Tales of AfricaAdapt

© 2011 by AfricaAdaptCitation: AfricaAdapt. 2011. Tales of AfricaAdapt: Harnessing knowledge for adaptation to climatechange in Africa. Dakar, Senegal.AfricaAdapt encourages fair use of this material. Proper citation is requested.For further information, contact:AfricaAdapt SecretariatENDA Tiers Monde54, Rue CarnotBP 3370, DakarSenegalEmail: info@africa-adapt.netWebsite: www.africa-adapt.netISBN 978-9988-2-3782-8 ( print)ISBN 978-9988-2-3782-9 ( pdf)Cover and book design: C Venugopal • www.bluepencil.inPrinting: www.pragati.com

AcknowledgementsAfricaAdapt would not have developed intothe network it is today without the supportof all its stakeholders. We acknowledge thesupport of our funders – the UK Departmentfor International Development (DFID) and theInternational Development Research Centre(IDRC) Climate Change Adaptation in Africaprogramme (CCAA) – for believing in us andinvesting in our vision to share knowledge.We thank the civil-society organisations(community-based organisations [CBOs]and NGOs) that have been an importantlink between the network and our ultimatetarget beneficiaries – the local communities– by taking AfricaAdapt to the communitiesand sharing with us the rich communityexperiences.We also thank the researchers who haveshared their work with the network. It hasbeen a partnership of mutual support aswe have so gladly helped you to share yourvaluable knowledge and connect with otherstakeholders.To the local communities with whom weengaged either directly or indirectly, weare very grateful to you for sharing yourknowledge and experiences. As much asyou have gained from the network, thenetwork more than benefitted from your richexperiences and knowledge. We especiallythank the communities in Uganda, Ghanaand Senegal who allowed us into their livesand freely shared their innovative adaptationactions.Last but not least, we would not be anetwork had it not been for the foresightand partnership of the four managingorganisations: the Institute of DevelopmentStudies at the University of Sussex (IDS),which led the network through its first phasefrom September 2008 to March 2011, andthe three African partner institutions: ENDATiers Monde, the Forum for AgriculturalResearch in Africa (FARA), and the IGADClimate Prediction and Applications Centre(ICPAC).ivTales of AfricaAdapt

Building the networkAfricaAdapt is a knowledge-sharing networkon adaptation to climate change in Africahosted by four partner organisations:• Environment and Development in theThird World (ENDA-TM), based inDakar, Senegal• Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa(FARA), based in Accra, Ghana• IGAD Climate Prediction andApplications Centre (ICPAC), based inNairobi, Kenya• Institute of Development Studies (IDS),based in Brighton, UKThe network aims at facilitating the flow ofknowledge on adaptation to climate changefor sustainable livelihoods among researchers,policy makers, civil-society organisations(CSOs) and communities that are vulnerableto climate variability and change across theAfrican continent.Although AfricaAdapt was formally launchedin May 2009, work on establishing thenetwork’s modalities, core partners, andstaffing had been underway for more than2 years prior to its launch. The networkwas funded under a broader programmeon Climate Change Adaptation in Africa(CCAA) through the UK’s Department forInternational Development (DFID) andCanada’s International Development ResearchCentre (IDRC).The CCAA programme was designed topromote African research through the use ofparticipatory action and research. AfricaAdaptwas conceived to work within a similar ethosof promoting African knowledge to helpAfrican communities understand and adaptto climatic changes. Early thinking around theestablishment of a knowledge-sharing networkwas largely shaped by discussions betweenIDRC and IDS. Both institutions had significantexperience in providing knowledge servicesfor development. An IDRC representative saidthat the initial thinking was:...to create a platform that wouldallow not just CCAA partners,but others engaged in researchand (more broadly) policy makersinvolved in adaptation to climatechange in Africa, to share their ideasand experiences. Simple storiesor knowledge on adaptation toclimate change can be shared withconfidence that such sharing addsvalue to their own personal learning.Meanwhile, from its years of working onadaptation to climate change, IDS had1

observed that there was no common platformwhere local communities could exchangetheir knowledge. IDRC and IDS agreedthat for such a network to be sustainable, aminimum number of African institutions hadto be involved. They worked on minimumcriteria for partner institutions, such asmandate, potential contribution and capacityto implement. IDS initiated the process byinviting eligible African institutions to presentexpressions of interest in joining a knowledgesharingpartnership at a series of regionalmeetings around Africa (funded by IDRC).The aim of these meetings, according to anIDS staff member who was on the searchcommittee, was ‘to understand and analysethe offer of potential partners in relationto establishing a consortium that can beoperational to immediately respond to theclimate change challenge. The partnersshould have the capacity to deliver and haveexperience in working within a consortium.’The initial scoping for partners was held inAddis Ababa in April 2007, where potentialpartners and policy makers engaged withCCAA-supported participatory actionresearchprojects, were assessed on theirknowledge-sharing needs and vision for aknowledge-sharing network. The processgenerated interest from all fronts – research,NGOs, international organisations and CBOs.IDS and IDRC then organised two writeshopsin 2007 – the first in Senegal in Septemberand the second in Ghana in mid-October. Thepurpose was to identify institutions that coulddeliver within a short time frame and sustainthe long-term initiative. Ideas, informationand knowledge were shared by invitedinstitutions. Three African partner instituteswere ultimately selected- ENDA-TM, FARAand ICPAC. Through vibrant online exchangesthe three partners worked together withIDS to develop the final network proposal,which was submitted to IDRC just 2 weeksafter the October writeshop. The proposalwas founded on the belief that knowledgegenerated by research must benefit Africa’smost vulnerable people.In February 2008, the network’s inceptionphase commenced. Roles and responsibilitieswere openly discussed and designated on thebasis of the capacities of the partners.The network was officially launchedin May 2009 in Mombasa. To mark theoccasion, the AfricaAdapt team met withjournalists from the Kenyan media. Thisinteraction included a media field trip to theworld-famous mangrove plantation at GaziBay, which showcases the impacts of sea2 Tales of AfricaAdapt

AfricaAdapt inception meeting, Tunis, 2008Press conference at the launch of AfricaAdaptlevel rise and erosion along the Kenyan coastline, clearlydemonstrating the need for adaptation to climate change.The AfricaAdapt network was thus born.Since its launch, AfricaAdapt’s membership and reachhas grown steadily to over 1000 subscribers to its onlineplatform and many more who engage through faceto-facemeetings. The membership is composed ofresearchers, NGOs, CBOs, academia and the media.AfricaAdapt breaks barriers to sharing knowledge onadaptation through face-to-face events (‘Meet andGreets’) small grants to support community knowledgesharing (Innovation Fund), printed information products (anetwork newsletter, CD-ROMs and policy briefs like JotoAfrika), an interactive online platform (www.africa-adapt.net), and social media channels like Youtube and Twitter.The falling palm trees at Gazi Bay3

PartnershipsCentral to AfricaAdapt’s achievements isits core team of partners who manage thenetwork. They operate within a learningenvironment, where decision making andactivity implementation are inclusive andpragmatic. The partner organisations eachfocus on different sectors of development– social research, climate science,agriculture, energy and environment – butall have common interest and experience inknowledge management.The key strengths of the partnership model:• African ownership. The model is basedon co-ownership of the network bypartners, not a sub-contract model.• Dedicated knowledge-sharing officers(KSOs). These dedicated officers in eachpartner organisation have been central tothe success of AfricaAdapt. They are thedrivers of the network’s activities.• Decentralised delivery. The physicallocation of the partners in 3 African citieshas enabled AfricaAdapt to be readilyavailable to facilitate exchange betweenstakeholders.researcher is critical; and at IDS, a researchfellow with strong knowledge-managementskills is important.Implementing this unique model wasnot without its challenges, especially atthe start. However, as the network wasoperationalised, its added value becameclearer and it cemented the host institutions.At FARA, AfricaAdapt became the mainplatform on climate change; at ICPAC, itbecame a platform to better communicatewith local communities; and at ENDA, itbecame a useful resource to help stakeholdersbetter understand adaptation.Trust, reinforced by regular face-to-facemeetings and exchange visits between thepartners, has been instrumental in buildingand maintaining a strong team. This wascritical to keeping the partnership togetherduring the handover of the lead coordinationrole from IDS to the new lead, ENDA, whichwas selected through a competitive processamong the African partner institutions.The partnership has had its share ofchallenges. As a network hosted withina larger institution, IDS, AfricaAdapt hadto rely on existing staff within the hostinstitution. The network has not beenimmune to staff turnover within the shortperiod of its existence. Line managersAfricaAdapt represented at the Bonn Climate ChangeTalks, 2009institution changed. Continuity of the networkactivities was however assured by welldocumentedactivities and processes, regularcommunications and the dynamic core team.Beyond the partner institutions, AfricaAdaptgained international recognition due to itsengagement with leading climate changeinitiatives and institutions such as CCAA,the African Ministerial Conference on theEnvironment (AMCEN), community-basedadaptation conferences organised by IIED 1Climate Outlook Forums for the GreaterHorn of Africa countries, and the UnitedNational Framework Convention on ClimateChange (UNFCCC).The KSOs were chosen not only for theirability to respond to the network’s demands,but also based on how they could fit into theculture of their host institution. In ENDA, theKSO is involved more in general environmentalissues; at FARA, an agricultural background of KSOs within partner institutions andis essential; while at ICPAC, having a climate even the lead staff within the coordinating1. International Institute for Environment and Development5

6 Tales of AfricaAdapt

“I have alwaysthought that thesetrees were God-givenso they will continuegrowing just as wejust found them. Butnow I know that wehave to replace thetrees by plantingnew ones.”Tales from the communitiesAt the centre of AfricaAdapt’s goals iscommunity participation in learning andknowledge sharing on adaptation to climatechange at the local level. The followingthree stories from Uganda, Ghana andSenegal highlight the experiences of someof the beneficiary communities of ourKnowledge Sharing Innovation Fund. Thisfund provides grants of between USD 6,500and USD 10,000 to CBOs to share adaptationpractices in creative ways. So far, 13 excitingprojects have been supported in marginalisedand hard-to-reach communities across Africa.Learning to cope in UgandaA bumpy dirt road snakes through a woodlotin Jimbo village of Lukwanga Parish in WakisoDistrict into Mrs Deizy Zzimbe’s homestead.The unfenced plot is a farmer’s dream: crops,vegetables and livestock each playing a part insecuring food and income for Deizy’s family.Cropping and livestock management are partof sustainable agriculture, a concept Deizysays has helped her survive droughts.Scientists have attributed recurrent droughtsto changes in weather patterns as a resultof climate change. Livelihood activities for amajority of communities in Africa are centredon agriculture. For generations, communitieshave known the exact time to begin farming.They knew how much rainfall to expect andprecisely when it would end. Now, withclimate variability, everything has changed.Even the coping strategies that communitiesused to implement to address climate-relatedissues seem no longer to work effectively.With food production threatened, the wholechain of livelihood is affected.Before learning and practising sustainableagriculture, Deizy (like her neighbours)earned an easy income from baking bricks.She did not think twice about cutting treesto fire mud bricks, an activity that has led todeforestation in several parts of Lukwanga.With a growing demand for bricks, fruit trees,especially the nutritious jackfruit, are being cutdown for firing the bricks. ‘All along I was notaware that if we go on cutting trees for brickbaking we were causing deforestation,’ Deizylaments. ‘I have always thought that thesetrees were God-given so they will continuegrowing just as we just found them. But nowI know that we have to replace the trees byplanting new ones.’Deizy is a member of the LukwangaCommunity Knowledge Centre, located in theheart of Lukwanga district. The centre wasfunded by the Innovation Fund established to7

The endangered jackfruit tree (Artocarpus heterophyllus)support solutions to sharing information onadapting to the impacts of climate change.‘Thanks to the opening of this centre, I amnow aware about deforestation and its linkto climate change,’ Deizy explains. ‘I haveseen on television how people are sufferingbecause of deforestation. It is time forwomen to fight this enemy because hunger issweeping across the village and malnutritionis affecting our children. We have cut thejackfruit trees and others which providednutrients for us and our children.’Weekly meetings convened at the knowledgecentre are a platform for Deizy and herneighbours to share information about climate8 Tales of AfricaAdaptchange and howthey can spreadknowledge onstrategies to adaptto changes. Climatechange has affectedthe way people live,eat and raise extraincome. Deizy’shomestead hasmore than 50 treesthat she plantedto provide fruitsand shade for hervegetables and yams.Walking up to herhomestead, elephant grass is neatly plantedaround terraces to hold the soil and serveas fodder for goats that are kept in pens toprevent them from eating the seedlings andshoots. Goat manure is collected for thegarden and the field each planting season.‘Even though it has been a drought year, wehave been getting enough food for our familyby practising sustainable agriculture whichteaches the proper management of manure,water and the soil,’ says Deizy.Farmers like Deizy work with little, if any,resources to improve their productivity. Withmore information on better farming practicesand strategies to adapt to the impact ofclimate change, farmers can live off what theyproduce and have extra to sell.Yet access to improved farming methods andknowledge remains a drawback for manysmallholder African farmers who lag behindtheir counterparts in Asia in terms of theamount of fertilizer they use per hectare.African governments have committed tospending at least 10 percent of nationalbudgets on agricultural investment, but fewhave reached this threshold.Apart from the challenges with inputs – eventhough researchers are working on resilientLukwanga field visit—Deizy with yam

Improved farming techniques help increase maize yield of this farmer in Lukwanga9

Above and below: Drama and song is used to spread the message on climate changeseeds suited to harsh conditions – farmers in Africa have poor accessto produce markets owing to the generally weak communicationsinfrastructure. Agricultural productivity will increase if it is matched byincreased investment in agricultural research and development to helpmore farmers like Deizy to apply innovations on their farms.Evaristo Ndugga, the coordinator of the Lukwanga CommunityKnowledge Centre, says that the centre has raised the awarenessabout the impact of climate change in the district using a variety ofmethods. Reading material complements the use of songs and drama todisseminate information on climate change.A local NGO helped the community design a colour poster explainingthe impact of climate change and suggesting ways of responding toit. Translated into the local language, the poster is used as a teachingand learning aid. It vividly describes how cutting down fruit trees forbrick baking is a source of poverty and hunger in the community. Theposter draws a picture of hope that planting of trees can provide fruit,land cover and a greener environment through collective communityaction.Members of the Lukwanga Community Knowledge Centre have evenlearnt how to make charcoal from banana peels and sawdust, thus savingtrees from being cut for fuel.Drama and song, performed in the local language – Luganda – hasproved a popular and effective means of sharing information onadaptation strategies with the local community. Farouq Ssessanga, forexample, a youth representative at the knowledge centre, participatesin the local drama group and has taken the lead in planting fruit trees inhis garden thanks to tips shared during drama sessions.The chairman of the drama group, Aaron Ndyanabo, explains thatdrama has portrayed deforestation and the negative impacts of brickbaking to help influence some changes in the community: ‘Our grouphas played a big part in raising awareness about climate change in our10 Tales of AfricaAdapt

community. We see the change in peoplebeing able to show two or three trees theyhave planted indicating they have receivedsome knowledge about the impact of climatechange.’Tuning in Radio JOKKO,SenegalIn the town of Rufisque, Senegal, localcommunity radio stations are raisingawareness on climate change throughinteractive broadcasts to local communities.The project, funded by AfricaAdapt,supported the training of radio journaliststo broadcast programmes on adaptationto climate change. These programmes arebroadcast in Wolof, the local language.JOKKO is a community radio established in2003. It has a 79-percent share of the radioaudience in the administrative division ofRufisque, which has a population of 500,000people. Radio JOKKO has signed agreementswith rural districts and communities to involvethem in its programmes and services. It ishelping to raise awareness on climate changeissues, particularly coastal erosion, whichhas caused damage in Rufisque, a fishingcommunity.‘We received via the internet a call fornominations launched by AfricaAdapt andwe told ourselves it was an opportunity tocarry out awareness and knowledge sharingactivities on the problem of coastal erosion,’says Ahmed Bâ, Programme Coordinator ofRadio JOKKO. ‘We applied and AfricaAdaptfinanced our project to create Clubs RadioCitoyens (Citizens’ radio clubs, CRC) tostrengthen citizen voices through the JOKKOcommunity radio.’Each CRC is made up of 25 people and RadioJOKKO has produced radio programmes onclimate change in the two districts of Rufisque– Diokoul in the west and Thiawléne in theeast. These clubs aim to increase awarenessof the causes and consequences of coastalerosion among populations in Rufisque, andexamine solutions. The programmes arerecorded by the seaside with the participationof all people in the community. WithAfricaAdapt’s assistance, radio programmeswere produced and broadcast daily over a3-month period in Rufisque and its outskirtsto highlight the negative impacts of climatechange.The dyke built to protect against flooding, SenegalMembers of Club Radio Citoyen (CRC)11

‘Mosques, markets, even cemeteries werecarried away by the sea,’ says Saliou Bâof the Thiawléne CRC. ‘Radio JOKKOprogrammes increased people’s awarenessof the problem and, as a result, people havestopped collecting sea sand, a practice thatwas aggravating the problem. A sea wall wasbuilt 20 years ago, but it had started to sink.Following the awareness programmes, thecommunities started to strengthen the wall,but large-scale actions are also needed.’Journalist and CRC presenter Pouye Moussasaid that because 99 percent of Thiawléne’sinhabitants fish for a living, climate changehas heightened the scarcity of fish in additionto coastal erosion. People have died whileThe sea wall built by the community in Senegalfishing in high seas because fish are no longeravailable close to shore.Aliou Sy, a member of the Thiawléne CRC,and his family have been living in Rufisque since1904. He said there used to be a forest wherethe sea is today. An area previously known asArafat has been swallowed by the sea. About50 years ago almost 200 houses were carriedaway by the sea and families had to move.‘If nothing is done, we will meet the samefate,’ Sy warns. ‘We were told that theproblem was caused by climate change, butI think it was worsened by the refilling workthat was carried out at the port of Dakar in1984. As a result, the sea water that shouldhave been around the port is at our place.’A municipal councillor and member of theCRC, Adama Diop Absa says that every yearthe sea encroaches onto land, damagingbuildings, causing flooding and spreadingdiseases. ‘We were told by radio JOKKOjournalists that it was due to climate change.Elevating the house floors with sea sand asprotection is not a sustainable solution. Thepeople have gathered to initiate projects tofight this phenomenon.’Madame Andama Diop Absa, Municipal Councillorand member of CRC12 Tales of AfricaAdapt

Adapting in GhanaA local NGO, People’s Dialogue on HumanSettlements (PDHS), has coordinatedtwo awareness-raising projects funded byAfricaAdapt for communities in Ghana. Oneof the communities is Old Fadama, the largestsquatter settlement in the country. The otheris New Takoradi, a fishing community ofabout 40,000 people in western Ghana. PDHSfacilitates the provision of secure and decenthousing for the urban poor, particularly slumdwellers.PDHS has used the AfricaAdapt website toaccess information on climate change andcompile a manual for training peer educatorsin Old Fadama. Programme Coordinator,Mensah Owusu, says that the urban poor arethe worst affected by the impacts of climatechange. He believes that most of the activitiesof slum communities are climate dependentbecause they occupy marginal lands whereliving conditions are deplorable. Owusu saysthat the capacity of marginalised communitiesto adapt to climate change is lower than thatof other groups of people. In Old Fadama,the People’s Dialogue works to highlight thelack of basic services, especially shelter andsanitation. Sanitation is of major concern inOld Fadama because people have no refusecollection facilities and are forced to dumpwaste indiscriminately.In New Takoradi, PDHS has createdawareness in the community about the causesand impacts of sea erosion and rising sealevels. Prior to the project, some people inthe town attributed dwindling fish stocks tosuperstition. After discussions and trainingsessions, they now appreciate that some oftheir practices – such as polluting the water,using dynamite to kill the fish and using smallnets – have contributed to the problem.‘Dubars’ (community gatherings) have beeninstrumental in the sharing of knowledge ofthe impact of climate change in these twoslum communities in Ghana. The gatheringsfacilitate the exchange of information betweenCSOs and communities. People have alsolearnt by doing.‘Communities are not empty vessels,’ saysOwusu. ‘There is a lot of information in thecommunity that can be gathered and used.We have used a dubar to learn from them andthem from us.’Exchange visits between the communitiesof Old Fadama and New Takoradi havehelped the two groups learn from eachother about best practices. In Old Fadama,the communities worked together toestablish savings clubs, which meet weekly todiscuss solutions to challenges faced by thecommunity. While promoting the culture ofsaving small amounts of money on a daily andHousing and sanitation conditions in Old Fadamaweekly basis, the savings clubs also provide aforum for mobilising the community.The communities testified that informationsharing has led to behavioural changes interms of environmental management. HarunaAbu, and officer with the Ghana Federation13

of the Urban Poor, says that information onclimate change has triggered new awarenesson the need for good sanitation in OldFadama where communities have initiatednew, environmentally friendly ways of wastedisposal.A sanitation task force has also been revivedin each zone within the slum.Members of the savings group in Old Fadama‘At the community level there has been somechange in behaviour,’ Owusu says, ‘but it willtake months to achieve lasting behaviouralchange, so we are looking forward toan opportunity to build on what we haveachieved.’Stringing the stories togetherThese three stories show how, with limitedfinancial resources, vulnerable communitiescan be empowered to develop and applyinnovative solutions to improve theirlivelihoods.14 Tales of AfricaAdapt

Lessons learntAfter two years of implementation, the keylearning points to emerge from the networkare threefold.a. African researchers and members ofcommunity organisations are much morecomfortable sharing knowledge offlinethan online. More offline opportunitiessuch as knowledge fairs need to becreated, recognising that while onlinemodes are supportive and important,they should be treated as the juniorpartner.b. The balance of effort should be less onbuilding the technical skills of peopleto communicate their knowledge, andmore on emphasising the creation ofopportunities for effective sharing andexchange between interest groupsand promoting the value of knowledgesharing as an approach.c. The ongoing delivery of a knowledgesharing network is considerably differentfrom more traditional project- orprogramme-based work – anticipatedoutcomes are difficult to predict andmeasure and activities required to reachthem are evolving, opportunistic andexperimental.Below: Workshop participants discuss with a farmer. Above: Using a donkey to facilitate knowledge sharing15

Moving forwardA recurrent question facing the partnershipis ‘What can we do better to meetthe knowledge needs of vulnerablecommunities in Africa?’ Here are a fewideas that have emerged from the network.• Complement awareness-raisingon climate change by supportingcommunity-led adaptation action throughdissemination of successful adaptationtechnologies and practices.Community radio broadcaster• Facilitate greater interaction andknowledge sharing between localcommunities.• The network needs to increase theopportunities for interaction betweenmembers – both virtually and face-to-face– across disciplines and communities.• Expand the use of multimedia to reacha greater number of communities, forexample through interactive communityradio broadcasts.2011 and beyondAs of 1 June 2011, AfricaAdapt will be a fullyAfrican-led network with ENDA as the leadpartner with strong support from FARAand ICPAC. Although many of the idealsand objectives of network will remain, thenetwork will increasingly focus on enhancingresilience and reducing vulnerability to thenegative impacts of climate change. It will doso through better facilitation of knowledgesharing and increasingly active involvement inconnecting stakeholders. This will strengthenthe culture of knowledge sharing withinAfrican institutions by raising the profile ofAfrican knowledge and research.As a learning network, AfricaAdapt willcontinue to be open and inclusive, butwill be selective in its engagements. It willbe more outcome-focused, emphasisingknowledge sharing for action while increasinggeographical and thematic coverage. Thecurrent online platform will support moreactive member-to-member interaction.However, there will also be an increased focuson offline activities, with AfricaAdapt devotinga higher proportion of resources to face-tofaceinteraction of stakeholders in differenttypes and scales of events from informal ‘meetand greets’ to knowledge fairs.16 Tales of AfricaAdapt

• A hub for stimulating innovation in bothoffline and online knowledge-sharingpractices through the Knowledge SharingInnovation Fund and experimentationwith Web 2.0 tools.• A key broker in knowledge sharingamong researchers, policy anddecision makers, CBOs and vulnerablecommunities through face-to-facemeetings, alliances with community radionetworks, and sharing of cases whereimproved knowledge access has enabledadaptation.• A strong voice for the African adaptationknowledgedomain in the increasinglycrowded international adaptationinformation industry.Participants at the AfricaAdapt "Meet and greet" in Addis Ababa, 2010It is envisaged that during phase 2, AfricaAdaptwill become established as the principalknowledge-sharing network for Africa. In thissecond phase, the network will become:• A research and learning pole on ‘whatworks’ in knowledge-sharing practices inAfrica, led and managed by dynamic andpragmatic African organisations. It willbe an eminent convenor of English andFrench adaptation-knowledge-sharingevents.• A leading provider of African adaptationresearch and local knowledge to Africanpolicy makers, through its onlineresources and platforms and othercommunication tools.The AfricaAdapt network has contributedto the increased awareness and interest inadaptation issues among different playersand stakeholders in Africa. The diverse andfragmented pockets of knowledge and thelow capacity for communicating knowledgeremain a challenge, but with the benefitof hindsight AfricaAdapt is well placed tocontinue in its quest to overcome barriersto knowledge sharing around climate changeadaptation on the continent.17

The faces of the AfricaAdapt core teamZachary Atheru2007-2010IGAD Climate Prediction andApplication CentreNairobi, Kenyazatheru@icpac.netDady Demby2007–2009RAILS Programme OfficerForum for Agricultural Research in AfricaAccra, Ghanaddemby@fara-africa.orgBinetou Diagne2009 to presentKnowledge Sharing OfficerENDA Tiers MondeDakar, Senegalbinetou.diagne@gmail.com18 Tales of AfricaAdapt

Nicolas Drunet2010 to presentAfricaAdapt Program Manager phase 2ENDA-Tiers MondeDakar, Senegalenda.nicolas.drunet@gmail.comMaggie Ibrahim2008–2009Institute of Development StudiesUniversity of SussexBrighton, UKLawrence Flint2009–2010AfricaAdapt Program Manager phase 2ENDA-Tiers MondeDakar, SenegalTom Mitchell2007–2009AfricaAdapt Program Manager (phase 1)Institute of Development StudiesUniversity of SussexBrighton, UKBlane Harvey2008 to presentKnowledge Sharing OfficerInstitute of Development StudiesUniversity of SussexBrighton, UKb.harvey@ids.ac.ukMamouda Moussa Na Abou2007 to presentAfricaAdapt Network CoordinatorENDA Tiers MondeDakar, Senegalmamoudam@gmail.com19

Jacqueline Nnam2009 to presentKnowledge Sharing OfficerForum for Agricultural Research in AfricaAccra, Ghanajnnam@fara-africa.orgGilbert Ouma2009 to presentIGAD Climate Prediction and Application CentreNairobi, Kenyagouma@icpac.netEmmanuel Seck2007-2009ENDADakar, SenegalAbebe Tadege2009 to presentKnowledge Sharing OfficerIGAD Climate Prediction and ApplicationCentre (ICPAC)Nairobi, Kenyaatadege@icpac.netMyra Wopereis-Pura2007 to presentDirector, Access to Knowledge andTechnologiesForum for Agricultural Research in AfricaAccra, Ghanamwopereispura@fara-africa.orgFrançois Stepman2007–2009Communications and PublicAwareness SpecialistForum for Agricultural Research in AfricaAccra, Ghana20 Tales of AfricaAdapt

About AfricaAdaptAfricaAdapt is an independent bilingual network (French/English)focused exclusively on Africa. The network’s aim is to facilitate theflow of climate change adaptation knowledge for sustainable livelihoodsbetween researchers, policy makers, civil society organisations andcommunities who are vulnerable to climate variability and changeacross the continent.How does AfricaAdapt work?Our activities use the latest web-based applications, face-to-faceinteractions, and other media for: sharing resources; facilitatinglearning; and strengthening the African adaptation community. Ouronline activities are complemented by a range of offline activities andservices, including:• An innovation fund offering small grants for new approaches toknowledge sharing• Face-to-face meetings bringing people together to exchange ideasand overcome challenges• A CD-ROM and paper-based dissemination service for networknews and resourcesOur partnersAfricaAdapt is collaboratively hosted by four organisations:Environment and Development in the Third World (ENDA-TM), Forumfor Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), IGAD Climate Prediction andApplications Centre (ICPAC), and Institute of Development Studies (IDS).ENDA-TM works to improve the tools of knowledge for initiativeslinked to the environment and local development contributing tothe search for alternative development possibilities. It is active in 21countries and based in Dakar, Senegal. Its approach is to work in closepartnership with community-based organisations and communitymovements. ENDA’s Energy Programme focuses on access to energyand climate change.FARA is an umbrella organization bringing together and formingcoalitions of major stakeholders in agricultural research anddevelopment in Africa. It complements the activities of African national,international and sub-regional research institutions to promoteagricultural innovation. It aims to reduce poverty in Africa throughsustainable broad-based agricultural growth and improved livelihoods,particularly of smallholder and pastoral enterprises.ICPAC enables East African countries to cope better with risksassociated with extreme climate variability and change through theprovision of climate early warning information. It supports specificsectors to contribute to poverty alleviation efforts, environmentalmanagement and sustainable development, improving systems to shareclimate information and expands the climate knowledge-base to enableappropriate responses.IDS is a global organisation for research, teaching and communicationson international development. It maintains programmes ofmultidisciplinary research programmes, research and action networksand consortia and hosts a number of knowledge services. Its growingteam of experts on climate change works closely with a strong networkof partners in developing countries to pioneer research and knowledgepartnerships for development in a changing climate.The network is jointly funded by the UK Department for InternationalDevelopment (DFID) and the International Development ResearchCentre (IDRC) Climate Change Adaptation in Africa Programme.

About AfricaAdaptAfricaAdapt is an independent bilingual network(French/English) focused exclusively on Africa.The Network’s aim is to facilitate the flowof climate change adaptation knowledge forsustainable livelihoods between researchers,policy makers, civil society organisations andcommunities who are vulnerable to climatevariability and change across the continent.AfricaAdapt is hosted by Environment andDevelopment in the Third World (ENDA-TM),Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA),IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Center(ICPAC) and the Institute of Development Studies,University of Sussex. The Network is fundedthrough the UK Department for InternationalDevelopment (DFID) and the InternationalDevelopment Research Centre (IDRC) ClimateChange Adaptation in Africa Programme.AfricaAdapt SecretariatENDA Tiers Monde, 54, Rue CarnotBP 3370, Dakar, Senegalinfo@africa-adapt.netwww.africa-adapt.net