Adaptation to climate ChangeThe experiences of Practical Action/

Sudan

Darfur Program

Kenya June 2010

Practical Action's Vision is of a sustainable world

free of poverty and injustice in which technology is

used for the benefit of all.

Practical Action Vision

Practical Action Mission

“To use technology to challenge poverty by:

• building the capabilities of poor people,

• improving their access to technical options and

knowledge, and

• working with them to influence social, economic and

institutional systems for innovation and the use of

technology”.

• Practical Action operates under four strategic

objectives:

– Vulnerability reduction :

• Coping with the risk if natural and complex hazards,

including climate change

• Natural Resource Management

• Food security

– Markets and livelihoods

• Actors, access, diversification of products/services,

– Infrastructure services

• WATSAN, energy, shelter, transport - livelihoods

– New Technologies

Strategic fit

Practical Action Climate Change Programme

• Run a programme of work that helps poor people to

adapt and which helps us develop models of

excellence in adaptation.

• Use our experience and knowledge to promote best

practice seeking to influence other development

practitioners, donors and decision-makers to ensure

that all development work is „climate proofed‟.

• Persuade decision makers and donors to urgently

adopt more ambitious targets for mitigation and give

more support to help poor women and men to adapt.

• Reduce the carbon footprint of our own organization

and its work.

Practical Action Climate Change Programme

1. Enhance our knowledge and understanding of the

actual and likely effects of climate change upon the

people we are working with, the impact upon their

lives and livelihoods

2. Understanding of what our programme will contribute

to enabling people to adapt to climate change

3. What our work will do to reduce greenhouse gas

emissions

4. Identifying which issues Practical Action will engage

on nationally and what will be contributed to the

organisation‟s global policy agenda

A glance at the context in Sudan

– Drought , Low rainfall is

responsible for the decrease

of land productivity, and

frequent food insecurity

– Land use methods

incompatible with the given

natural conditions are the

major causes of destruction of

agricultural resources in

Sudan

Sandstorm in Khartoum 2007

Mekheit – Famine food

A glance at the context in Sudan?

– Overstocking of pastures, regardless of their actual carrying capacity

– Rapid sand dunes movement towards south 6-8 Km per an annum .

– The extension of rain-fed farming far beyond the agronomic dry boundary is one of the most important causes of desertification in the Sahelian zone of Sudan.

– Excessive felling of trees for buildings and fuel wood.

Practical Action -

Darfur

N.Darfur Introduction• Location: Western Sudan.

• Area:192,000 square km.

• General characterized: by remoteness, isolation lack of infrastructure and services, the state identified as one of the poorest among 26 states of Sudan.

• Population: 1,8 m (2009 census). Growth rate 4.9 %

• Climatically:lies on the Southern edges of the Sahara desert and fall within the arid of Sahara desert zone of Africa.

• Rainfall: not exceed 300mm annum.

Community Adaptation

interventions

Terraces and animal traction

– To retain as much of the rain that does fall in the target area or upstream

– Communities are trained to decide on slopes and construct the terraces (VEAs)

– It generates helps farmers grow crops even if rains fall away from farm areas but drained by wadis from upstream

– It continue producing diversified crops for 6 months after the rainy season, plough and terraces seen every where

Camel plough

Dams– It helps spread water in a wide area to be

cultivated recession farming after the rainy season

– It enhances sub-surface aquifer for domestic water supply

– It enhances the vegetation cover

– Food from edible crops grown, income from selling cash crops, subsurface water, jobs as casual workers; fodder from wild weeds, etc

– Built 5 dams (approximately 17,000 Acres flooded

DamsTechnically:– In addition to spillways, building sluice gates to

allow for washing the silt that deposit upstream.

– Dig a trench below the earth embankment to minimize possibilities of washing the embankment

– Pitching of the embankment to protect it from washing.

Haffir for drinking water

Dam diverting water for cultivation

Enhancing the vegetation cover

• Established 12 community nurseries

with a capacity of 100,000 seedlings

• Rehabilitated El Fashir central nursery

• Trained communities in managing the

nurseries

• Grown about 1,300,000 seedlings with

focus on endangered the Baobab tree

since 2003

• Established 6community forests with

an average of 8,000 trees grown

• 150 villages received and grown

seedlings

Recovery of the vegetation covers (North

Darfur State)

Communal nursery

Two year old community forest

Reducing Biomass fuel consumption

• Conserving natural resources through the reduction of

consumption of biomass fuel and to reduce smoke

related hazards

• Saving of 60% of fuel. It is estimated that about 100,000

IDP families in greater Darfur have adopted improved

stoves through the multiplier effect of TOT.

• Promoted LPG as clean energy. Over 2500HH owned

appliances and 7500 in the process

• 40% of Darfur rural houses were either whole or

partially burnt as a war strategy

•The environment in the region has already been

exhausted by drought and human activities necessitate a

need for alternative shelter

2010 plan

• Contribute to strengthening partners who are

involved in adaptations initiatives (Capacity building)

• Build local communities capacities to contribute to

collection of local metrological data (e.g. rain gages)

• Production of knowledge items (booklet, banners,

video films & posters).

• Selected best community adaptation practices for

documentation and disseminations

• Scale up successful adaptation practices through

influencing partners and donors

• Use local media for environmental awareness

message