Adaptation at Scale in Semi-Arid Regions (ASSAR) (£172,111)

Adaptation at Scale in Semi-Arid Regions (ASSAR) is 5-year (May 2014 –November, 2018) consortium funded by IDRC and DFID. The consortium is led by the University of Cape Town and covers Eastern Africa, Western Africa, Southern Africa, and Central Asia (India). ASSAR’s overarching objective is to deepen understanding of climate vulnerability and adaptation in semi-arid regions, and help transform current adaptation practice to a mode that achieves proactive, widespread adaptation embedded in development activities at multiple governance scales, to advance adaptive livelihoods for vulnerable groups. Specific objectives are to: (i) undertake high-quality, transdisciplinary research to generate new knowledge on vulnerability and adaptation; (ii) develop and trial relevant actionable strategies for adaptation; (iii) drive innovative communication approaches for knowledge sharing; and (iv) enable systemic capacity strengthening for adaptation in research, policy and practice