The document provides guidelines for rapporteurs and conveners for the NENA Land and Water Days conference in Amman, Jordan from December 15-18, 2013. It outlines best practices for documenting sessions including designating group reporters, taking pictures of flipcharts, and sending session reports by the same evening. It also defines what constitutes a "good practice" and lists seven criteria for good practices including being effective, sustainable, participatory, and reducing disaster risks. Rapporteurs are advised to meet facilitators in advance and focus reports on key issues, conclusions, and recommendations in a concise and electronic format.

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ENA LAND AND WATER DAYS – Amman, Jordan
15-18 December 2013
Guidelines for rapporteurs and conveners
Thank you for taking on this important task. – Your work will enable us to share the
outcomes of this session with many more people who could not attend.
This template is intended to help you to successfully document the key points and outcomes of your session.
Keep in mind that the Land & Water days will contribute to document good practices and positive experiences
on land and water management. They will enable the identification of critical actions that may contribute to
significant improvement in agriculture water management for food security in the Near East and North Africa.
The LWDs will also provide a forum for the discussion on the Regional Collaborative Strategy on Agriculture
Water Management.
The reporting may vary depending on the session format. In many cases the session will be highly interactive
and you will need to document group work, panel/audience interactions, … and agree beforehand with the
facilitator if you shall document only group work presentations or also the group work itself.
For groups, it is suggested to designate for each group a reporter who can capture the main elements on a
flipchart or cards. Please write on each flipchart the name of the session and the number of the flipchart.
Taking pictures of each flip-chart will be a great help for reporters.
Reminder for good practices
A “good practice” can be defined as follows:
A good practice is not only a practice that is good, but a practice that has been proven to work well and
produce good results, and is therefore recommended as a model. It is a successful experience, which has been
tested and validated, in the broad sense, which has been repeated and deserves to be shared so that a greater
number of people can adopt it
Good practice criteria
The following set of criteria will help you determine whether a practice is a “good practice”:
1. Effective and successful: A “good practice” has proven its strategic relevance as the most effective way in
achieving a specific objective; it has been successfully adopted and has had a positive impact on individuals
and/or communities.
2. Environmentally, economically and socially sustainable:
A “good practice” meets current needs, in particular the essential needs of the world’s poorest, without
compromising the ability to address future needs.
3. Gender sensitive:
A description of the practice must show how actors, men and women, involved in the process, were able to
improve their livelihoods.
4. Technically feasible:

2. Technical feasibility is the basis of a “good practice”. It is easy to learn and to implement.
5. Inherently participatory:
Participatory approaches are essential as they support a joint sense of ownership of decisions and actions.
6. Replicable and adaptable:
A “good practice” should have the potential for replication and should therefore be adaptable to similar
objectives in varying situations.
7. Reducing disaster/crisis risks
If possible, a “good practice” contributes to disaster/crisis risks reduction for resilience.
Recommendations:
Please read carefully the reporting template BEFORE the event – The session reporting template will help you
understanding objectives and structure of the session as well as leading questions during the session. The
template may also include specific guidance for you as rapporteur. You need to meet your session facilitator
and conveners before the session.
Use a computer to fill the reporting template/Be concise! – During the session you should electronically
document the issues raised. Make bullet points and focus on key issues. Do not try to write down each and
every comment. Check in the session information sheet which aspects are being addressed in the session
(technical/policy/networking etc.). Try to capture the key messages and conclusion for each aspect as well as
specific recommendations for follow-up actions already during the session. Check your findings with the
facilitator directly after the session and fill together box on key outcomes by objective.
Please take pictures of participants during the session and
at the end of all the flipcharts and evaluation post-its!
Please send the session report using the session reporting template on the same evening to RNE-Land-andWater-Days @fao.org (FAORNE) (in subject –indicate report of session number xx)
This is important, because we want to compile the key points from the reporting templates for the following
morning and for the synthesis session on Day 4.
Guidelines and templates in this booklet have been adapted from those used in previous FAO and IFAD share fair events,
and especially those prepared for the Climate Change Days, Rome 2010
http://www.sharefair.net/en/

3. Session reporting template
Session Title: Building resilience in agricultural systems: soil conservation and fertility management.
Session number: T9
Type of session (plenary, panel session, other): Technical session.
Day – time : Tuesday 17 December 2013 14h30 to 16h30 .
Place: Hall B
Convener/coordinator: FAO, ICARDA, ACSAD/ wadid Erian (ACSAD).
Key speakers (name, organization):
Aly Ismail (Egypte)
Shoaib Ismail (ICBA)
David Feindel (ICARDA)
Ronald Vargas (FAO)
Abdelwahab Belloum (FAO)
Facilitator(s): Wadid Erian and Carine Rouah.
Rapporteurs: Abdelwahab Belloum (FAO) and Fawzi Karajeh (ICARDA).
Number of participants (total): 29
Number of men: 26
Number of women:3
Remember to circulate the attendance list for the session
Objective of the session: to establish a regional a regional dialogue on the needs and priorities for promoting and
implementing sustainable soil management in the region under a regional framework.
Rationale (as in preparatory documents or programme):
Soils are finite natural resource that can be considered as non-renewable in the time frame of human activities.
There is increasing degradation of soil resources due to population pressures, inappropriate practices and
inadequate governance over this valuable resource. Soils constitute the foundation or healthy food production and
thus contributing to food security globally and locally. Continuing rapid population growth is placing further
alarming pressures on already depleted soils, a situation which –if left unchecked – would frustrate any objectives to
increase food production substantially and in a sustainable manner over time. There is an urgent need to address its
sustainable management for feeding the growing population by 2050. Soil degradation is an escalating threat in
most regions including NENA and includes a number of different processes. It is caused essentially by
unsustainable land use management practices that result from various social, economic and governance drivers. It
impacts negatively on livelihoods, ecosystem functions, food security and human wellbeing. Soils are being depleted
at a rate that will compromise the capacity of future generations to meet their needs, unless a new paradigm is
adopted for the sound management of this vital resource.
The sustainable management of soils should include a combination of protection, conservation/sustainable use and
rehabilitation of degraded soils. In turn, decisions affecting land use should respect the characteristics, qualities and
resilience of soils, as a key component of land suitability. The conservation of healthy soils by boosting its fertility
through an integrated sustainable soil management strategy should be promoted in NENA region if achieve and
contribute to food security and poverty alleviation vis a vis with increasing the resilience of agricultural systems.
This session will visit case studies in which soil management and conservation were implemented in Sudan and Syria
and will address the challenges in promoting and scaling up sustainable soil management in the region.
Guidelines and templates in this booklet have been adapted from those used in previous FAO and IFAD share fair events,
and especially those prepared for the Climate Change Days, Rome 2010
http://www.sharefair.net/en/

4. Knowledge sharing method used:
Reporting during the session
Global ideas issued from the presentations
Presentation 1 : (Egypte)
Keys messages:
- Soil management, maintenance, rehabilitation are key practices for the sustainable saline
impacted soil in the Delta. (drain spacing and mole drain increase leaching efficiency.
-
Soil amendment : Gypsum give best results to manage saline sodic soil.
Presentation 2: ICBA
Keys messages:
- Saline water can be a source for non conventional agriculture
-
TWW is valuable source water for conventional and non conventional water/ with special
attention to the public acceptance social.
Presentation : Sudan
Key messages:
Stopped Land degradation by Direct Drilling to improve infiltration and soil physical,
biological and chemical properties.
-
Find a compromise between livestock and mulching and reduce erosion.
-
Soil fertility and quality management is important for sustainable agriculture production.
-
Rotations is a key to improve the biomass and to stabilize the soil.
-
Land degradation is a continued process.
-
Soil has many functions.
-
Sustainable management improve governance by soil management, soil conservation and
management.
-
Building resilience is function of interactive of key Stakeholders : Farmers-Professionals and
government
Main points of the discussion, the answers and the exchanges
Take away – males
Guidelines and templates in this booklet have been adapted from those used in previous FAO and IFAD share fair events,
and especially those prepared for the Climate Change Days, Rome 2010
http://www.sharefair.net/en/

5. Good subject to discuss and to make strategy for put it in action.
Necessity to include tools and approaches LADA in the developmental projects.
Reconversion progressively the current agricultural systems to conservation agriculture.
Soil management should be sustained forever and not only for the duration of the projects.
Soil and water management is important to be in parallel.
Soil is the main sources and not drainable.
We must strengthen the resilience of farmers against natural disasters (inundation, desertification).
Excellent presentation which raised crucial challenges and highlighted several problems seeking for answers.
At least someone talked on soil + land.
Land deterioration should be categorized separately from land degradation.
A new paradigm produces more but better. Conservation agriculture based or no till.
The building of the resilience should be through the cooperation between the partnerships (professionals,
policy makers, farmers).
Irrigated agriculture management in the north delta: how implement in expansion more drain practice to
keep soil salinity at acceptable level. Conservation agriculture is a necessary practice in rainfed agriculture.
This is confusion over the approach to take with respect to soil conservation.
Take away - females:
I like the video
I like most the movie presented by Mr. Ronald and his important question
I like the intervention of the Tunisian gentleman (Abdelwahab Belloum, Land & Water Officer (FAOSNE)
about CA and erosion
Missed – males
Resource assessment for marginal resources needs to be done urgently
Government, institutions, stakeholders working to soil conservation
Soils is a min factor in agriculture production
Soils and water management
Build up soil fertility
Conservation and soil health
Improved real partnerships between farmers/research/administration -> Tunisian model
The relationship of improved resilience with the lack of creadit or other support
Missed – females
No preventive plans mentioned for future interventions
Nothing unliked
If possible, try to identify the participants name
Use their quotes when possible
Guidelines and templates in this booklet have been adapted from those used in previous FAO and IFAD share fair events,
and especially those prepared for the Climate Change Days, Rome 2010
http://www.sharefair.net/en/

6. Other issues of interest raised (specify the issue and target session)
e.g. Guidelines / manuals referred to as used/useful or commented about
e.g. Funding/networking opportunities, key contact, etc.
e.g. Related topics to be picked up in another session or at another occasion
Please add
1 quote that you think summarizes your session well
1 sentence that brings out the key message of the discussion. Something that somebody said that was especially
witty.
This will be used for the final debriefing session
Immediately after the session (by rapporteur – convener - facilitator):
How has the session contributed to the land and water days expected outputs?
Please comment on the concrete outputs/outcomes.
1.
Technologies and approaches: what works and what does not work
Constraints and solutions.
2.
What do we need to know in order to be able to replicate this practice and / or to scale it up?
3.
What are the lessons learned identified in this session?
4.
Options and recommendations to develop for the Regional Collaborative Strategy within the framework of
Regional Water Scarcity Initiative.
5.
What are the findings and recommendations in terms of partnership?
6.
Is there a practice that was addressed that could be a good practice or become one and why?
Refer to definition and criteria on page 1
Guidelines and templates in this booklet have been adapted from those used in previous FAO and IFAD share fair events,
and especially those prepared for the Climate Change Days, Rome 2010
http://www.sharefair.net/en/

7. Participants’ feedback
Post-its should be distributed to all the participants before the end of the session. They should write their answers on
the right colour post-it :
1.
2.
What have you liked / learned or taken back from this session? (pink for women - orange for men)
According to you, what was missing or what else would you like to know on this subject? (green for women
and blue for men
What have you liked / learned or taken back from this session
Women
Men
What was missing or what else would you like to know on this subject
Women
Men
Picture of all the post-its should be taken at the end of the session.
Transcription of the comments should be done right after the session
The flipchart should be given back to the facilitators team.
Signed by Rapporteur:
Lead technical facilitator:
Please send this back to us by the end of day so it can be integrated in the recap session tomorrow
morning. Send it to Amr.Fadlelmawla@fao.org (cc. elodie.perrat@fao.org) with the number of
your session in subject line
Thank you!
Guidelines and templates in this booklet have been adapted from those used in previous FAO and IFAD share fair events,
and especially those prepared for the Climate Change Days, Rome 2010
http://www.sharefair.net/en/