SGC Catalyst Model Participatory Research to Policy Model

A model to bring together researchers with frontline communities in California to develop actionable, context-sensitive, community-led climate research and pilot projects that increase resilience and quality of life.

Overview

Growing evidence suggests that including community members in research design, implementation, and evaluation can lead to deeper, more informed, and nuanced understandings of community needs. Furthermore, community-engaged research can identify interventions, programs, and policy and system changes that are more relevant, culturally congruent, and effective in improving community outcomes.

This model brings together researchers with frontline communities to develop actionable, context-sensitive, community-led climate research and pilot projects that increase resilience and quality of life.

The elements of this model work to integrate the insights and perspectives of diverse community and stakeholder voices into each step of the research process.

By prioritizing partnerships between community organizations, research institutions, and the state, this model supports equitable and science-based research and proof of concepts for more effective and equitable policy implementation.

Outcomes

• UC Merced researchers are partnering with Central Valley growers to turn agricultural by-products into biochar, studying its effects on climate in orchards and farms and researching the economic feasibility of mobile biochar production. 
• A Tribal Workgroup of nine San Diego region tribes is informing the research approach of a San Diego State University-led project on integrated land use planning for climate resilience. 

Elements

The key components of this model