Tufa Dinku

Co-Principal Investigator: Amanda Grossi, International Research Institute for Climate and Society

Project: "Linking Education on Adaptation and Resilience with National Systems in Ethiopia (Ethiopia-LEARNS)"

Global Center: Nairobi

Project Description: Making agriculture resilient to the trends and shocks of a changing and varying climate requires effective use of climate information. One of the biggest challenges impeding the exploitation of climate information in different sectors, however, is a lack of foundational capacity around climate risk management. A dearth of knowledge and skills surrounding climate basics, what climate information is available and accessible, how to appropriately communicate complex climate information and develop products that actually support decision-making, and how such services might be integrated within national systems all stymie a country’s ability to take adaptive action in an uncertain climate. The implications of this challenge are especially pronounced in climate-sensitive sectors such as that of agriculture, and in places like Ethiopia where over 85% of the population (70 million people) relies upon the sector for its livelihood.

The Linking Education on Adaptation and Resilience with National Systems initiative in Ethiopia (Ethiopia- LEARNS), borne out of the Adapting Agriculture to Climate Today, for Tomorrow (ACToday) Columbia World Project, endeavors to address the country’s long-standing need for foundational capacity building in climate risk management (CRM) by leading the co-development of skills-focused, competency-based curricula targeting different stakeholders engaged in both humanitarian action and longer-term sustainable development. Rather than one-off trainings, it insists on embedding curricula and training activities on CRM within educational ecosystems, such as institutions of higher learning. This PGIF grant will enable the adaptation and pilot of the CRM curriculum already co-designed for Ethiopia’s extension system through the ACToday project for graduate students at five universities studying climate-sensitive subjects in Ethiopia, namely agriculture. CGC-Nairobi, as a hub for global curriculum and scholarly outreach in the region, will serve as a platform and resource for knowledge sharing as we progress with implementation.