Stakeholder Engagement with Evidence

Decision-making in landscapes and socio-ecological systems is increasingly complex. Competing land uses, environmental degradation, and shifting social, economic, and policy contexts require approaches that are both inclusive and evidence-informed. Decisions made without meaningful stakeholder engagement or without grounding in diverse forms of evidence often fail to deliver lasting impact.

This course introduces participants to the Stakeholder Approach to Risk-Informed and Evidence-Based Decision-Making (SHARED), developed by CIFOR-ICRAF. The SHARED approach combines participatory engagement, systems thinking, and multiple forms of evidence to support collaborative, transparent, and adaptive decision-making processes.

Through a blended learning format that combines self-paced online modules with facilitated in-person sessions, participants will:

1. Understand the SHARED framework and its key principles for inclusive stakeholder engagement in complex land-use and socio-ecological contexts.
2. Assess stakeholder relationships and contextual dynamics to effectively plan engagement within decision-making processes.
3. Design and implement adaptive strategies for facilitating stakeholder engagement across scales, sectors, and institutions in complex socio-ecological systems.
4. Analyze and facilitate interactions that integrate diverse forms of evidence to support informed and inclusive planning and decision-making.
5. Apply monitoring, learning, and co-design approaches to continuously improve engagement processes and decision quality over time.