WatDev

09/12/2025

🌍 𝐅𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨-𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐚’𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬!

On 𝟓–𝟔 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓, we held the 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐅𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 in Addis Ababa, bringing together 𝐟𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡, 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧’𝐬 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩𝐬, 𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 to validate the feasibility of Best Management Practices (BMPs) tailored to Ethiopia’s basin realities. 🇪🇹💧🌱

This event, supported by ASARECA, Water and Land resource Center - WLRC Ethiopia, and the WATDEV modelling team—followed the regional workshop held on 4 December and shifted the focus from expert-level discussions to 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲-𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 insights. With fewer than 10 participants per group, the sessions ensured inclusive, 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬-𝐨𝐧 𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞 rooted in lived experience. 🤝

🎤 𝐅𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧:
🔴 Reviewing and validating BMP feasibility at community and basin levels
🔴 Assessing barriers, enablers, and sustainability conditions
🔴 Providing detailed feedback on indicators used in the WATDEV predictive model
🔴 Co-developing practical BMP implementation protocols for farmers
🔴 Sharing perspectives on local water management policies through field questionnaires

These contributions are now helping refine the WATDEV 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧-𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐛𝐨𝐱, set for release in early 2026, ensuring it is not only scientifically robust but grounded in 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬—from to composting to strengthening Water Users Associations ( ). 💧🌾📊

👩‍🌾 👨‍🌾 🚜 The active participation of local communities confirms WATDEV’s core principle: 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐝𝐚𝐲.

09/12/2025

🇪🇹 On the 𝟒𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓, we held our 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩 𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐬 𝐀𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐚, bringing together 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬, 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬, and 𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬 to co-review and prioritize Best Management Practice (BMP) scenarios tailored to Ethiopia’s 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬, specifically in the Koga basin. 💧🌱

The event was convened by Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research - EIAR, ASARECA, CIHEAMBari and WATDEV partners ISRIC - World Soil Information and Water and Land resource Center - WLRC Ethiopia, with the support of Agenzia Italiana per la Cooperazione allo Sviluppo - Ufficio Cairo, creating a collaborative platform to 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬. 🤝

🎤 Speakers and facilitators introduced the basin challenges, WATDEV’s modelling approach, and the objectives of the participatory validation process. Participants explored 𝐤𝐞𝐲 #𝐁𝐌𝐏𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐬, discussed their implications, and examined how each option aligns with Ethiopia’s long-term climate resilience goals.

🔍 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐝:
🔹 Presentation and discussion of WATDEV’s BMP intervention scenarios
🔹 Participatory validation using structured assessment tools
🔹 Identification of enabling conditions and barriers for basin-wide scaling
🔹 Prioritization of scenarios to guide future planning and decision-making

🌟 The workshop marked an important step in moving from local insights to strategic basin-level solutions, 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐚’𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞, 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞-𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 grounded in evidence and stakeholder expertise.

05/12/2025

After the Regional Meeting concluded in Egypt, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐃𝐄𝐕 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 held a 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐅𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 on 𝟐 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 in Sekem Farm (SEKEM Group), bringing together 𝐟𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬, and 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬 to refine the feasibility of 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 ( #𝐁𝐌𝐏𝐬) for sustainable water and land management. 🇪🇬💧🌱

The day opened with welcoming remarks from Heliopolis University for Sustainable Development and CIHEAMBari, followed by an 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐃𝐄𝐕’𝐬 𝐨𝐛𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐝𝐬 presented by Agenzia Italiana per la Cooperazione allo Sviluppo - Ufficio Cairo, and an overview of the meeting agenda by ASARECA. Participants then explored ISRIC - World Soil Information’s Feasibility Studies, covering 𝐁𝐌𝐏 𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐬, 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬, and 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬.

🧩 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠:
• Assessing feasibility conditions, barriers, and enablers for BMP adoption
• Reviewing sustainability considerations at basin level
• Presenting group findings to all participants

After lunch, stakeholders collaborated on 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐌𝐏 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐨𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐬, 𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥, 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬. 🌾🤝

The day concluded with a 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐞-𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 collecting 𝐟𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬’ 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐬, followed by a wrap-up led by ASARECA outlining 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐩𝐬 and linkages with upcoming WATDEV activities.

04/12/2025

💬 𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽: 𝗙𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗿-𝗟𝗲𝗱 𝗗𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘂𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗱𝗱𝗶𝘀 𝗔𝗯𝗮𝗯𝗮! 💧

Following up on today’s high-level discussions in Addis Ababa, we move tomorrow into a hands-on 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐅𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 that brings the spotlight directly to 𝐟𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐬, and 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬. This next phase shifts from policy dialogue to 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, ensuring that Best Management Practices ( ) reflect the realities, challenges, and opportunities on the ground. 🌱

Over the coming days, participants will 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐁𝐌𝐏𝐬, 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝-𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐄𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐚’𝐬 𝐊𝐨𝐠𝐚 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐬. Their insights are essential for transforming modelling results into actionable, community-driven strategies! 🙌

🤝 Organized with:
Water and Land resource Center - WLRC Ethiopia , CIHEAMBari , Agenzia Italiana per la Cooperazione allo Sviluppo - Ufficio Cairo, ASARECA, ISRIC - World Soil Information

04/12/2025

𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐮𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐃𝐄𝐕 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩 𝐢𝐧 𝐊𝐞𝐧𝐲𝐚?

Check out our latest article for a full overview of the discussions, insights, and outcomes.

🌍 🌿 💼 On 17 November 2025, the WATDEV Regional Workshop took place in Malindi, Kenya, hosted by KALRO in collaboration with ASARECA, CIHEAMBari, Agenzia Italiana per la Cooperazione allo Sviluppo - Ufficio Cairo and ISRIC - World Soil Information and the Tana River County Government. 🇰🇪

The workshop brought together 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐬, and 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐬 to validate basin-scale Best Management Practices ( ) and ensure they align with local priorities and climate-resilient development needs. 💧🌱

Key perspectives were shared by representatives of our institutional partners – highlighting the importance of basin-wide planning, stakeholder participation, scenario modelling, economic assessments, and Kenya’s priority BMPs such as agroforestry and Water Users’ Associations ( ). 🌳🤝

𝐃𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭’𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐩𝐬.

The Climate Smart Water Management and Sustainable Development for Food and Agriculture in East Africa (WATDEV) project, funded by the European Union, in the framework of the DeSIRA Initiative, advanced its regional engagement efforts with a Regional Workshop held in Malindi, Kenya, on 17 November 2...

04/12/2025

✨ 𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐅𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐄𝐠𝐲𝐩𝐭, where partners and stakeholders reviewed BMP feasibility, discussed simulated scenarios, and gathered community perspectives on water management, we are pleased to move forward with the next national event.

📍🇪🇹 𝐍𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 #𝐄𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐚’𝐬 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧!
We are delighted to announce today's event taking place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This gathering will continue the collaborative work on scenario validation, policy insights, and practical steps for sustainable water solutions at basin level.

🤝 With: Water and Land resource Center - WLRC Ethiopia Agenzia Italiana per la Cooperazione allo Sviluppo - Ufficio Cairo ASARECA and ISRIC - World Soil Information

03/12/2025

🇪🇬 On 1 December 2025, we held a 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽 at SEKEM Farm in Belbies (SEKEM Group), , bringing together partners and experts to collaboratively identify the Best-Suiting (Best Management Practices) Scenarios for the region. 💬

The event was organized with Heliopolis University for Sustainable Development (HU), ASARECA, CIHEAMBari, Agenzia Italiana per la Cooperazione allo Sviluppo - Ufficio Cairo, and ISRIC - World Soil Information, creating a dynamic space for scientific exchange and participatory discussion. 🤝🌱

🎤 The day opened with welcoming remarks from HU, , and , followed by contributions from the AICS–EU Portfolio Coordinator and a full introduction to the WATDEV Project.

🔍 Morning sessions explored ’s methodology for 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐧-𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐁𝐌𝐏 𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐬, before participants engaged in a 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬-𝐨𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 of simulated BMP interventions, 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤-𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬, and a 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐲 𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐲 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬. 💧💬

📊 In the afternoon, stakeholders validated and prioritized the scenarios through 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞, ensuring the proposed options align with local needs and basin realities.

✨ The workshop concluded with a 𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐩𝐬, strengthening WATDEV’s collaborative pathway toward climate-smart, community-driven water and land management solutions. 🌿

02/12/2025

🇰🇪 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲-𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗴𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗧𝗮𝗻𝗮 𝗥𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝘆!

On 𝟏𝟖–𝟏𝟗 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓, the WATDEV Project held a Local Feedback Meeting in Hola, , hosted by KALRO, in partnership with CIHEAMBari and ASARECA, with participation from Agenzia Italiana per la Cooperazione allo Sviluppo - Ufficio Cairo. ✨🌍

The two-day event brought together 𝟐𝟎+ 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬—from the National Irrigation Authority, Tana River County Government, Water Users Associations, farmer cooperatives, community leaders, and local farmers—to 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 (𝐁𝐌𝐏𝐬) 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐬. 💧🌱

Day 1 focused on sharing findings on BMP simulations, baseline assessments, and community perceptions, followed by a participatory session where farmers and county officials discussed feasibility, sustainability, and local challenges such as 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐠𝐚𝐩𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬. 🤝💬

Day 2 shifted to 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠, introducing the consultation framework and farming-operations checklist needed to apply BMPs. Participants co-drafted implementation protocols for scaling Agroforestry 🌳 and strengthening Water Users Associations (WUAs) across the basin.

WATDEV also 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 on water governance and policy gaps, supporting future training and farmer-to-farmer knowledge sharing.

✨ This meeting reaffirmed the project’s 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧, 𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞-𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬, building stronger pathways for sustainable agriculture and water management in Tana River County.

02/12/2025

🌍 On 𝟭𝟳 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱, the 𝗪𝗔𝗧𝗗𝗘𝗩 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽 took place in , , hosted by KALRO in collaboration with ASARECA, CIHEAMBari, and the County Government. 🇰🇪✨

The event brought together 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝘀, and 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝘀 to validate basin-scale Best Management Practices ( ) and ensure they reflect local priorities and climate-resilient development needs. 💧🌱

Key speakers included:
— 𝗠𝗿. 𝗠𝗼𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗢𝗱𝗲𝗸𝗲 ( ), highlighting the workshop as a defining step for WATDEV.
— 𝗗𝗿. 𝗚𝗮𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗼 𝗟𝗮𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗮 ( ), underlining the shift toward integrated basin-wide planning.
— 𝗗𝗿. 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗠𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 ( ), emphasizing strong stakeholder participation.
— 𝗛𝗼𝗻. 𝗠𝘄𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗷𝘂𝗺𝗮 𝗛𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗮𝗲, Tana River CECM for Agriculture, stressing the region’s vulnerability to floods and droughts.
— 𝗗𝗿. 𝗝𝗮𝗰𝗼𝗽𝗼 𝗧𝗮𝘃𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶 (Agenzia Italiana per la Cooperazione allo Sviluppo - Ufficio Cairo), noting the importance of pairing sustainability with scalability.
— 𝗠𝘀. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗮 𝗕𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗼 ( ) on project progress and next steps.
— 𝗗𝗿. 𝗝𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗲 𝗕𝗮𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗺𝗮𝗻 & 𝗗𝗿. 𝗟𝘂𝘂𝗸 𝗙𝗹𝗲𝘀𝗸𝗲𝗻𝘀 (ISRIC - World Soil Information) presenting modelling and economic assessments.
— 𝗗𝗿. 𝗔𝘆𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗦𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶(CIHEAM Bari) introducing Kenya’s key BMPs: and Water Users’ Associations ( ). 🌳🤝

Through group work, scenario refinement, and policy insights, the workshop delivered ground-tested, stakeholder-validated pathways for stronger water and land management across the region. 🌿💼

01/12/2025

🚨 𝗧𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄: 𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗘𝗴𝘆𝗽𝘁! 🌱💧

We’re bringing together experts, farmers, and stakeholders to discuss the feasibility of Best Management Practices ( ) and innovations for . The meeting will explore barriers, opportunities, and local perspectives to guide practical BMP implementation.

🤝 Hosted with: University for Sustainable Development , CIHEAMBari , Agenzia Italiana per la Cooperazione allo Sviluppo - Ufficio Cairo , ASARECA , and ISRIC - World Soil Information.