What is Safe4All about?

Hasse: “The aim of the project is to make three African countries more resilient to the effects of climate change: Ghana, Zimbabwe and Kenya. During the project climate tools will be co-developed, such as apps for farmers to receive weather forecasts. CAS creates tools for longer-term planning and decision-making. We develop the tools together with local partners and potential users. We are also developing a learning programme to support practitioners, such as climate service providers, policy officers and agricultural extension officers. And for us, this project offers an opportunity to bring the Climate Impact Atlas to Ghana, Zimbabwe and Kenya.”  

Want to know more about Safe4All? Then go to the project page 

A Climate Impact Atlas for Kenya sounds like a lot of work. How far along are you with that now?

Sophie: “We haven’t started from scratch. Between 2019 and 2022, we created a first version of the atlas. Thanks to the Safe4All project, we can continue with this. We are again working with our partners at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) and the Kenya Meteorological Service (KMD) to take the current atlas to the next level. This includes updating climate information and expanding the atlas to include four additional counties.”  

Hasse: “The Dutch Climate Impact Atlas started 15 years ago with two provinces. Over time, other provinces joined, and new research partners kept getting involved. We hope to see the same growth in Kenya, and then also in Ghana and Zimbabwe. By setting up these atlases, we also hope to create a lasting partnership between all kinds of organisations. In the Netherlands, for example, the KNMI regularly updates scenarios, while other research institutes keep maps on climate effects up to date.”  

What exactly did you do in Kenya?

Hasse: “On the second day, we held a workshop, for which we made final preparations with our partners on the day of arrival. For the workshop, more than 20 participants gathered at the hotel where we stayed. That hotel was a beautiful place where we enjoyed the local food and the warm atmosphere!”  

Sophie: “The participants came from four counties of Kenya: Narok, Nyandarua, Nairobi and Kisumu. Some had to travel six hours to attend. There were farmers from each county, extension workers, and representatives from ministries, JKUAT and KMD. Hasse and I hosted two sessions. During the first workshop, we wanted to hear directly from participants how they experience climate change in their communities. For this purpose, we had brought large posters with diagrams inspired by the NAS Adaptation Tool. The posters were incredibly effective in starting the conversation about the impacts of climate change.”   

Hasse: “Then we introduced the Adaptation Pyramid to start discussions on how to combat the impacts of climate change locally. We wanted to hear what participants thought about what measures would work best for their communities. During a lively and engaging session, each group created its own adaptation pyramid. It was incredibly fun – and also amazing – to see how well the pyramid works for Kenyan farming communities!”    

Are you happy with the results?

Sophie: “Absolutely! The participants shared so much valuable information! And it was great to see how excited everyone was to work together for the next three years. We also visited the headquarters of the KMD to discuss and confirm our collaboration. They are an important partner in the project, also because they provide data for the atlas.” 

And you went to Narok to meet farmers. How was that?

Sophie: “Visiting Narok was a unique and valuable experience. By engaging with local farmers, we were able to hear their stories and only really understand their challenges. The differences turned out to be huge. For example, we met John, a farmer who had cows, sheep and chickens and grew several crops. He used modern tools like online weather forecasting, a biogas system and an underground water storage. But uphill lived a small farming community that did not have these resources and struggled with water shortages. The residents looked to the stars and to animals and plants to predict the weather for the coming days.”   

Did you only work in Kenya? Or was there also time for relaxation?

Sophie: “We were definitely able to relax too, and especially enjoyed the beautiful nature. Kenya is a beautiful country. But you do realise during a visit that life there is hard, for example for all those farming communities now struggling with the effects of climate change. We hope that with the Climate Impact Atlas and the learning programme we can make a positive contribution in the Safe4All countries. In any case, we are determined to make it a success!”