Advancing sustainable food systems and enhancing water security through supporting ecosystem-based approaches: Insights from the Step Change initiative Last month CDKN had the pleasure of attending a learning review of the Step Change initiative which brought together multiple project partners to reflect on progress, surface synergies and outline pathways for collaboration between projects to amplify impacts across research, policy and practice.

Reflecting as we go: Lessons from CDKN’s open call for locally-led adaptation initiatives in Africa CDKN is providing Knowledge-to-Action (K2A) grants in Africa, Asia and Latin America. In Africa, an open call for locally-led adaptation (LLA) initiatives and a comprehensive selection process led to five K2A projects being chosen who received US$150,000 each in Benin, Cameroon, Kenya, Mozambique and South Sudan. We intentionally adopted a learning approach and here we share our insights from the selection process.

‘Gender lens’: the approach that low-carbon businesses cannot do without Gender lens approaches are business models, management and operations that promote the economic empowerment of women. New evidence from the Gender Equality in a Low Carbon World (GLOW) programme makes the case that climate-smart businesses require a gender lens approach to meet their full potential for economic sustainability and positive climate impact.

Four ecosystem-based adaptation projects with a social and gender perspective begin in Latin America Four CDKN-supported Knowledge-to-Action (K2A) projects began activities recently, two in Colombia and two in Ecuador. These K2A projects are part of a small grants programme (US$ 50,000 per project) that aim to sustainably protect natural resources in these countries while considering the effects of climate change and promoting ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) and gender and social inclusion.

Lessons for the GST: Learning from local adaptation pioneers to enhance transformational climate action A headline finding of the first-ever UNFCCC Global Stocktake (GST) is that countries need to support “systems transformations” that mainstream climate resilient development to step up our response to the climate crisis. But how can UN member states at COP28 respond to this call without a tangible sense of what this looks like in practice?

Pathways to future agriculture in Africa Africa's agricultural future demands a holistic, adaptable strategy, merging diverse solutions at various scales, prioritising local contexts and farmer needs for resilience and sustainability. This blog forms part of a series from the Africa Regional Resilience Hub in the lead up to COP28. Along with other regions in the global South, the Regional Hubs work to amplify regional voices to global decision-making spaces, with a particular focus on communities and underrepresented and lesser heard voices.

Embracing mosaic and multiverse approaches in farmer-centred co-creation for African agriculture Insights gathered by ARIN and ARA on smallholder agriculture highlight the value of indigenous knowledge and farmer-centric approaches in co-creating a more resilient and sustainable agricultural future. This blog forms part of a series from the Africa Regional Resilience Hub in the lead up to COP28. Along with other regions in the global South, the Regional Hubs work to amplify regional voices to global decision-making spaces, with a particular focus on communities and underrepresented and lesser heard voices.

Elevating the role of water resilience in food system dialogues Ensuring resilient food systems and sustainable healthy diets for all requires much higher water use, however, water resources are finite, geographically dispersed and volatile under climate change. A new paper co-authored by CDKN CEO Shehnaaz Moosa highlights the role of water use in the food system and how good governance is central to achieving water-resilient food systems.

Mobilising finance for community-based resilience: Insights from the Voices from the Frontline initiative This report explores the barriers and opportunities for mobilising community-level finance, drawing on the examples shared in the Voices from the Frontline stories.

Heat-health advisories in rural India: Learning during the pandemic era Premsagar Tasgaonkar, Komal Modhave and Yogesh Shinde from the Watershed Organisation Trust (WOTR), India describe how they have established a system to warn farmers in rural areas when heat levels are forecast to rise to dangerous levels.

Scalable approaches to moving rural families beyond resilience in developing countries Michael Carter – Director of Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Markets, Risk & Resilience – shares examples from Mali, Bangladesh, Mozambique and Tanzania where risk management tools are helping rural families not only withstand shocks, but move towards greater prosperity. 

Siaya, Kenya: The ‘Covid women’ making a difference This story is the second part of the series of stories from Voices from the Frontline initiative by ICCCAD and CDKN from Siaya, Kenya and highlights women-led initiatives in the county. Rosemary Atieno reports.