Integrating Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Change into Sustainable Development Planning in Southern and Eastern Africa: KENYA Pilot Country - Makueni African Centre for Technology Studies Kenya Centre for Science and Technology (CIST) African Centre for Technology Studies United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Presented by UNEP DGEF Sub-regional Workshop for GEF Focal Points Nairobi, May 2007

Project framework  Objective: To integrate climate change in sustainable development planning to reduce vulnerability to climate change  Piloting mainstreaming methodology: Field component, policy component, up-scaling (into policy) component  Three pilots are underway in Kenya, Mozambique, Rwanda

Project Preparation: Involving policy actors up front  Policy specialists wrote 5 technical papers at the beginning together with climate experts  Regional workshop was held based on these plus country work plans developed, including policy process  Three countries selected based link to climate impacts as well as policy receptiveness and feasibility  Pilot project designed based on model for policy driven research and information  The Arid and Semi Arid Lands (ASAL) policy group were selected in Kenya  Representative from President’s office (ASAL) active member of country team

Policy Context for the Kenyan Pilot Project 1)Sessional paper No 6 of 1999 on Environment and Development implemented through the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) for unified guidelines towards achieving sustainable development 2)Sessional paper on sustainable development of Arid and Semi- arid lands (ASAL)- Finalized in July 2005, an intiative of ALRMP. 3)The National Disaster Management Policy. Full implementation of these policies require pilot studies to prove their usefulness. The project will test the principles outlined in the policies and suggest ways of improvement. Integrating Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Change into Drought Management (GEF Project add on to ASAL)

The Kenya project 3 Components: Identifying areas of ASAL where climate change should be factored in and engage those responsible Testing climate adaptation measures on the ground and measure results and added value to ASAL Give feed back to policy makers for policy improvement

Measures being tested for uptake by ASAL 1.Downscaling meteorological information to farmers through extension workers - farmers use this information for timing of planting, fertilization and seed selection 2.Increasing seed varieties for climate resilience, intercropping etc. 3.Water retention and efficiency measures

How is feedback given to policy makers?  Policy makers from the Office of the President (National Academy of Sciences) is involved in the project - he is one of the authors of the ASAL policy document.  Tools identified in technical papers  Integration may happen into the implementation plan and through the budgeting framework at central or local level.

Conclusions  Policies that are placed on paper need to be coupled with ground testing at community level  Deliberate proactive steps must be taken so that such grass-root projects actually inform policy - it does not happen automatically  Demonstration project started in so impact is yet to be felt  Practices being replicated by neighbours to project site and early uptake by policy makers

Thank you