Challenge statement
Challenge type: If you are working on multiple challenges, please indicate if this is your "big bet" or "exploratory" challenge.
Please note: we ask you to only submit a maximum of 3 challenges - 1x Big Bet, 2x Exploratory. Each challenge must be submitted individually.
BIG BET
Challenge statement: What is your challenge? (Please answer in specific terms: "Our challenge is that...”.)
How do we activate stakeholders to fully institutionalize the Malay Food Systems Innovation and reach the "moonshot" goal of supplying 10-20% of agricultural requirements of Boracay from local producers?
Background: What is the history of your challenge? What is causing or driving it? Who is involved? How does the current situation look like? What undesired effects does it produce?
Now entering its second year of implementation, the Malay Food Systems Innovation journeyed from deepening its understanding of the local issues, mapping potential solutions, exploring synergies and partnerships, and experimenting on low-lying solutions to quickly learn and navigate the food systems challenge in the local context. While the different components of the portfolio are in varying stages, institutional leadership is embedded as a foundation for the project and in driving the commitment and support of the local partners. The collaboration of different stakeholders from the local government, academe, civil society, and the private sector has been the backbone of the Malay Food Systems Innovation.
Following a series of consultation and alignment workshops in 2022, these stakeholders designed the Malay Food Systems Multi-stakeholder Group (MSG) as a governance platform to continuously collaborate and converge for the Malay food systems. In 2023, sustaining the initial gains of the MSG became the direction of Malay Municipal Mayor Frolibar Bautista, who earmarked PHP 1 million (approximately USD 17,954.93) budget through the Municipal Agriculture Office. A local Executive Order was signed in March 2023, formally institutionalizing the MSG to oversee the implementation of the Food Systems Innovation Project.
As the MSG takes on stewardship of the project, UNDP Accelerator Lab Philippines’ engagements have shifted toward defining key success indicators and milestones, supporting capacity development, and facilitation of resource mobilization opportunities, among others.
Quantitative evidence: What (official) data sources do you have on this challenge that better exemplifies the importance and urgency of this frontier challenge? You can add text, a link, or a picture.
One of the challenges encountered is the lack of granular data specific to the locality. During the initial conception of the project, the Municipal Mayor set out a “moonshot” goal for local Malay producers to supply 10-20% of agricultural requirements of Boracay island. Thus, one of the responsibilities of the MSG is to define or further nuance this moonshot goal and to record or generate data for monitoring.
Qualitative evidence: What weak signals have you recently spotted that characterizes its urgency? Please provide qualitative information that better exemplifies the importance and urgency of this frontier challenge. You can add text, a link, or a picture.
Although there are a number of existing planning and policymaking councils at the local government level, there is difficulty in bringing different stakeholders (including private sector and academe) to actually implement an innovation project. There is also a need to define and operationalize how success will look like in terms of fully implementing transformative initiatives that require cross-sectoral collaboration such as food systems innovation. The local business community has also taken keen interest in supporting the initiative, and in turn, the local government unit is exploring financial and non-financial incentives to facilitate a business environment that can induce impact investments. On the political front, there is pending legislation to convert the municipality into a full-fledged city, which could bring in a larger share of national tax allocations, among others.
Value proposition: What added value or unique value proposition is your Accelerator Lab bringing to solving this challenge? Why is it your Lab that needs to work on this challenge and not other actors within UNDP, other stakeholders in the country respectively? Why is it worth investing resources to this challenge?
UNDP Accelerator Lab was able to convene various stakeholders, define a common vision, identify milestones and possible areas for collaboration in relation to the Food Systems Innovation portfolio. Stencil sessions served as the basis for components of the Executive Order to formally establish the MSG. This entailed clarifying the vision, aligning on the rationale, and structure (e.g. policy agenda, production, linkages, promotion, M&E, and R&D) to be led by different officers from the local government unit (LGU). Foresight exercise was conducted to stress test, refine roles, investments, and coordination among stakeholders in the event of immediate public backlash, uncertain typhoons, and recognition for their success in the long-term.
In view of the formal signing of the EO establishing the MSG, Accelerator Lab facilitated capacity-building workshops wherein social innovation methods complemented existing bureaucratic requirements. A draft monitoring tool was tested against potential scenarios related to resource mobilization, partnerships, and stakeholder management. M&E and reporting were linked with refining processes on information coordination and data governance. This could potentially serve as a model for similarly situated LGUs implementing an innovation project, grounded on realities (and limitations) of local governance structures in the country.
Short “tweet” summary: We would like to tweet what you are working on, can you summarize your challenge in a maximum of 280 characters?
UNDP Accelerator Lab Philippines is supporting local stakeholders of Malay, Aklan in institutionalizing the Multi-stakeholder Governance platform as part of the Food Systems Innovation toward achieving food security & sustainable livelihood in the island paradise of Boracay.
Partners
Who are your top 5 partners for this challenge? Please submit from MOST to LEAST important and state Name, Sector and a brief description of the (intended) collaboration.
Please state the name of the Parter:
Municipal Government of Malay
What sector does our partner belong to?
Government (&related)
Please provide a brief description of the collaboration.
The Malay local government unit (LGU) has earmarked budget for project initiatives based on initial experiments done in the previous year. Heads LGU offices comprise the Steering Committee of the Multi-Stakeholder Group.
Is this a new and unusual partner for UNDP?
Yes
Who are your top 5 partners for this challenge? Please submit from MOST to LEAST important and state Name, Sector and a brief description of the (intended) collaboration.
Please state the name of the Parter:
Compliant Association of Boracay (and private sector)
What sector does our partner belong to?
Private Sector
Please provide a brief description of the collaboration.
The Compliant Association of Boracay is the private sector representative to the Multi-Stakeholder Group. The private sector is keen on working with government and different stakeholders to ensure the continued recovery and sustainability of Boracay as a tourist destination, including opportunities to explore and raise awareness on sustainable financing.
Is this a new and unusual partner for UNDP?
Yes
Who are your top 5 partners for this challenge? Please submit from MOST to LEAST important and state Name, Sector and a brief description of the (intended) collaboration.
Please state the name of the Parter:
Malay College
What sector does our partner belong to?
Academia
Please provide a brief description of the collaboration.
Malay College is a newly-established local (community) college that currently offers three bachelor’s programs in Tourism, Hospitality, and Entrepreneurship (expected first batch of graduates by 2025) and is in the process of approving additional program offers. The College is open to research placements for the Multi-Stakeholder Group.
Is this a new and unusual partner for UNDP?
Yes
Who are your top 5 partners for this challenge? Please submit from MOST to LEAST important and state Name, Sector and a brief description of the (intended) collaboration.
Please state the name of the Parter:
Boracay Women Producers Cooperative
What sector does our partner belong to?
Civil Society
Please provide a brief description of the collaboration.
The Boracay Women Producer's Cooperative is the civil society representative to the Multi-Stakeholder Group. CSOs, farmer's groups, and cooperatives have been involved in co-creation for the Food Systems Innovations. Their local knowledge helps align the project with experiences on the ground.
Is this a new and unusual partner for UNDP?
Yes
Who are your top 5 partners for this challenge? Please submit from MOST to LEAST important and state Name, Sector and a brief description of the (intended) collaboration.
Please state the name of the Parter:
Department of Agriculture- Regional Field Office (DA-RFO) VI
What sector does our partner belong to?
Government (&related)
Please provide a brief description of the collaboration.
This is the regional field office of the national Department (Ministry) of Agriculture, with jurisdiction over Malay, Aklan. The DA-RFO VI can link local governments with necessary policy, program, and capacity support in line with national priorities, in addition to exercising oversight.
Is this a new and unusual partner for UNDP?
Yes
Learning questions
Learning question: What is your learning question for this challenge? What do you need to know or understand to work on your challenge statement?
How can local actors with varying mandates, interests, and capacities, work together in implementing an innovation project on top of their regular responsibilities? In what ways can social innovation be mainstreamed into existing governance mechanisms at the local level?
To what stage(s) in the learning cycle does your learning question relate?
Explore, Grow
Usage of methods: Relating to your choice above, how will you use your methods & tools for this learning question? What value do these add in answering your learning question?
These tools were used under the framework of Participatory Design and Co-creation with local stakeholders. Inputs from Foresight exercises were used in drafting the Executive Order institutionalizing the Multi-stakeholder Governance platform and stress-testing application of the draft monitoring tool. Initial capacity-building for the MSG built on Community Asset Mapping and lessons from Protoyping (experiments) to identify Malay's comparative advantage and opportunities for local product development.
Existing data gaps: Relating to your choice above, what existing gaps in data or information do these new sources of data addressing? What value do these add in answering your learning question?
Indicators for monitoring and evaluation
Closing
Early leads to grow: Think about the possible grow phase for this challenge - who might benefit from your work on this challenge or who might be the champions in your country that you should inform or collaborate with early on to help you grow this challenge?
The Multi-stakeholder Group (MSG) serves as a governance platform to implement innovations at the local level. At present, there are existing local councils for policy (i.e., Municipal Development Council, Municipal Agricultural and Fishery Council) but not necessarily for implementing innovation projects. The MSG can serve as a mechanism to strengthen local collaborations for innovation and link local actors to higher-level governance (e.g. Regional Inclusive Innovation Centers). Specific to the Malay Food Systems Innovation, results from experiments can be expanded to address food security and sustainable livelihoods across the rest of Aklan province as well as other island localities.
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2Zero hunger
8Decent work and economic growth
12Responsible consumption and production
