In January 2018, ASSAR – one of the ACDI’s largest and most collaborative research projects – drew to an official close.Involving 17 organisations and over 150 researchers and practitioners working in the semi-arid regions of six countries in Africa, and India, this five-year project used transdisciplinary scientific research, capacity building and stakeholder engagement to improve the understanding of the barriers and enablers to effective and sustained adaptation.
In this highly reflective and content-rich article, Lucia Scodanibbio summarises (as much as a single article can) ASSAR’s insights, achievements, challenges and learnings. She also describes her personal experience of managing such a multi-faceted and complex project.
With a strong focus on understanding the factors that enhance or diminish people's vulnerability and wellbeing, and the responses they take to deal with both climatic and non-climatic stressors, ASSAR focused on the most marginalised. In particular, we sought to shift the adaptation narrative from centering mainly on infrastructural, technical solutions to forefronting and addressing some of the barriers posed by power structures, patriarchal norms and governance disconnects.
Theatre of the Oppressed is a powerful tool for bringing alternative voices into the climate change arena. Brendon Bosworth and Daniel Morchain write about theatre's potential to humanise climate change and promote solutions that put people first.
ASSAR's Kenya team investigated barriers and enablers for effective adaptation to climate change among agro-pastoralist and pastoralist communities in the semi-arid region of Isiolo, Meru, and Samburu counties of central Kenya.
ASSAR has been examining the conditioning factors surrounding adaptation action in four of the world’s semi-arid regions, with a specific focus on barriers and enablers to the uptake and success of adaptation. Here is what we found.
The role of aspirations in shaping adaptation choices is seldom discussed in climate change studies, but understanding aspirations can give insights into why people are adapting or not.
How a two-day capacity building workshop equipped women leaders in semi-arid Ghana with valuable skills for financial record keeping and access to credit.
The release of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) special report on 1.5°C marks a critical point in climate negotiations, especially for climate change 'hotspots' like Botswana and Namibia in southern Africa, writes ASSAR's principal investigator, Mark New.
ASSAR took advantage of Ghana's strong uptake of smartphones by developing a mobile application that supports information transfer and knowledge sharing with local stakeholders.
ASSAR and Kati-FM's climate change radio shows takes a look at gender, agriculture, and climate change policy and action in Namibia. Ndamonako Anna Iita reports on episodes five, six and seven.