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Author name

Date

Camilla Toulmin

July 8th 2015 Building Resilience in

Dryland Africa:

Investing in Institutions

Camilla Toulmin – IIED

CFCC session 2235

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What is resilience?

“Capacity to recover quickly from

difficulties” Wikipedia

“encompassing more than merely coping

with extreme events; the capacity of

individuals, communities and systems

not only to survive, but also adapt and

grow in the face of shock and stress” RS

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Dimensions of Resilience

• Technical/hardware solutions –

seawalls, dykes, defences

• Economic/financial – build reserves,

storage, insurance and risk spreading

• Institutional – “rules of the game”,

sharing risk, collective management of

resources

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Why do institutions matter?

Dealing with uncertainty

At the heart of our societies – families,

enterprise, organisations, government,

neighbourhoods ….

Agreed rules of behaviour, assurance in

face of uncertainty, long term shared

expectations

Such as law, property rights, collective

management, norms and values….

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Author name

Date

Camilla Toulmin

July 8th 2015

An example from

Northern Kenya - Adaptation to climate

change through customary

local resource management

Isiolo Climate Adaptation

Fund, Isiolo County.

Thanks to:

Daoud Tari

Ibrahim

Jarso

Hildah

Kathare

Mumina

Bonaya

Cynthia

Awor

Jane Kiiru

Victor

Orindi

NDMA EWB

WAPCs &

County

Key

Informants

Morgan

Williams

Ced Hesse

Email: Caroline.King-

Okumu@iied.org

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An Example from Isiolo County

• Customary organisation: the Dedha manages

drought reserve grazing and water points, council of

elders plus team of young men as monitors;

• Maintains mobility over large area, and ensures

mutual help and responsibility between

counties/pastoral groups

• Recognised rights and authority to control access to

water and grazing

• During drought 2013-14, herders in Isiolo county

had lower mortality, high milk production, better

child nutrition, fewer diseases than neighbours –

rough return on investment 24:1!

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Read all about it:

Investing in institutional ‘software’ to

build climate resilience

http://anglejournal.com/article/2015-06-

investing-in-institutional-software-to-

build-climate-resilience/

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Living with variability

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Thank

you