. Electronic address: nils.ferrand@irstea.fr.
⁵ French National Research Institute of Science and Technology for Environment and Agriculture (IRSTEA), Water Resource Management, Actors and Uses Joint Research Unit (UMR G-EAU), Montpellier, 361 Rue J.F. Breton, BP 5095 34196, Montpellier Cedex 5, France. Electronic address: olivier.barreteau@irstea.fr.
⁶ The Australian National University (ANU), Centre for European Studies, #67C, 1 Liversidge St, Acton, ACT, 2601, Australia. Electronic address: katherine.daniell@anu.edu.au.
⁷ The Australian National University (ANU), Fenner School of Environment and Society, 48 Linnaeus Way, Acton, ACT, 2601, Australia. Electronic address: jamie.pittock@anu.edu.au.

PMID: 27107955
DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2016.03.052

Abstract

Many participatory processes fail to generate social change and collaborative outcomes. This failure can partly be explained by how divergent stakeholders' frames are handled. This paper builds on the framing and participation literature to explain how facilitators can manage frame diversity and foster collaborative outcomes. It suggests two pragmatic steps: identifying frames and managing frames. The two steps are applied to a participatory process for natural resource management in Fogera, Ethiopia. Effectiveness of facilitators' strategies to manage frame diversity in the Fogera case is discussed. Two main elements challenging effectiveness are identified: counter-strategies used by facilitators and most-powerful stakeholders, and the constraining factors knowledge, champions and frame sponsorship. We argue that these elements need to be taken into account by participatory process facilitators when managing frame diversity.

Keywords: Africa; Ambiguity; Collaborative processes; Framing; Meaning; Participation.

MeSH terms

Communication
Community Participation / methods*
Conservation of Natural Resources / methods*
Cooperative Behavior
Environment*
Ethiopia
Humans
Knowledge