November 2018
 NOTES FROM THE FIELD - ADVANCING CLIMATE RESILIENCE AND DEVELOPMENT IN EAST AFRICA

When I first arrived in Kenya in early 2014 to lead the USAID bilateral environment program, as a mission we were just beginning to conceptualize and organize around the idea of "building resilience". I felt particularly passionate about ensuring our efforts were stakeholder-led, grounded in specific climate-sensitive sectors and vulnerable geographic regions. The USAID environment team began by designing landscape-level interventions that integrated climate vulnerability impacts assessment into ecosystem management in the northern arid and semi-arid regions and also in Kenya's three most important watersheds (or water towers as they are known here). We ensured that our new partnership with NASA, called SERVIR, would directly link to the needs and priorities of our partners for timely and useful earth observations and climate data as a critical input to building resilience. We also designed and quickly rolled out a new partnership with the Government of Kenya (GOK), called the Low Emissions Climate Resilience Development Program, which supported the GOK to develop it's Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and meet commitments under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

This months' issue focuses on the tremendous outcomes of those partnerships, developed four years ago, to advance climate resilience in Kenya. In addition, our East African program takes a macro-look at regional climate vulnerability and the development of necessary scientific analysis and tools to support adaptive decision-making to properly prepare for, and mitigate, the impacts of extreme climate and weather events. The GeoCLIM tool is one excellent example which is improving national met forecasting capabilities. IGAD's Climate Predictions and Applications Center (ICPAC) is doing tremendous work to build regional resilience through seasonal climate outlook fora, presenting data on climate-sensitive sectors, such as agriculture, water, infrastructure and human health. The crop yield data visualization tool, highlighted below, is an excellent example of how African scientific leadership is making a noticeable impact on building resilience in the region.

Many of these projects will be highlighted at the upcoming COP 24 in Poland, and we would like to take this opportunity to thank all USAID Kenya and East African regional partners for their leadership, innovation and determination to advance a sustainable, and resilient, development agenda.

We hope you enjoy this issue, and as always, we welcome your feedback and opportunities to create new linkages and partnerships.
Juniper Neill
Environment Office Chief
USAID KENYA and EAST AFRICA
PARTNER HIGHLIGHTS
KENYAN SCHOOL CHILDREN TAKE ON CLIMATE CHANGE
Forty-three hundred Nairobi County school children participated in an inaugural art competition designed to raise awareness and understanding of climate change. The school children ranged in age from 6 – 19 and the competition included dedicated categories for special-needs learners. Participants drew, painted, or wrote essays, in both English and Swahili, to share their understanding of climate change and show how they would act as climate change ambassadors.

The Ministry of Environment and Forestry and the Ministry of Education hosted an awards ceremony at the Kenya Meteorological Department to honor the winners and draw further attention to the topic of climate change. Student winners received laptops and tablets. View winning entries on the Kenya Climate Change Knowledge Portal . The USAID Environment Office’s Low Emissions Climate Resilient Development project sponsored the activity alongside the Kenyan ministries. 

(Above, Kenya Chief Administrative Secretary Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Hon. Mohammed Elmi, presents the winner from Kahuho Girls School with a tablet.)
Kenya Climate Change Art and Essay Competition on Twitter

The Kenya Climate Change Art and Essay Competition engaged and inspired young people to find solutions to #climatechange @shefombiru @NemaKenya @NETFUNDkenya @DCS_Kenya @NCCAPKenya_II @UNDPKenya #ClimatechangeArt

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GOVERNING WITH A CLIMATE CHANGE LENS
The above youth competition is one part of a multi-pronged effort by the USAID Low Emissions Climate Resilient Development (LECRD) project to support Kenya to meet its Vision 2030 and transition to a low-emissions economy. Another component of the project includes creating climate change champions within the government.
 
To help mainstream climate into government policy, planning and budgeting and encourage government officials to look at all policy, plans and budgets with a climate-change lens, the USAID LECRD project, in collaboration with the Kenya School of Government and other stakeholders, created a two-week course on climate change policy, planning and budgeting at national and county level. Subject matter experts from Kenya developed the curriculum and manuals. LECRD then trained 13 facilitators to deliver an inaugural course for 27 participants, 10 national and 17 county officers. LECRD trained 25 facilitators in total.

The Kenya School of Government now owns the curriculum and the course is offered as part of the training programs. 
Click above to read more about how the USAID LECRD project is supporting planning and decision making for climate change response.
PASTORALISTS TACKLE INVASIVE SPECIES WITH DIGITAL MAPPING
In the vast nort hern rangelands of Kenya, which holds over 70% of the nation’s lives tock, pastoralists lead their sheep, goats, and cows to areas they hope will be rich with native grasses. Instead, in many locations, they find only invasive species. Plants such as the opuntia cactus and the acacia reficiens, which thrive in degraded land, are toxic to the animals that consume them in desperation.

The resulting livestock death is devastating to the pastoralists who depend on the animals for their livelihoods and it affects the overall gross domestic product of Kenya. The Kenya Economic Survey 2018 showed that the livestock sector’s contribution to the country’s GDP was 4.4 percent in 2017, down from 5.3 percent in 2013.

USAID is supporting pastoralists to fight back with tools for data collection and partners for invasive species eradication. SERVIR is leading app development and data analysis, the Northern Rangelands Trust and Laikipia Wildlife Forum are supporting data collection and eradication. Kenya RAPID is building awareness among county government for sustainability. All partners receive funds from USAID and all are part of a larger collaboration called PREG (Partnership for Resilience and Economic Growth), helping partners to leverage one another’s resources for greater resilience impact in Kenya’s arid and semi-arid lands.

Because of the partnership, pastoralists now have a tool for mapping the invasive-species problem; high-resolution GIS maps that show current hotspots and potential hotspots due to climate changes; and private and public sector partners who are aware of the problem and have the capacity to help, especially once presented with clear data-produced maps that show the extent of the problem and that can guide decision making for maximum effectiveness in eradication.

Find the Invasive Species Mapper here , or click above.

Read more about pastoralists going digital here .
AFRICAN CLIMATE CHANGE CENTER OF EXCELLENCE PREPARES FOR CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES (COP 24)
The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Climate Prediction and Applications Center (ICPAC) supports 11 countries in the Greater Horn of Africa to monitor and predict climate, and to address climate change.

USAID supported ICPAC to become a World Meteorological Organization Regional Climate Center of excellence that provides a host of regional early-warning, climate-preparedness services, such as monitoring and analysis of crop yields, as shown on the right. Find out more about the services ICPAC provides by visitin g their website .

In early December, ICPAC will send a delegation to COP 24 -- the 24th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change -- where delegates work to safeguard our climate system. Stay tuned for outcomes from COP 24 in the next newsletter.
IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre

IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre has charted crop yields in the Horn of Africa. Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, and Rwanda have excess yields due to good rainfall; South Sudan faces a deficit due to conflict.

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PARTNERING ACROSS BOUNDARIES FOR WATER SECURITY- Kenya and Tanzania public and private sector partners collaborate for improved management and use of the Mara River Basin
Winding for nearly 14,000 kilometers, the Mara River is a vital source of life in Kenya and Tanzania. The river traverses the towering Mau Forest, wanders through tea plantations and growing settlements in the upper basin, and waters the rangelands of Maasai pastoral communities. The river also sustains the region’s stunning biodiversity, from forest ecosystems to the wildebeests migrating between Serengeti National Park and Maasai Mara National Reserve.

Growing pressure on water resources is threatening development, conservation, tourism, and the globally significant biodiversity in the Mara River Basin, endangering the region’s water security.

The risks facing the Mara River aren’t unique, but the region’s receptivity to change is.

With the support of USAID, the Sustainable Water Partnership (SWP) is working with local authority representatives and water user groups in both Kenya and Tanzania to develop a basin­-wide plan for allocating water equitably. They are also providing tools and science to improve decision making around water, and improve on-the-ground water security.

SWP is currently pushing forward a draft water allocation plan (WAP) for the upper Mara River River Basin in Kenya, which was developed under the Mau Mara Serengeti Sustainable Water Initiative, funded by the Danish Government. SWP has initiated development of a WAP for the lower Mara River Basin in Tanzania. They've completed an abstraction survey and commenced an Environmental Flow Assessment (EFA) in the Mara Wetlands. Upon completion of the respective WAPs by the two riparian countries, SWP will support the development of harmonized regional WAP guidelines for transboundary river basins in the East African region.
Photo Credit: Bobby Neptune for Winrock International

The above photo shows a number of the challenges (italics) that the Mara River Basin is facing. Read the bold lines to understand how SWP and partners are addressing the challenges.

Encroachment of people along the River Nyangores , one of the main tributaries that join the Amala to form the Mara River. (The law sets a minimum distance of 30 meters from the river bank.)

SWP-Mara is working with the communities and the Nyangores Water Resources Users Association to raise awareness on the bylaws and demarcate riparian land along the Sub-Basin.

The removal of indigenous trees and the planting of eucalyptus in their place. (Eucalyptus drain water!)

SWP-Mara, the County Government of Bomet and WWF are helping communities to replace exotic trees with water-friendly indigenous varieties that can support community energy needs and fruit trees such as avocado that can support community livelihood needs.

Soil erosion from farms is narrowing the river. During heavy rains, the fertilizers and pesticides used on the farms drain into the river.

SWP-Mara, WWF, the County Government of Bomet, and the Water Resources Authority are working with farmers to reduce the amount of chemical runoff from tea plantations by planting grass buffers between the farms and river.
TECHNICAL RESOURCES
CLIMATE CHANGE VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT OF KENYA'S KEY WATER TOWER ECOSYSTEMS
The Kenya Water Tower Climate Change Resilience Program is preparing to launch its Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment of Kenya’s Key Water Tower Ecosystems: the Mau Forest Complex, Cherangany Hills and Mt. Elgon.

The assessment findings indicate that exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity vary in magnitude, as well as spatially across the water towers. Water availability in future predictions shows a generally decreasing trend in most basins, while season peaks shift to the November-March season. With decreasing water availability, there is an accompanying increase in deficit or shortage—especially to the consumptive users, which are mainly irrigation and municipal water providers.

The assessment indicates that the water towers will become more vulnerable in the future and provides suggestions for better use, conservation, and management of the water tower ecosystems, and of the adjacent landscapes, to ensure resilience and adaptation for the benefit of all stakeholders.
Read the summary document of the Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment of Kenya's Key Water Tower Ecosystems by clicking above.
USAID-SUPPORTED TOOLS HELP INSTITUTIONS IMPROVE FORECASTING FOR WEATHER VARIATIONS
The USAID PREPARED projec t developed a series of geospatial tools (GeoTools) to help national and regional institutions improve forecasting of seasonal weather variations. One of these tools, GeoCLIM, developed in partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey, analyzes historical and projected climate data and creates climatic trend maps in regions of need, including Lake Victoria, a key water source that borders Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda.

Using GeoCLIM, PREPARED created “vulnerability maps” to show which populations are most at risk during droughts and floods. Find the GeoCLIM tool by clicking to the right.
GeoCLIM - CHG-Wiki

GeoCLIM is a software tool to facilitate climatological analysis of historical rainfall and temperature data. The U.S. Geological Survey Famine Early Warning System Network developed the tool to support the USAID PREPARED program and global...

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ENGAGING LOCAL COMMUNITIES FOR RANGELANDS RESTORATION
Northern Rangelands Trust just released the first episode of a rangelands animation series. Episode 1 will engage local communities on restoring and maintaining healthy rangelands.

So far, NRT has completed three episodes in English, Swahili, and Samburu, with plans for more local language translations to follow.

USAID East Africa  and  USAID Ken ya are supporting the project by  leveraging the technical assistance of the  U.S. Forest Service .
Rangelands Episode 1

Livestock owners in northern Kenya face many challenges when it comes to finding food and water for their animals. Grass is scarce in dry seasons, and conflict can break out between communities...

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THE CONVERGENCE FACTOR: LESSONS FROM INTEGRATING FRESHWATER CONSERVATION AND WASH IN AFRICA
Most of sub-Saharan Africa is under pressure from increasing population growth, urbanization, and consumption, as well as poorly-planned infrastructure development. All these factors are negatively impacting the quality and availability of freshwater resources. In response to these threats to freshwater resources, the USAID-supported Africa Biodiversity Collaborative Group pilot tested the integration of freshwater conservation and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) approaches in two African landscapes to improve both conservation and human health outcomes.

Read the Convergence Factor by clicking to the right.
ENVIRONMENT NEWS ROUNDUP
11 October 2018: African countries have solidified their position and articulated their expectations ahead of the 24th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 24) to the UNFCCC in December 2018, which is expected to finalize implementation guidelines for the Paris Agreement on climate change. Source: IILS SDG Knowledge Hub Read more

November 2018- As many as 34 African countries refer to carbon mechanisms in their  Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Therefore, many countries in Africa, including Eastern African countries, are interested in exploring the potential of carbon market mechanisms to reduce emissions and to implement their countries’ NDCs. Source: East African Community press release Read more

This week’s  United Nations climate report , drawing on almost 100 leading scientists around the world, keeps climate change in the headlines — as do Hurricanes Florence and Michael, Typhoon Mangkhut, and the heat waves and wildfires in the United States and Europe in 2018. Source: Washington Post Read more

To build a sustainable peace in Africa’s Sahel region, “urgent attention” is needed to mitigate the effects of climate change, and ensure that communities have access to sufficient opportunities, a joint meeting between the United Nations Economic and Social Council ( ECOSOC ) and the  UN Peacebuilding Commission  highlighted on Tuesday. Source: UN News Read more
USAID Kenya and East Africa Environment | www.usaid.gov/east-africa-regional/environment