CRWFS Governance
January 2011
1. PURPOSE
The primary purpose of the California Roundtable on Water and Food Supply is to develop recommendations for decision-makers that enhance water security for agriculture, the public and the environment.
The California Roundtable on Water and Food Supply is a forum for leaders in food production and water to uncover obstacles, identify strategic and widely accepted solutions, and generate recommendations to assure a reliable, long-term supply of water to California’s specialty crop producers. These leaders have been identified as having strong dedication to a healthy and balanced future for California water, having a high level of personal integrity, being open-minded, and having broad experience in one or more stakeholder groups. The Roundtable is a space where these thoughtful and committed leaders can engage in a facilitated, off-the-record dialogue where creativity and wisdom can flourish, and new thinking and paths forward for sound water management can come forward.
The Roundtable aims to:
- Build relationships between specialty crop representatives and environmental/public interests to reduce polarization and increase support for sound water management on farms.
- Develop a unified set of principles that can underlie long-term solutions.
- Create recommendations for decision makers and the general public on balanced solutions to tough water issues.
- Package recommendations in formats appropriate for the intended audiences.
2. MEMBERSHIP
2.1 General Membership
The Roundtable shall be comprised of no fewer than 20 and no more than 40 members. Membership and participation in the Roundtable is on an individual basis. There are no group memberships. Members may come from and represent the perspective of a particular interest group, but when involved in the activities of the Roundtable, members speak for themselves and their words do not bind their organizations to specific positions. Members of the group are encouraged to explore new ideas and possibilities, to think outside the box—this is part of the group’s purpose.
While membership is essentially individual, it is desirable that a high proportion of Roundtable members come from well-established community organizations. This arrangement is important for purposes of Roundtable credibility. It is also desirable that represented community organizations support the purpose and principles of the Roundtable.
As a whole, the membership aims to represent a broad and balanced cross-section of stakeholders at the intersection of agriculture and water supply including, but not limited to, representatives from the agricultural, water management, regulatory, fishing, environmental and stewardship, environmental justice, rural economic development, and research communities.
2.2 Member Responsibilities
The effective functioning of the Roundtable is absolutely dependent on the commitment and regular active participation of its members. Members commit to supporting the purpose of the Roundtable. Members agree to attend a majority of scheduled meetings in a given year, as well as keeping up on topics covered at missed meetings by reviewing meeting materials and results and following up with the conveners as needed. Members may engage in committee activities or ongoing communications in between meetings. Members agree to abide by the ground rules as stated below. The membership will also be responsible for securing limited match funds as necessary and promoting the outcomes of Roundtable dialogue as agreed on by the group. In the event a member must miss a meeting, the Roundtable may consider a substitute participant subject to the discretion of the steering committee.
2.3 Roles
Steering Committee
The Roundtable membership shall appoint a steering committee of 4-5 members, including at least one representative each from of the agricultural water management, environmental, and regulatory communities. The steering committee shall be responsible for:
- Overseeing the overall balance, and selection, of Roundtable members;
- Acting as the primary point of contact for Ag Innovations Network;
- Reviewing and approving meeting agendas;
- Helping to establish group priorities;
- Maintenance and periodic revision of the group’s charter;
- Reviewing meeting results; and
- Approving guests.
Convener
The Roundtable is supported by professional facilitation from Ag Innovations Network that is both knowledgeable about the issues and has expertise in multi-stakeholder collaboration. The convener team is responsible for:
- Scheduling and organizing Roundtable meetings;
- Drafting meeting agendas and results;
- Facilitating Roundtable meetings and committees;
- Providing administrative and project support to the Roundtable and its committees;
- Maintaining good communications among members; and
- Leading fundraising efforts for the group’s ongoing operations and activities;
Committees and Working Groups
In order to help advance the group’s work more efficiently, working groups or committees represent areas where more focused attention, planning, and action is needed. Working
groups will have a Chair who updates the full Roundtable on progress and activities and coordinates additional outside meetings as needed. The composition of these groups will aim for broad stakeholder representation. The key role of working groups is to:
- Provide recommendations and proposals on specific topics to the Roundtable membership;
- Synthesize or analyze data, information, and policies that support proposed recommendations; and
- Seek advice and input from additional key stakeholders outside of the Roundtable.
Membership
- Guide and implement topic selection, strategic priorities, and activities of the Roundtable; and
- Secure limited match funds for Roundtable operations.
2.4 New Members
When vacancies on the Roundtable arise, member candidates are nominated by a current Roundtable member in good standing or the convener. Nominations will be considered and approved by the steering committee. If the nomination is approved, the convener will provide the nominee with the charter and an invitation to attend the next meeting. New members will be selected for their ability to maintain broad stakeholder representation and balance of the membership, their ability to contribute to the purpose of the Roundtable, and their willingness to agree to the Roundtable Charter.
2.5 Termination of Membership
A member who misses three meetings in a calendar year, without having informed the group of the reason prior to their absence, shall be considered to have resigned. A member who is deemed by the core group to have failed to live up to the purpose and principles of the Charter may be terminated by group consensus, less the affected member. Membership may be voluntarily terminated by submission of a letter of resignation to the Roundtable in care of the convener.
2.6 Guests
Roundtable meetings are open to members and invited speakers and resource people only. In special cases, roundtable members may make a request to bring a guest. Guests will be approved by the steering committee. The guest host agrees to brief the guest on the Roundtable’s ground rules and procedures. Requests for guest invitations must be made via the convener at least one week in advance of the meeting.
3. MEETINGS AND DECISION-MAKING
3.1 Meeting Schedule
Roundtable meeting dates will be scheduled based on greatest availability of members as determined by meeting schedulers. Meetings will total roughly 6 hours per quarter; the length may vary according to what the group aims to accomplish at any given stage. Committees may be formed to collaborate between meetings to advance the group’s objectives, with assistance from the conveners.
3.2 Topics and Agendas
The members of the Roundtable will take up key topics sequentially, in modular format.
The membership will identify, prioritize and select by consensus top priorities. The aim is to keep the group focused, while also allowing for sub-committees to move specific efforts forward, and the flexibility to consider emerging issues and opportunities.
Meeting agendas are drafted by the meeting facilitator based on input from the Rountable membership, and are then reviewed and approved by the steering committee and distributed to Roundtable members at least one week in advance of meetings.
3.3 Decision-Making
The Roundtable shall attempt to reach unanimous consent before moving to other modes of decision-making.
The California Roundtable on Water and Food Supply operates on a modified consensus basis. We use open, honest and robust dialogue to achieve consensus in making decisions. The overarching criterion for group decision-making is positions or actions that, at their core, advance the underlying purpose of the Roundtable as stated in Section 1 of this Charter. Consensus is defined as a mutually accepted group position or an agreement good enough for all members to move ahead. “Good enough” means that no group member feels strongly that the decision conflicts with the Roundtable purpose statement.
We recognize that there may come before the group issues or proposals that are not able to reach 100% consensus. If concerted and meaningful attempts to achieve consensus fail, in order to keep momentum on its work, in these limited cases, the group may elect to invoke its secondary decision process.
1. Topics may be considered to have reached “effective consensus” when no more than 2 members block consensus.
2. Recommendations made under this effective consensus rule are identified as have received broad, but not complete agreement of the group.
3. The concerns of the members not in consensus with the position or recommendation of the whole will be explicitly spelled out in the document or communication of the group.
The Roundtable is based on an assumption of participation. Members who are present at the meetings make decisions. There is no formal quorum requirement for the group to take action.
3.4 Group Action
We believe our influence will come from 1) the credibility earned by the members’ dedication to improving the community, 2) respect for others and integrity in our interactions, and 3) rising above traditional, and sometimes adversarial, roles.
The purpose of the Roundtable is to identify and act on areas of common ground among stakeholders. When common ground is identified, the group may take a number of actions, including but not limited to:
- Statements to agencies, boards, legislators, or others identifying key issues and policy recommendations;
- Speaking in support of, or as a participant in or member of, CRWFS at various public forums;
- Publishing opinion/editorial pieces;
- Convening meetings to encourage dialogue about key issues; and
- Taking other actions deemed by members to support shared positions identified by the group.
The members of the Roundtable recognize that significant effort has been made to establish the credibility of the Roundtable. Members may identify themselves as members of the Roundtable in their communications, however they may not use that membership to advance positions not officially taken by the Roundtable.
3.5 Meeting Ground Rules
As members of CRWFS, we commit to the following:
We maintain a high level of confidentiality. The Roundtable aims to be an open forum to bring forward new ideas and thinking, and deeply investigate a broad range of solutions. Ideas expressed do not necessarily represent the deeply held views of the individual or their organization. Individual member comments will not be shared beyond the Roundtable, nor used to advance partisan politics outside of the Roundtable process. The convener will obtain commitment from all guest speakers to adhere to the group’s confidentiality agreement.
We listen openly to one another with the intent of finding what we have in common. This type of “open” listening will allow us to build from identified points of agreement. Group members will strive to “suspend certainty” to explore perspectives and ideas that are outside the box, new, and creative. In short, we will consider ideas that at first may seem foreign, but with work could be forged into workable concepts.
We speak the truth about our viewpoints, beliefs and values. It is not acceptable to say one agrees when one does not. With honest statements of our respective positions, we can forge reality-based concepts. It is essential to clearly articulate disagreement.
We respect the right of each individual to have their own viewpoints, beliefs and values. This means, people will not be allowed to criticize others for their statements or to speak in ways that do not reflect respect for others opinions.
We keep our statements as brief and clear as possible. No one person will be permitted to dominate the exchange. This will provide the opportunity for everyone to contribute.
3.6 Principles of Collaboration
Principles define how we work together by clarifying ethics of how we conduct ourselves when we work together. Recognizing that mutual trust and a common purpose are the basis for reaching consensus, the following principles will guide Roundtable members as they work to set goals and define activities.
1. Active participation – Members actively participate by sharing opinions and experiences. Members are encouraged to participate fully in all dialogue and decision making processes even when they are administratively unable to endorse a statement or action taken by the group.
2. Shared responsibility and decision-making – Members take ownership through their participation and are responsible to the whole group. Every effort is made to include all Roundtable members in decision-making processes. Activities are conducted in a manner that is consistent and timely with decisions made by the Roundtable.
3. Transparency – The Roundtable and its working groups operate in a way that is open and responsible, providing information before, during, and after meetings. We are honest with each other and make all attempts to be clear in how we communicate.
4. Synergy – We value tolerance for all viewpoints and will seek common values in order to pursue fair solutions. Members build on the assets of the Roundtable for the greater good. Members use the network to build synergy and enhance the work of each individual and organization.
5. Creative Conflict – We understand that the first step to indentifying points of agreement is often sharpening differences. The ability to accept some tension in the pursuit of consensus is a critical skill. We strive to find the most effective, honest, and respectful way to understanding others’ perspectives and concerns.
6. Resourcefulness – We are open to innovation and encourage creativity of form and roles. We do not limit ourselves. In order to make wise decisions we will strive to learn from each other and seek additional and external resources when more knowledge is needed on any relevant subject. We will utilize our organizations and networks as resources. We are open to new ways of understanding. We look for long-range, holistic solutions, not temporary fixes.
4. CHARTER
4.1 Review of the Charter
The Charter shall be reviewed by the steering committee every 12 months.
4.2 Amendments to the Charter
Amendments to the Project Charter shall be made via the steering committee. The convener will maintain documents pertaining to the governance of the Roundtable. A consensus decision-making process at a regularly scheduled meeting of the coalition may amend this Charter, provided proposed amendments are circulated at least one week prior.
You may also download the CRWFS Charter (pdf).