Table 2 Guiding questions to support community-based action planning and implementation
Guiding principles | Questions to support participatory planning and action | |
|---|---|---|
Principle 1: Create safe and ethical spaces for dialog by establishing trust and commitment from the ground up | 1.1 Recognize and respect community governance, leadership, and protocols | How will community members be engaged? |
How will leadership and decision-making processes be engaged? | ||
Is a formal partnership agreement required? | ||
Is there a mechanism(s) to facilitate trust and commitment between local organizations and partners involved? | ||
What principles and guidelines should be followed? | ||
What mechanism(s) need to be in place to manage conflict? | ||
1.2 Establish project advisory structures to guide and champion community-driven actions, leadership, and partnerships | How will local knowledge, values and preferences be integrated? | |
What perspectives, knowledge and skills will be helpful? | ||
Principle 2: Understand the context for change through community engagement | 2.1 Build a shared understanding of values, priorities, and opportunities | What areas can be strengthened within your local food system? |
What challenges need to be addressed? | ||
What are opportunities for change? | ||
2.2 Work within a community’s social, political, and historical context | Are current programs/models/supports grounded in community values and knowledge? If not, why? | |
Are current programs/models/supports helpful and meeting community priorities? If not, why? | ||
2.3 Identify and build on community supports | What supports currently exist that can be built upon? | |
What programs/supports are needed? | ||
What skills and experiences are needed to support change efforts? | ||
Principle 3: Foster relationships to strengthen and sustain impact | 3.1 Make connections between people, programs, and processes | Who needs to be engaged? |
Who are key decision makers? How will they be engaged? | ||
Who are key actors to support on the ground activities? How will they be engaged? | ||
Who will be impacted by the change? How will they be engaged? | ||
Who can support the maintenance of project activities and change efforts? | ||
How are key actors and those impacted by the change connected? | ||
3.2 Integrate Indigenous worldviews, perspectives, and values | What perspectives and knowledge are needed to support change efforts? | |
Principle 4: Reflect and embrace program flexibility to integrate learnings | 4.1 Create space for reflection and mutual learnings | How are principles and values guiding partnerships? |
What is working well? | ||
What can be done differently? | ||
What areas can be improved? | ||