Cradle to Grave: A research and programme management knowledge-sharing series

By Jon Lawn “I wish this had been around when I started in my current career” This was my summarising statement after we had finished delivering a three workshop series online in March 2021. Not wanting to blow our own trumpet, however even as a co-designer and presented in this …

BRECcIA participates in the first SADC-WaterNet virtual symposium, was it of value?

By Catherine Kerapetse The impacts of the Covid_19 pandemic has without reasonable doubt affected the long-standing traditional ways of human interactions – who could have ever thought! Physical interactions were no longer permitted, forcing work to move to electronic and digital platforms, thus deeming remote working the new norm. Although …

How can virtual tools support a team of international researchers amid the Covid-19 pandemic?

The 2019 Covid-19 pandemic is forcing humanity to develop adaptive measures for communicating, and virtual platforms have become the standard mode for personal and professional communication globally. This has been the case for a team of 60 international researchers, from Europe and Africa, collaborating on the interdisciplinary project BRECcIA addressing …

Tales of the unexpected: How to (hastily) design & deliver a two-week virtual workshop

The Coronavirus outbreak has changed everything and whilst we are rapidly rethinking our working arrangements and research approaches, the question arises: Can we move to online working for research, that is hold meetings, conduct research related activities and carry out training, and still be effective?  The GCRF BRECcIA project’s answer …

Developing participatory research skills in a dryland ecological restoration context:

Reflections from workshop participants and co-facilitators By Matt Kandel1, Nancy Kadenyi2, Janet Musyoka3, Fiona Ngarachu4 and Vallary Mutave5Ngila 1 Research Fellow in Environmental Anthropology, University of Southampton, 2 Environmental Project Associate, MetaMeta Research’,3 MSc student in Geography, Kenyatta University, 4 MSc student in Geography, Kenyatta University, 5Research Fellow, Kenyatta University From 16th-20thOctober Matt Kandel …

Building participatory research skills in northern Ghana: A field school approach

By Genevieve Agaba and Matt Kandel BRECcIA researchers from the University of Southampton and the University of Ghana recently held a participatory research skills training workshop for the benefit of early career researchers and development/agricultural extension staff in the Upper East Region of northern Ghana.  The workshop took place over a four-day …

Reflections on the BRACEDx multi stakeholder workshop

By: Fiona Ngarachu, Moses Muriuki[1], Claire Bedelian The BRACEDx (Building Resilience and Adaptation to Climate Extremes and Disasters) project, held a multi-stakeholder workshop on the 21stof May 2019 at the ICT hall in Wajir County, Kenya. This workshop served as an end of project meeting to present the work that …