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The main objective of the project "A Stakeholder driven process to develop a Catchment Management Plan (CMP) for the Kat River Valley" (the Kat Project hereafter) was to assist the Kat River Water Users Association (KRWUA) in the development of a CMP in which water is allocated and provided to the various users for the present and future requirements of these users and the Reserve (O'Keefe et al., 2004). An important aspect in the development of a CMP is represented by the negotiation and common decision-making process that must take place among the different water users nominated in the KRWUA board. Originally it was planned to simply calibrate the existing model, AWARE, to the Kat River Valley situation, and to use the resulting scenarios as the basis for discussion and negotiation within the KRWUA. However, in the beginning of the Kat Project and after one trip to Grahamstown and the Kat River Valley by a Cirad researcher, it was agreed by the project coordinators that instead of adapting the existing AWARE model to the Kat reality, a radically new model should be constructed, developed within the Companion Modelling (ComMod) process. is specific to each situation. The endless following cycle 'field work- modelling - simulation - field work again, etc.' corresponds to this concept. This leads to the acceptance of a diversity of models and methods, each contributing to a new kind of relationship between the simulation, the research itinerary, and the decision-making process" (ComMod Group, 2003, 4.1). Another important characteristic of ComMod is the joint use of Role-Playing Games (RPG) and models, particularly Multi-Agent Systems (MAS). "The association of an RPG with a MAS ... seems to provide a good way to explain the content of a model in order to validate it and to communicate upon its basis" (Barreteau et al., 2001, 5.9). Following the ComMod methodology, a MAS (KatAWARE) and a related RPG were developed to contribute to the process of building the capacity of stakeholders to actively participate in designing a platform and context for their negotiation process and to select decision-making criteria for their catchment (Farolfi and Rowntree, 2005). After having briefly presented the composition of the team involved in this action research process (2), the text that follows summarizes the ComMod process in the Kat (3) referring to the reports that explain each step and used tools in details. A discussion on the successes and shortcomings of the ComMod process in the Kat is then proposed (4) and final remarks and suggestions for the possible future adoption of this research methodology in the South African context are provided (5).

Within the Water Research Commission (WRC) project: "A stakeholder driven process to develop a catchment management plan for the Kat River Valley", the Companion Modeling (ComMod) approach (Barreteau et al, 2003) was adopted to help the local Water Users Association (WUA) in the task of defining a Catchment Management Plan (CMP) for the Kat River Valley. Two platforms, a multi-agent model named KatAWARE (Farolfi and Bonté, 2005; 2006) and a Role-Playing Game (Farolfi, 2006), were constructed in conjunction with local stakeholders through the ComMod approach. This document reports on the use of the Role-Playing Game (RPG) KatAWARE developed through the ComMod process. It must be underlined that this report does not provide guidelines on how to play the KatAWARE RPG, as this information is contained in Farolfi (2006). Rather, more general considerations on the opportunity to use a RPG within the studied context and more in general the importance of RPG in participatory research and Companion Modelling projects is discussed. The following chapters refer to the Kat River ComMod experience; nevertheless some lessons learned during the described case study could be generalized to other possible applications in South Africa or elsewhere. The document is organized as follows: Chapter one recaps quickly the main characteristics of the KatAWARE RPG in its two versions; Chapter two illustrates the outcomes of the second session of the RPG played with the Kat River WUA in March 2006; whilst chapter three concludes and provides recommendations. The appendix provides some technical information on how to install and operate the KatAWARE model that backs the RPG.

Within the Water Research Commission (WRC) project: "A stakeholder driven process to develop a catchment management plan for the Kat River Valley", the Companion Modeling (ComMod) approach (Barreteau et al, 2003) was adopted to help the local Water Users Association (WUA) in the task of defining a Catchment Management Plan (CMP) for the Kat River Valley. Two platforms, a multi-agent model named KatAWARE (Farolfi and Bonté, 2005; 2006) and a Role-Playing Game (Farolfi, 2006), were constructed in conjunction with local stakeholders through the ComMod approach. This document reports on the use of the multi-agent model. The following chapters refer to the Kat River ComMod experience; nevertheless some lessons learned during the described case study could be generalized to other possible applications in South Africa or elsewhere. This report is organized as follows: Chapter one recaps quickly the main characteristics of the KatAWARE multi-agent model in its various versions; Chapter two illustrates the use of the tool during a participatory workshop with the WUA, whilst chapter three concludes and provides recommendations. In the appendix some technical information is provided, on how to install and operate KatAWARE.

This report illustrates version 1 (V 1) of the multi-agent system (MAS) KatAWARE, which is being developed within the Water Research Commission (WRC) project "A Stakeholder driven process to develop a Catchment Management Plan for the Kat River Valley". KatAWARE is being developed through a participatory action research approach called Companion Modelling (ComMod) (Farolfi-Rowntree, 2005). According to this approach an iterative process of modeling and discussion take place between the research team and the local stakeholders. This process results in several versions of the model that should converge into a common and validated representation of the reality for local stakeholders participating in the co-construction of the model. A previous report (Farolfi-Bonté, 2005) provided a thorough description of the KatAWARE Prototype (from now on: KatA WARE P). Most of the changes introduced in KatAWARE V1 are the result of the discussions that took place during a workshop held with the Kat Water Users Association (WUA) in Fort Beaufort in June 2005 and dedicated to the presentation of KatAWARE P (Burt et al. 2005). The main changes with respect to KatAWARE P refer to the hydrologic component of the system, the new production functions that consider water shortage effects, the hierarchy in water provision for agents within a subcatchment, the introduction of regulatory framework (water licencing system), and minor adjustments in the financial, agronomic and socio-economic components of the model. New scenarios were also tested and some improvements in the interfaces were introduced. This report is organized in six chapters, all of them illustrating changes from KatAWARE P to KatAWARE V1 in a specific component of the model: the first chapter describes the changes in the model structure; chapter 2 depicts changes in the calibration of water supply, whilst chapter 3 refers to calibration of water demand. Chapter 4 is dedicated to the new framework of water licensing; Chapter 5 describes the new scenarios and finally chapter 6 illustrates the changes in output representations and model's interfaces.

This report illustrates a Role Playing Game (RPG), which is being developed within the Water Research Commission (WRC) project "A stakeholder driven process to develop a Catchment Management Plan for the Kat River Valley", hereafter quoted as "the Kat River project". The RPG is called KatAWARE, like the multi-agent model (Farolfi-Bonté, 2005 and 2006) that backs it. The RPG is being developed within an iterative and participatory process called Companion Modelling ¿ ComMod (Farolfi and Rowntree, 2005) aiming at co-constructing the multi-agent model KatAWARE and at the same time facilitating discussions and common decision-making around water management within the Kat River Water Users Association (WUA). The report is organized in four main chapters: the first chapter illustrates the position of the RPG in the ComMod process and its relations with the KatAWARE model; the second chapter looks at the main features of the RPG; the third chapter presents some outcomes of the first RPG session played at Fort Beaufort in November 2005; the last chapter concludes and defines the way forward.

Ce travail illustre à l'aide d'un modèle multi-agents le comportement d'acteurs économiques dans un contexte de politique environnementale dynamique. Le terrain d'étude est représenté par un secteur à forte intensité d'élevage porcin (Grand-Ilet) situé dans les Hauts de la Réunion, et d'un secteur à dominante d'exploitations de canne à sucre, situé en zone côtière. On fait l'hypothèse que les risques de pollution provoqués par les élevages porcins sont considérés par l'institution publique qui doit choisir un ensemble de mesures environnementales adaptées. Après une illustration de l'approche et des résultats que l'on peut obtenir par une modélisation multi-agents de la réalité étudiée, nous discutons son utilité dans la mise en oeuvre d'outils d'aide à la décision et à la négociation.

Né d'une commande de la Direction générale du Cirad passée en 2011, au moment de la révision du projet stratégique de l'établissement, ce document est une contribution de la Direction régionale d'Afrique de l'Est et australe (AFORA). Il est régulièrement mis à jour ou enrichi, Après une description du contexte régional, plus particulièrement centrée sur les productions agricoles, l'élevage et la pisciculture, il recense les grands enjeux de développement relevant du mandat du Cirad - pauvreté rurale, sécurité alimentaire, régime foncier, maîtrise de l'eau - et précise ceux qui constituent les priorités d'intervention des principaux organismes d'appui au développement. Le champ de la recherche agricole pour le développement est dominé par quelques grandes organisations nationales (ARC ou organisations filières en Afrique du Sud, KALRO au Kenya) ou internationales (icipe, ICRAF et ILRI) et un nombre restreint d'universités (les plus anciennes d'Afrique du Sud, celles de Nairobi, Egerton, JKUAT ou Makerere en Afrique de l'Est). Le Cirad et l'IRD les accompagnent en y affectant une trentaine de chercheurs. Les grands enjeux régionaux peuvent être traduits en grandes problématiques de recherche et de formation supérieure : pauvreté et emploi rural (partout), sécurité alimentaire et nutritionnelle (dans la corne de l'Afrique), intensification agro-écologique (dans les régions d'altitude), modèles de développement agricole (dans les autres régions), gestion des interfaces aux abords des aires protégées et plus généralement les questions de frontières et d'inclusion sociale, mais aussi la résilience des systèmes " agriculture – élevage " dans les régions de climat aride ou semi-aride. Le Cirad s'est investi en Ethiopie à la fin des années soixante dans des problématiques de santé animale. Il collabore aujourd'hui en Afrique de l'Est avec des centres internationaux (ICRAF, ILRI, CIFOR, icipe), sur des questions d'agronomie et d'économie agricole, et en Afrique australe avec des Universités autour de la santé animale et des politiques publiques. Il dispose de trois atouts majeurs vis-à-vis des organismes nationaux ou régionaux de recherche agricole : un outil original de gestion du partenariat Nord-Sud (les Dispositifs en Partenariat ou dP), la proximité de ressources scientifiques mobilisables dans l'Océan Indien dans le cadre d'une stratégie commune avec nos chercheurs à la Réunion et Madagascar et son appartenance à l'Institut Agricole, Vétérinaire et Forestier de France (IAVFF/Agreenium) qui réunit l'ensemble des compétences françaises dans le domaine de l'enseignement supérieur agricole. L'objectif poursuivi par la Direction régionale est de consolider les deux dP existant en Afrique australe et de faciliter la création d'un troisième dP en Afrique de l'Est, l'ensemble couvrant des champs de recherche pertinents par rapport aux enjeux régionaux les plus sensibles, et apportant cohérence et visibilité accrues à la présence française dans le domaine de la recherche et de l'enseignement supérieur agricole.