AESEDA News :: Dr. Petra Tschakert receives USAID Global Climate Change Grant
Dr. Petra Tschakert, Assistant Professor of Geography and the Alliance for Earth Sciences, Engineering, and Development in Africa (AESEDA), receives a significant grant from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) Global Climate Change Program. Petra will collaborate closely with Dr. Bill Easterling (Geography and PSIE), Dr. Michael Mann (Meteorology and ESSC), and colleagues from the University of Ghana, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Ghana, and the Crops Research Institute in Kumasi, Ghana. The three-year grant will be used to build a collective learning and observatory network on climate change in Ghana, involving researchers, land users, extension agents, and policy makers. This information exchange structure is expected to bring the science of climate change and the implications for people and the environment to a level that is understandable, accessible, and beneficial to all parties involved. The network is anchored by four objectives: 1) assess people's understanding of climate change and other threats and identify determinants of adaptive capacity and decision-making for adaptation; 2) adjust climate forecasts and climate, carbon, and crop modeling to place-specific needs; 3) encourage social learning and risk communication for adaptation and resilience; and 4) identify land use and management practices, socio-economic strategies, and institutional arrangements that enhance C uptake and storage (mitigation) and contribute to more resilient livelihoods and eco-systems (adaptation).
"This grant allows us to address the linkages between scientific research and adaptive capacity and livelihoods among vulnerable populations as a two-way exchange process", explains Petra. "With increasing climate variability and extremes in West Africa, research on practical adaptation initiatives needs to reflect local priorities and concerns. We hope to achieve our goal through a creative, collective, and empowering learning process."