Agricultural education and training system capacity development for sub-Saharan Africa: The role of InnovATE

There is an urgent need to develop capacity in African agricultural education and training (AET) through innovative methods that achieve the goals of food security, economic development and poverty reduction. InnovATE (Innovation for Agricultural Training and Education) is a five year, demand-driven USAID-funded program with a mandate for capacity development in AET systems in low income and emerging economies across the world. Though innovATE’s primary focus is on formal AET, the program’s activities and findings are oriented toward developing capacity acrossagricultural knowledge and information systems (AKIS), which includes agricultural extension activities. Through innovATE’s learn-design-train approach, the program has developed capacity through various activities in Sub- Saharan Africa (SSA). These have included the generation of AET system studies on countries and thematic issues, the creation of an online Community of Practice, in-country assessment of AET systems in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the provision of training workshops for capacity development in Senegal and Mozambique. Evaluating the results of these activities provides the context for critical examination of the most effective approaches for AET system capacity development in SSA.Key words: Agriculture Education and training, AKIS, extension, InnovATE, Sub-Saharan Afric

How can M&E contribute to MRV?

Presentation for the AGNES Climate Leadership Training, 23.09.202

Can the Great Green Wall deliver more than trees? A rapid review of the potential multidimensional impacts of trees in the Sahel

Key messagesThe Great Green Wall (GGW) is focused on land restoration through tree planting and natural regeneration across 8,000km of the Sahel.Impacts to-date include land restoration on 4m hectares of the official target zone and an additional 14m ha across the target region. USD 90m in revenue has also been generated.The GGW has the potential to contribute to global goals related to climate mitigation, ecological resilience, improved human health and wellbeing, and equity and empowerment.Ensuring and building upon the varied impacts of GGW activities will require specific attention to monitoring and evaluation approaches and activities

How Methods for Navigating Uncertainty Connect Science and Policy at the Water-Energy-Food Nexus

As the water-energy-food (WEF) nexus becomes an increasingly common framework for bridging science and policy, there is a growing need to unpack and make explicit many of the methods and assumptions being used to operationalize the nexus. In this paper, we focus on two common approaches to nexus research, quantitative modeling and futures thinking, and the ways that each set of methodological tools address uncertainty. We first review the underlying assumptions of each approach with a focus on sources of and ability to measure uncertainty, and potential complementarities. Quantitative modeling takes a probabilistic approach to predicting the likelihood of a specific outcome or future state based on estimates of current system dynamics. In contrast, futures thinking approaches, such as scenario processes, explore novel changes that cannot be fully predicted or even anticipated based on current understandings of the nexus. We then examine a set of applied nexus projects that bridge science and policy-making contexts to better understand practitioner experiences with different methodological tools and how they are utilized to navigate uncertainty. We explore one nexus case study, LIVES Cambodia, in-depth, to better understand the opportunities and challenges associated with participatory modeling and stakeholder engagement with uncertainty in a policy-making context. Across the cases, practitioners identify the complementarity between modeling and futures thinking approaches, and those projects that integrated both into the planning process experienced benefits from having multiple angles on uncertainty within the nexus. In particular, stakeholder engagement provided critical opportunities to address some types of uncertainties (e.g., data gaps) through the use of local knowledge. Explicit discussions of model uncertainty and use of scenario processes also enabled stakeholders to deepen their understandings of uncertainties and envision policy pathways that would be robust to uncertainty. In many senses, models became boundary objects that encouraged critical thinking and questioning of assumptions across diverse stakeholders. And, for some nexus projects, confronting uncertainty in explicit and transparent ways build capacity for policy flexibility and adaptiveness. We conclude with a discussion of when and how these benefits can be fully realized through the strategic use of appropriate approaches to characterizing and navigating nexus uncertainty

Theories of change for tracking climate change adaptation. A quick reference guide

This document provides a quick reference guide on using theories of change in monitoring and evaluating adaptation to climate change. The reflections are based on learnings from applying climate adaptation M&E tools in different investment contexts (subnational, national). The notes provide definitions and explanations of key elements to consider in theory of change design and review and provide annotated collections of useful resources for deep dives. We illustrate the practical application of ToCs through case studies from Zambia and Ethiopia. The document is relevant for actors engaged in any adaptation cycle, from planning and implementation, to monitoring, evaluation, and reporting

Accelerating understanding of resilient agriculture. Using a data sprint to catalyze new insights from existing evidence

Key messagesThe Evidence for Resilient Agriculture (ERA) dataset contains more than 100,000 observations describing which agricultural practices work where.A Data Sprint was held for six months to leverage ERA to generate new insights that maximize the impact of the dataset and build new scientific collaborations.A sample analysis that compared expert elicitation and ERA data of benefits of CSA identified little convergence and highlighted the need for integration of diverse evidence.A sample analysis that generated predictive scenarios to improve food and nutrition security in Ethiopia leveraged ERA data to identify pathways that account for local diversity.A sample analysis that assessed data deserts and research gaps using ERA data found a lack of evidence in regions with pastoral systems

WHITE PAPER: AN OVERVIEW OF CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORKS, ANALYTICAL APPROACHES AND RESEARCH QUESTIONS IN THE FOOD-ENERGY-WATER NEXUS

The food-energy-water (FEW) nexus is increasingly emphasized and prioritized as a framework for research, technology, and policy to deal with complex socio-environmental problems. Producing food in sufficient quantity and of sufficient quality, ensuring enough but not too much water, and generating energy, all to meet human needs and desires, requires an understanding of how those goals complement or counteract one another in specific places and through specific processes. FEW nexus research focuses on understanding the interconnections among each system, in order to provide a more complete picture about the causes and consequences of changes within and across aspects of those systems. This paper synthesizes the current state of thinking and research in FEW nexus field. We first overview the systems underpinnings of the FEW nexus as a conceptual framework, and identify the assumptions, similarities and contrasts among the most cited models from current literature. Several analytical approaches – coupled systems, ecosystem services, flows and risk analysis – are emerging as key tools for conducting interdisciplinary FEW nexus research, and we identify their conceptual connections to systems thinking broadly as well as the specific assumptions that each make about the relationships among systems. Finally, based on expert consultations and assessment of current data availability, we highlight several topical areas of contemporary relevance for FEW nexus research at various scales. Characterizing the conceptual, analytical and empirical similarities and distinctions among approaches to FEW nexus research with a starting point for identifying innovative research questions and approaches.This work was supported by the National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC), which is funded by National Science Foundation Grant # DBI-1052875

Monitoring and Evaluating Adaptation Investments Opportunities for the Private Sector

Key messages There is an urgent need for private sector finance for adaptation, yet there is a lack of adequate tools to ramp up investments. • Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) can help to track adaptation benefits and build the case for increased finance. • M&E information can also strengthen accountability and transparency, build supply chain resilience, and meet demands from climate-conscious supply chain actors. • Alignment between adaptation indicators and impact investing reporting systems provides an important starting point for enhancing M&E of adaptation investments

Thirty years of connectivity conservation planning : An assessment of factors influencing plan implementation

Connectivity conservation is an emergent approach to counteracting landscape fragmentation and enhancing resilience to climate change at local, national, and global scales. While policy that promotes connectivity is advancing, there has been no systematic, evidence-based study that assesses whether connectivity conservation plans (CCPs) resulted in conservation outcomes, and identifies specific plan attributes that may favor successful implementation. To fill this gap, we gathered 263 terrestrial CCPs from around the world, characterized attributes of 109 plans by surveying plan authors, and conducted semi-structured interviews with authors and implementers of 77 CCPs. The production of CCPs started around 1990 and has increased markedly in all parts of the world, most notably in the United States (led by NGOs and a few states, with little federal involvement), Europe (led by the EU and national policies and implemented at local levels), and the Republic of South Africa (where national legislation mandates each municipality to map corridors and zone all land by 2020). All of the 109 plans that we examined in detail were followed by implementation actions such as crossing structures, ecological restoration, land purchases or easements, recognition of corridors through zoning or government designation, and public engagement. Interviewees emphasized the importance of initial buy-in from key government stakeholders, stakeholder involvement beyond initial buy-in, minimizing staff turnover, and transparent and repeatable procedures. Our quantitative and qualitative analyses similarly suggested that implementation of a CCP was enhanced by enduring partnerships among stakeholders, continuity of leadership, specific recommendations in the CCP using tools appropriately selected from a large toolbox, the existence of enabling legislation and policy, a transparent and repeatable scientific approach, adequate funding, and public outreach.</p

Preindustrial atmospheric ethane levels inferred from polar ice cores: A constraint on the geologic sources of atmospheric ethane and methane

Ethane levels were measured in air extracted from Greenland and Antarctic ice cores ranging in age from 994 to 1918 Common Era (C.E.) There is good temporal overlap between the two data sets from 1600 to 1750 C.E. with ethane levels stable at 397 ± 28 parts per trillion (ppt) (±2 standard error (s.e.)) over Greenland and 103 ± 9 ppt over Antarctica. The observed north/south interpolar ratio of ethane (3.9 ± 0.1, 1σ) implies considerably more ethane emissions in the Northern Hemisphere than in the Southern Hemisphere, suggesting geologic ethane sources contribute significantly to the preindustrial ethane budget. Box model simulations based on these data constrain the global geologic emissions of ethane to 2.2-3.5 Tg yr-1 and biomass burning emissions to 1.2-2.5 Tg yr-1 during the preindustrial era. The results suggest biomass burning emissions likely increased since the preindustrial period. Biomass burning and geologic outgassing are also sources of atmospheric methane. The results place constraints on preindustrial methane emissions from these sources