Knowledge building in participative projects

The collaborative elaboration of a development project is an opportunity not only to pursue conventional objectives such as equipment and infrastructure construction but also for collaborative learning and knowledge building and more sustainable development. In this context this paper aims to present an analysis of the process of building knowledge during a project development. The research questions are: What was the knowledge inside the group before the project? What is the knowledge inside the group after the project? What knowledge gaps remain and how might a participatory, collaborative approach to research and development help address these gaps? Who has the necessary knowledge? How is this knowledge acquired? And does this knowledge help create development that is more sustainable? The methodology includes the development of a conceptual model based on participatory action research, knowledge management, and sustainable community and regional development literature; followed by a participatory research case study from which conclusions and recommendations are drawn. The paper describes and analyzes the participative construction of knowledge during the development of a project for new algae products, aquaculture and processing, with the participation of four algae associations and support of Pluspetrol and the Defensoria del Proyecto Camisea. This algae aquaculture and processing project has been developed in Pisco, Peru, where there is a community of 800 algae harvesting people. © 2008 PICMET.