Relationships between the global decision support system and regional projects: SANREM II - A conceptual framework

SANREM research involves development and application of methods to enhance the sustainable use of natural resources to achieve the USAID goals of improving food availability and economic growth. The current mandate is to provide improved tools for decision making at landscape/lifescape, sub-national, national, multinational, and global levels. How can we make the best use of the total SANREM resource to address the broader mandate? What is the appropriate level of engagement and integration between global and regional projects? Regional projects are extending community-based methods to other communities in different locations and developing applications for decision makers at higher levels of scale. The Decision Support System involves development and application of economic, environmental, and biophysical models in East and West Africa to support decision makers at multiple levels of scale. Collaboration with FAO is developing a global system of models and databases for use by national programs. In this paper, we suggest both parallel and linked approaches between projects including a combination of communication, coordination, and collaboration - three different levels of engagement. The paper provides a basis for discussion at the Synthesis Conference to review present status and plan future relationships to help ensure the pieces of SANREM fit together.