1. Adaptation to climate Change
The experiences of Practical Action/
Sudan
Darfur Program
Kenya June 2010

2. Practical Action Vision
Practical Action's Vision is of a sustainable world
free of poverty and injustice in which technology is
used for the benefit of all.
Practical Action Mission
“To use technology to challenge poverty by:
• building the capabilities of poor people,
• improving their access to technical options and
knowledge, and
• working with them to influence social, economic and
institutional systems for innovation and the use of
technology”.

3. Strategic fit
• Practical Action operates under four strategic
objectives:
– Vulnerability reduction :
• Coping with the risk if natural and complex hazards,
including climate change
• Natural Resource Management
• Food security
– Markets and livelihoods
• Actors, access, diversification of products/services,
– Infrastructure services
• WATSAN, energy, shelter, transport - livelihoods
– New Technologies

4. Practical Action Climate Change Programme
• Run a programme of work that helps poor people to
adapt and which helps us develop models of
excellence in adaptation.
• Use our experience and knowledge to promote best
practice seeking to influence other development
practitioners, donors and decision-makers to ensure
that all development work is „climate proofed‟.
• Persuade decision makers and donors to urgently
adopt more ambitious targets for mitigation and give
more support to help poor women and men to adapt.
• Reduce the carbon footprint of our own organization
and its work.

5. Practical Action Climate Change Programme
1. Enhance our knowledge and understanding of the
actual and likely effects of climate change upon the
people we are working with, the impact upon their
lives and livelihoods
2. Understanding of what our programme will contribute
to enabling people to adapt to climate change
3. What our work will do to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions
4. Identifying which issues Practical Action will engage
on nationally and what will be contributed to the
organisation‟s global policy agenda

6. A glance at the context in Sudan
– Drought , Low rainfall is
responsible for the decrease Mekheit – Famine food
of land productivity, and
frequent food insecurity
– Land use methods
incompatible with the given
natural conditions are the
major causes of destruction of
agricultural resources in
Sudan
Sandstorm in Khartoum 2007

7. A glance at the context in Sudan?
– Overstocking of pastures, regardless of their
actual carrying capacity
– Rapid sand dunes movement towards south
6-8 Km per an annum .
– The extension of rain-fed farming far beyond
the agronomic dry boundary is one of the
most important causes of desertification in
the Sahelian zone of Sudan.
– Excessive felling of trees for buildings and
fuel wood.

8. Practical Action -
Darfur

9. N.Darfur Introduction
• Location: Western Sudan.
• Area:192,000 square km.
• General characterized: by remoteness,
isolation lack of infrastructure and
services, the state identified as one of
the poorest among 26 states of Sudan.
• Population: 1,8 m (2009 census).
Growth rate 4.9 %
• Climatically:lies on the Southern edges
of the Sahara desert and fall within the
arid of Sahara desert zone of Africa.
• Rainfall: not exceed 300mm annum.

10. Community Adaptation
interventions

11. Terraces and animal traction
– To retain as much of the rain that does
fall in the target area or upstream
– Communities are trained to decide on
slopes and construct the terraces
(VEAs)
– It generates helps farmers grow crops
even if rains fall away from farm areas
but drained by wadis from upstream
– It continue producing diversified crops
for 6 months after the rainy season,
plough and terraces seen every where

15. Camel plough

16. Dams
– It helps spread water in a wide area to be
cultivated recession farming after the rainy season
– It enhances sub-surface aquifer for domestic
water supply
– It enhances the vegetation cover
– Food from edible crops grown, income from selling
cash crops, subsurface water, jobs as casual
workers; fodder from wild weeds, etc
– Built 5 dams (approximately 17,000 Acres flooded

17. Dams
Technically:
– In addition to spillways, building sluice gates to
allow for washing the silt that deposit upstream.
– Dig a trench below the earth embankment to
minimize possibilities of washing the embankment
– Pitching of the embankment to protect it from
washing.

18. Haffir for drinking water

19. Dam diverting water for cultivation

20. Enhancing the vegetation cover
• Established 12 community nurseries
with a capacity of 100,000 seedlings
• Rehabilitated El Fashir central nursery
• Trained communities in managing the
nurseries
• Grown about 1,300,000 seedlings with
focus on endangered the Baobab tree
since 2003
• Established 6community forests with
an average of 8,000 trees grown
• 150 villages received and grown
seedlings

21. Recovery of the vegetation covers (North
Darfur State)
Communal nursery

22. Two year old community forest

23. Reducing Biomass fuel consumption
• Conserving natural resources through the reduction of
consumption of biomass fuel and to reduce smoke
related hazards
• Saving of 60% of fuel. It is estimated that about 100,000
IDP families in greater Darfur have adopted improved
stoves through the multiplier effect of TOT.
• Promoted LPG as clean energy. Over 2500HH owned
appliances and 7500 in the process

25. • 40% of Darfur rural houses were either whole or
partially burnt as a war strategy
•The environment in the region has already been
exhausted by drought and human activities necessitate a
need for alternative shelter

27. 2010 plan
• Contribute to strengthening partners who are
involved in adaptations initiatives (Capacity building)
• Build local communities capacities to contribute to
collection of local metrological data (e.g. rain gages)
• Production of knowledge items (booklet, banners,
video films & posters).
• Selected best community adaptation practices for
documentation and disseminations
• Scale up successful adaptation practices through
influencing partners and donors
• Use local media for environmental awareness
message