In the face of frequent droughts and other environmental shocks in East Africa there is a growing consensus on the need to act in advance of crises to minimise their effects and support the wellbeing of humans and animals. Capacity development is a critical part of this.
On 9 and 10 May 2024, the Jameel Observatory for Food Security Early Action convened a workshop in Nairobi bringing together drylands capacity development providers and users to co-design a overall ‘global’ education framework around early action and drylands.
Announced at COP28, the ‘Dryland Futures Academy’ aims to enhance the resilience of dryland communities in the face of ever-increasing climate shocks with a focus on innovation, education and training. It has ambitions to reach out to diverse actors, from communities needing to understand forecasts, local governments and organizations seeking to understand the impacts of different investment decisions, to policy makers and businesses wanting to better understand the dynamics of drylands, or students and young professionals aspiring to be future leaders.
Institutions represented at the workshop included: Accelerating Impacts of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa program, Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, Center for Research and Development in Drylands, Christensen Fund, Columbia University, Community Jameel, Drylands Learning and Capacity Building Initiative, Garissa University, IGAD Sheikh Technical Veterinary School and Reference Centre, International Livestock Research Institute, Jameel Observatory, Jigjiga University, Laikipia University, Masindo Muliro University of Science and Technology, Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture, Somali Disaster Management Agency, University of Edinburgh, University of Nairobi, and the World Food Programme
After opening remarks from the organizers and an introduction to the ‘Dryland Futures Academy’ concept, participants shared updates on some ongoing activities in the region – an initial summary stocktake by the University of Edinburgh, as well as activities of AICCRA, RUFORUM, University of Nairobi and Jigjiga University. Thereafter, participants worked in groups around each of the four learning pathways, working through the various elements of the Education Framework.
Reporting on progress at the workshop, Fiona Borthwick, Director of Post Graduate Teaching at the University of Edinburgh’s Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, explained that the workshop:
- Mapped capacity development education opportunities and gaps;
- Outlined a set of draft principles to guide development of the academy’s activities;
- Outlined core competencies and an initial set of transferable skills for different target audiences for each learning pathway;
- Proposed modes of delivery appropriate for each pathway’s target audiences.
The seven principles identified by participants were:
- Embrace the essence of pastoralism
- Harness local knowledge and foster collaboration
- Ecosystem-centric approaches for resilient drylands
- Climate-resilient livelihoods and diversification
- Adaptive governance and policy support
- Harnessing technology and innovation
- Data driven anticipatory action
After a final review of the outputs, participants brainstormed about the Academy as a whole: Its vision and impact, the priority learning pathways, priority dryland ‘issues to focus on, priority target audiences, and critical success factors.
Download the Dryland Futures Academy Education Framework
More information on the Academy and our capacity development activities
Group photo:
