From 23-28 February, thirty three PhD and Master’s students from across the Horn of Africa joined a Summer School ‘explored local constructs of resilience [from below] in the face of shocks and uncertainties in the drylands.’
Co-organized with the Center for Research and Development in the Drylands and the Feinstein International Center of Tufts University, students examined how resilience has been understood and applied in drylands, developing insights and skills to engage with pastoral contexts.
Highlights
A keynote presentation on ‘historical-ecological perspectives on pastoralism in the Horn of Africa’ by Norwegian University of Life Sciences Professor Emeritus Gufu Oba. His current research is on climate adaptations among pastoralist societies of the Horn and Eastern Africa; he is currently the Director of Gaadisa Gummi Foundation – an indigenous non-profit institution for training pastoralists. More: Watch the presentation recording / Watch an interview
A keynote presentation on ‘Uncertainty and rethinking resilience in pastoral development’ by Institute of Development Studies Professorial Fellow Ian Scoones. He recently led a six-year research project on ‘Pastoralism, Uncertainty and Resilience’; the insights are summarized in a series of blog posts as well as a book. Watch the presentation recording.
An exploration of pastoralists as high-reliability professionals and networks, led by Rahma Hassan and Jackson Wachira that focuses on pastoralists’ own systems to manage uncertainties and take advantage of opportunities and how these contribute to the resilience of pastoral systems. See a related blog post.
Discussions on dryland policy disconnects with Hussein Tadicha (CRDD Executive Director), Guyo Roba (Head of the Jameel Observatory) and Hassan Roba (Director of Kenya Strategy at the Christensen Fund), reviewing how these affect the resilience of communities, and ways to effectively engage policy processes. This builds on a 2024 policy forum as well as engagement in Kenya’s recent Pastoralist Leadership Summit.
Together with a field trip to three local communities, a walk through the Waso biocultural landscape, and mentored group interactions, we enjoyed a dynamic week of exploration and co-learning.
Outputs
The students drafted the ‘Camp Simpirre declaration‘ setting out their commitment to advocating for new narratives of pastoralism that espouse community-centered approaches and processes in policy, development, and humanitarian interventions.
Students also published a series of blogposts:
- Beyond Engineered Resilience: Untapped Opportunities for True Sustainability in the Horn of Africa – Roble Muse and Kelvin Mugambi
- What is the place of Gender in a Resilience from Below narrative? – Grace Anyango Ouma
- Beyond the Numbers: Why Qualitative Research is the Key to Understanding Pastoral Resilience – Darmi Jattani and Jackson Wachira
Mongabay journalist Askoka Mukpo wrote two news stories:
- Pastoralists know every landscape has a history: Interview with Gufu Oba
- In the drylands of northern Kenya, a ‘summer school’ for young researchers
More
Read the summer school concept note
About the ACIAR-supported ‘resilience from below’ project at CRDD
Acknowledgements
The ‘Drylands summer school’ – exploring local constructs of resilience in the face of shocks and uncertainties in the drylands – was held in Isiolo, Kenya from 23-28 February 2025. It was co-organized by the Center for Research and Development in the Drylands, the Jameel Observatory for Food Security Early Action and the Feinstein International Center at Tufts University, with financial support from the Australian Center for International Agricultural Research and Community Jameel.
