Last week, on 13 and 14 May, forty people closely involved in the Observatory’s research and evidence area of work met in Addis Ababa in a Jameel Observatory Community of Practice meeting.
Recognizing that much current Observatory-sponsored research will mature in the last quarter of 2025, this fifth (fourth face to face) meeting of the Community of Practice shone a spotlight on tour ongoing PhD and postdoctoral research, impact collaborations, research accelerator projects, and other affiliated research.
Organized around five themes central to our work, we aimed to take stock of progress,, explore and facilitate cross-fertilization and the search for synergies, and look forward to wider engagement and dissemination later in the year.
This two-day interaction, taking place in Addis Ababa for the first time, was followed by a ‘drylands food security and resilience early action research and evidence dialogue’ where we embraced interaction with people from the wider early action/early warning community in Ethiopia.
Lightning talks and deeper dives
After a framing presentation by Alan Duncan and Nathan Jensen to introduce the Observatory’s three ‘pillars’ – research, capacity sharing, and dialogue, discussions were framed around two sets of presentations.
The first comprised a series of short ‘lightning’ presentations introducing different research activities involving the Observatory. In just a few minutes, speakers introduced their activities covering: why – the aims and focus of the activity; who – the people and organizations involved; what – the actions undertaken or planned; and wow – any emerging key insights. These presentations set the scene for a second round of deeper dives to generate feedback and suggestions and foster synergies.
The eleven lightning presentations and presenters were:
- Enhancing weather and climate information services (WCIS) for pastoralists – by Claire Bedelian (Mercy Corps). Download: http://dx.doi.org/10.7488/era/6014
- Reducing the impacts of disasters in Somalia using the anticipatory action framework – by Mohamed Beegsi (Save the Children). Download: http://dx.doi.org/10.7488/era/6021
- Integrating forecasts based on machine learning and anthropometric data into Kenya’s National Drought Monitoring Authority – by Susana Constenla-Villoslada (University of California). Download: http://dx.doi.org/10.7488/era/6013
- Pastoralism and early warning – by Samuel Derbyshire (ILRI). Download: https://hdl.handle.net/10568/174656
- Next-Generation Earth Observation (EO) for Anticipatory Drought Risk Management in East African Pastoral Drylands – by Francesco Fava (University of Milan). Download: http://dx.doi.org/10.7488/era/6019
- Weather shocks, conflict and effective, scalable interventions – by Nathan Jensen (University of Edinburgh). Download: http://dx.doi.org/10.7488/era/6018
- Linking humanitarian response with resilience building in the drylands of the Horn of Africa – by Tahira Mohamed (ILRI). Download: https://hdl.handle.net/10568/174657
- Strengthening Proactive Adaptation, and Early Action Systems to Enhance Food Security and Resilience to Multiple Hazards among Pastoralists in the Borana Zone, Ethiopia – by Jannie Nielsen (ADRA Denmark). Download: http://dx.doi.org/10.7488/era/6017
- Early warning, early action in protracted crises – by Enock Nyakundi (Save the Children). Download: http://dx.doi.org/10.7488/era/6016
- Research agenda of DRIVE Program financial services component – by Harry Son (Utrecht University). Download: http://dx.doi.org/10.7488/era/6015
- Harvesting resilience: Enhancing community early warning systems in the Horn of Africa – by Aurelie Walker (Urban Foresight). Download: http://dx.doi.org/10.7488/era/6020
Academic focus
The second session comprised a poster walk with ten students giving updates on the progress, plans and results of their academic work. The ten posters and their presenters were:
- Index-Based Livestock Takaful (IBLT) uptake and Somali pastoralists’ risk-sharing norms – by Abdishakur Diriye (University of Edinburgh). Download: https://hdl.handle.net/10568/174661
- Leveraging earth observation for monitoring, evaluation and learning of development programmes – by Saeeda Gouhari (University of Edinburgh). Download: https://hdl.handle.net/10568/174663
- Refugee camps and livestock: Child malnutrition and health implications in Dadaab Refugee Camp, Kenya – by Rosie Herrington (University of Edinburgh). Download: https://hdl.handle.net/10568/174664
- How consistent are Earth Observation-based machine learning models for predicting poverty in sub-Saharan Africa? – by Reason Mlambo (University of Edinburgh). Download: https://hdl.handle.net/10568/174665
- Assessing the effectiveness of drought anticipatory action in Uganda’s agro-pastoral drylands: A cost-benefit analysis – by Puff Mukwaya (University of Edinburgh). Download: https://hdl.handle.net/10568/174667
- Using earth observation data to estimate livestock diet composition and quality – by John Mutua (University of Edinburgh). Download: https://hdl.handle.net/10568/174668
- Anticipatory action and household drought preparedness behaviour – by Susan Njambi-Szlapka (University of Edinburgh). Download: https://hdl.handle.net/10568/174669
- Water, Health, Food: Network models and system mapping to integrate sectors – by Sirimon Thomas (University of Edinburgh). Download: https://hdl.handle.net/10568/174670
- From animal intestines to radio signals: anticipation without certainty in the drylands of the Horn of Africa – by George Tsitati (University of Edinburgh). Download: https://hdl.handle.net/10568/174671
- Designing subsidies for livestock insurance: Lessons from Ethiopia – by Xandru Cassar (Trinity College Dublin). Download: https://hdl.handle.net/10568/174660
Integrating research themes
Regrouping around the five integrating discussion themes of the meeting, participants identified lessons, opportunities, emerging messages and future directions for the different areas of work.
Building resilience to shocks and risks
Group members highlighted emerging lessons: that the ‘actions’ taken are what we really need to focus on; the importance of systems thinking and frameworks, that locally-led community participation is critical for resilience, the need for partnerships that work at multiple levels, and the importance of trust.
Improving forecasts
Group members examined the space and discourse around ‘local’ versus ‘scientific’ forecasting, noting the lack of uptake of formal forecasts – that just incorporating’ local knowledge may not work and further promising experience with ‘convergence evidence’ (of all sources of knowledge). They noted the need for information to be translated into impact-based forecasting, for better packaging and choice of forecast channels; and more insight/assessment of the actual use and uptake of forecasts by pastoralists.
Advancing locally-led early action
Group members noted some emerging points arising from all the discussions – issues around trust, the need for targeting and differentiation, and how multiple knowledges (of communities, of scientists, etc) are best combined. The need for systems and holistic approaches were mentioned often. More generally, members explored what is meant by ‘local’ and who is ‘local’, the dangers of ‘romanticising’ local, what’s needed to make locally-led action really work [for local communities] and the importance of ‘reflecting backwards’ – to harvest the archaeology of locally-led development. As in other groups, the trend away from early warning systems ‘integrating’ local knowledge to something more like ‘supporting local networks and knowledge was highlighted.
Rethinking early action for pastoralist communities
Group members reflected on the uniqueness of pastoral contexts, how the emergence of anticipatory action can be an opportunity to rethink how forecasts and data are used in pastoralist contexts, the need for community autonomy and empowerment to be improved. Looking forward, we can work on a set of pastoralist-specific principles to guide the vision for pastoralist futures and where early warning-early action can best fit
Improving the use and usefulness of data
Group members examined some disconnects between theory and practice identifying some critical enabling elements, such as: intentional spaces for co-production, data sharing platforms/practices and protocols, coordination mechanisms for data generation, regulations and standards to minimize confusion and maintain trust, two-way education/capacity building for data generators and users, and efforts to improve the reliability of data (indigenous and modern). Looking forward, members suggested priority on: translational research, participatory involvement, bundling data into education/training programs, influencing policies on data use, funding models/ streams to ensure we have stable and accessible data streams.
Reflections and next steps
Participants were asked to reflect across all the presentations and discussions, proposing lessons, changes and actions necessary to advance this research and the wider movement for effective early action and resilience in drylands.
Insights and lessons to share:
- The importance of context specificity
- Address missing links between information and action / transform information/research into action
- Build resilience while taking anticipatory actions
- Intentionally collaborate
- Move away from focus on trust in data to lack of trust in policy processes
- Value and importance of proactively connecting research to national/international policy and political framings
- Focus on ‘holistic’ knowledge not formal v informal knowledges
- Shift narratives on science-community interface from ‘integrating’ to ‘supporting’
Changes we need to prioritize:
- Holistic thinking is key
- Coordination and continuity
- Coordination at all levels, especially community levels
- Two-way communication of early warning
- Redouble effort to enhance private sector and policy maker involvement in ideation, research and design
- Prioritise pastoralists in research and design – human-centred design
- Engage private sector and policy actors in anticipatory action/preparedness
- Build resilience and actions/solutions from below
- Frame research as actions
- Co-create a collective vision/agenda to advocate for change
- Make early warning work – using existing structures
- Co-create solutions with communities to enhance trust
- Move from acknowledging to supporting knowledge/practices
Actions we can take before we meet again:
- Identify and leverage the synergies across the different research
- Synthesize and document the research / Summarize key lessons and provide vision for actions / Document where we come from and where are going
- Identify common threads that bind us all together – entry points for collaboration
- Synthesize key messages and ideas from all the CoPs
- Do small research testing and iterating on WCIS for pastoralists