In May 2024, the Jameel Observatory for Food Security Early Action convened a workshop to guide collaborative co-development and delivery of capacity development opportunities for food security early warning/early action in East Africa’s drylands. An Education Framework to guide and catalyze collaboration has now been published.
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.
However, acting early is not straightforward and skilled people, effective institutions, proactive policies, and connected local capacities are critical for communities, governments and others involved in dryland food security and resilience to be able to anticipate, engage, manage, and respond to environmental and climatic uncertainties.
Responding to this challenge, the Observatory is working with partners through the Dryland Futures Academy to build capacities, expertise and know-how among diverse people involved in food security early warning/early action in East Africa’s drylands.
The Education Framework is a first tangible step in this collaboration. It starts from our understanding that capacity development in this area requiring partnership and transdisciplinary approaches to curriculum enhancement across many levels of education and training.
Co-developed by a diverse set of partners, the Framework sets out seven principles and identifies core competencies aligned to four learning pathways for different target audiences.
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Seven priciples 1: Embrace the essence of pastoralism 2: Harness local knowledge and foster collaboration 3: Ecosystem-centric approaches for resilient drylands 4: Climate-resilient livelihoods and diversification 5: Adaptive governance and policy support 6: Harnessing technology and innovation 7: Data driven anticipatory action |
Four pathways 1 – Dryland leadership: For early career professionals who am to grow their expertise on dryland food security early action and related issues. 2 – Continuing education: For individuals or teams seeking taught or self-study short professional, technical and academic courses. 3 – Academic and formal education: For individuals wanting undegraduate and postgraduate degrees or vocational training on dryland issues 4 – Community development: For pastoralist and agro-pastoralist communities, facilitating their obtaining, sharing and gaining livelihood and resilience building knowledge and skills |
The Framework is intended as a tool to encourage collaboration and co-creation as well as a celebration of the diversity of pedagogical approaches which meet the wide variety of capacity development needs within the region.
It is open to all people and organisations with interests in growing the resilience and prosperity of drylands through capacity building and sharing.
More:
Download the Education Framework, including principles and competencies
Read a report from the May 2024 workshop
More information available from Dr Fiona Borthwick at the University of Edinburgh (fiona.borthwick@ed.ac.uk)
Development of the Education Framework was co-funded by the Jameel Observatory and by the University of Edinburgh Africa Partnership Fund.