Learning Agenda

Purpose and Context

The purpose of the Wild Meat Learning Agenda is to generate and share evidence to inform United States Agency for International Development (USAID) efforts to improve wild meat programming and to understand those connections to food security, health, and conservation. The Learning Agenda defines learning questions and associated activities to address those questions.

Download the Learning Agenda

Framework: Theory of Change

The Learning Agenda is framed around a theory of change that presents a hypothesis of expected results leading from USAID’s engagement with wild meat programming to improve conservation and health outcomes. The theory of change and its associated learning questions are a framework to help teams plan for, learn about, and adapt their wild meat, health, and food security programming. The learning questions seek to understand the context, test the assumptions, and define and monitor key characteristics of an expected result.

Download the full theory of change

The theory of change highlights four main outcomes that project teams seek to achieve to reduce unsustainable and illegal wild meat.

Consumer preferences and desires for wild meat reduced: The use of behavior change methodologies to reduce consumer preferences and desires for wild meat to reduce sales of wild meat products and ultimately help to mitigate unsustainable and illegal hunting of wildlife for consumption

Consumer needs for wild meat reduced: The provision of alternative food and economic enterprises to reduce reliance on wild meat for food and income.

Urban wild meat commodity chain regulated: Strengthening regulations and enforcement actions to increase the risks for wildlife crimes, and therefore reduce sales of illegal wildlife products and risks to emergence of zoonotic diseases.

Rural access to wild meat for subsistence consumption maintained: Strengthening community management of local areas, as well as protected area management and regulating sustainable subsistence hunting to maintain local access to wild meat for subsistence consumption in rural areas.

Figure 1: This wild meat theory of change is that IF consumer preferences, desires, and needs for wild meat are reduced, the urban wild meat commodity chain is regulated, and rural access to wild meat for subsistence consumption is maintained, THEN unsustainable and illegal hunting of wild species will be reduced. A reduction in hunting improves the viability of wildlife species and improves human well-being outcomes, including reduced risks to zoonotic diseases, improved food security and nutrition, and increased household income.

Based on the theory of change and in consultation with the Wild Meat Learning Group members, an initial set of learning questions were identified. These questions form the basis for the Learning Agenda, which will be investigated by the Wild Meat Learning Group through a variety of learning actions. The Learning Agenda will evolve based on the needs of the group and will likely include a webinar and case study series, learning exchanges, and a wild meat toolkit.

Learning Agenda

Learning Questions	Proposed Learning Activities	Proposed Learning Products
LQ 1a: What are the barriers and incentives that motivate urban, peri-urban, and non-subsistence demand for and consumption of wild meat?	Summarize existing research from bushmeat demand reduction campaigns.	Brief and webinars summarizing formative research data findings from bushmeat demand reduction campaigns.
LQ1b: What behavior change approaches are effective in overcoming barriers or leveraging incentives for changing wild meat demand and consumption behavior?	Summarize behavioral determinants for non-subsistence demand of wild meat. Engage programs and individuals with experience shifting behaviors, including food preferences and social marketing, to draw lessons for wild meat programs.	Literature review covering behavioral determinants for non-subsistence demand of wild meat. Webinars or learning exchanges with programs or individuals experienced in behavior change and social marketing.
LQ2: How effective is alternative protein substitution for subsistence-level consumption of wild meat?	Develop case studies to showcase and share learning around programs that have used protein substitution strategies.	Develop case studies to showcase and share learning around programs that have used protein substitution strategies.
LQ3a: Where wild meat sales are legal, how effectively are regulations monitored and enforced?	Reach out to programs operating where wild meat sales are legal to understand how enforcement and regulations work, and whether it is effective.	Case study write-ups and webinars to share the case studies.
LQ3b: How effective are regulations at reducing illegal and unsustainable sale of wildlife?
LQ4: What management systems for land and protected areas can support sustainable subsistence hunting for local communities without contributing to commercial hunting?	Reach out to programs that are supporting indigenous communities with land tenure as it relates to food security and economic needs.	Webinars to share learning. Products will evolve as more is understood.
LQ5: Where are the synergies between wild meat interventions and those focused on zoonotic disease, food security, and household income in USAID programming?	Understand, synthesize, and gather lessons on existing synergies between sectors.	Synthesis document of existing resources. Webinars to share learning. Learning exchange with global health and food security on overlapping topics.
LQ 6: What combination, if any, of strategic approaches are effective in achieving threat reduction and improving human well-being, and under what conditions?	Learn from programs that address some or all of the strategies and their effectiveness at reducing unsustainable and illegal wild meat. Can look beyond USAID funding.	Case study write-ups and webinars to share the case studies.
*Relevant to all learning questions*	Use lessons from the webinar and case study series, learning exchanges, and other relevant products to develop a wild meat toolkit.	Wild meat toolkit may include: Monitoring tool box for each strategic approach, including indicators shared with other sectors. Checklist or worksheet to support teams in designing a thoughtful wild meat approach, including enabling conditions and a decision tool based on context. Links to additional existing resources for each strategic approach.