The Challenge Program on Water and Food is an international, multi-institutional research initiative with a strong emphasis on north-south and south-south partnerships. The initiative brings together research scientists, development specialists, and river basin communities in Africa, Asia and Latin America to create and disseminate international public goods (IPGs) that improve the productivity of water in river basins in ways that are pro-poor, gender equitable and environmentally sustainable.

Within each of the Challenge Program's five research themes there is a substantial social science component. However, management acknowledges that is essential to ensure that state-of-the-art social research and attention to gender issues are fully integrated into the Challenge Program, and to guide the processes of stakeholder involvement and social learning taking place in each river basin. Because these aspects go further than most research initiatives in this area CP management is using a panel of social research experts (the GIP panel) to provide advice on how efforts to develop more relevant and engaged science can be strengthened.

A number of key points emerge:

Most comtemporary efforts to engage stakeholders fail to fully appreciate issues of gender and poverty. This can be overcome with more attention being paid to specific analyses in these areas - and those analyses to be undertaken by people with appropriate skills. Training in these areas would help.

Participatory research is often done well by committed researchers. However, problems arise when trying to scale it up, and these are largely institutional. these include things such as:

• researcher/farmer power relationships
• the professional identity of researchers
• the skill base and available human resources
• perceptions around the validity of research approaches.

Integrated research initiatives that seek to engage more closely with stakeholders need a different mix of personnel to go beyond that which is commonly found in research teams. In addition to technical skills, these teams need to include personnel with complementary skills in the management of participation and conflict, and the integration of biophysical and social aspects of problem solving.

Participatory monitoring and evaluation provides a useful mechanism for involving the different stakeholders, ensuring appropriate measures are taken for each group (to improve motivation and accountability), and for building capacity by encouraging reflection and thought about the work that is being done.

Networking is another area where gains can be made which will support integrations, information sharing and effective uptake.

Within the above areas the Challenge Program will be able to help at both an individual research program area, and at a larger global or basin-wide scale. Operating at each of these scales (or hierarchies) are necessary, and will involve different activities and approaches.

This website should be seen as part of capacity building and networking in this area. With the addition of a discussion group it will provide links to resources in these areas, and also support those in the CP who wish to take advantage of an internal network of researchers and practitioners.