Dynamic Drylands

Farmers and herders living in the drylands of Africa and the Middle East are used to dealing with uncertainty. But their resilience is being tested by new and complex challenges. In this podcast series, broadcaster Bola Mosuro talks to researchers, aid workers and herders about some of the new crises facing the drylands and the dynamic ways in which people are responding to meet them. She asks: what does long-term resilience look like in these fast-changing places? How are pastoralists and farmers adapting and innovating? And what can governments, development organisations and businesses do to more effectively support them? One thing is clear: the drylands are more dynamic than you might think.This series is produced by Supporting Pastoralism and Agriculture in Recurrent and Protracted Crises (SPARC), a six-year research programme managed by Cowater, the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Mercy Corps and ODI and commissioned by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).The podcast is produced by Loftus Media Ltd.For more information, visit www.sparc-knowledge.org/dynamic-drylands-podcast or find us on X (@SPARC_ideas).Note: This material has been funded by UK aid from the UK government; however, the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the UK government’s official policies.

Farmers and herders in the drylands are used to dealing with uncertainty and environmental unpredictability. So why are these millennia-old livelihood systems increasingly struggling to adapt to new shocks and crises?In this first episode of Dynamic Drylands, Bola Mosuro talks with experts about the kinds of support farmers and herders need, and what aid programmes work – and don’t work – in the drylands. She investigates how people can adapt and thrive in the face of complex, seemingly unsolvable problems: where decades of marginalisation, insecurity or conflict are compounded by new issues such as climate change, or the rise of militant insurgency.Dynamic Drylands is a podcast which explores new ways of thinking about aid, development and resilience in the drylands of Africa and the Middle East. It is produced by Supporting Pastoralism and Agriculture in Recurrent and Protracted Crises (SPARC), a six-year research programme managed by Cowater, the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Mercy Corps and ODI and commissioned by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). Podcast Production by Loftus Media. For show notes, visit www.sparc-knowledge.org/dynamic-drylands-podcast or find us on X (@SPARC_ideas).Contributors: Dorice Agol, Muzzamil Abdi Sheikh, Colette Benoudji, Simon Levine.Host: Bola Mosuro.

The drylands of Africa and the Middle East are home to millions of nomadic pastoralists, who make a living from livestock that move between water sources and seasonal grazing areas. It’s a way of life that has not just survived but thrived for thousands of years. But pastoralists’ access to land and natural resources is changing – and increasingly coming into contact with other people and new plans for drylands development. In this episode of Dynamic Drylands, Bola explores how pastoralists use and access land and natural resources, and how to resolve the knotty issue of farmer-herder conflicts.Dynamic Drylands is a podcast which explores new ways of thinking about aid, development and resilience in the drylands of Africa and the Middle East. It is produced by Supporting Pastoralism and Agriculture in Recurrent and Protracted Crises (SPARC), a six-year research programme managed by Cowater, the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Mercy Corps and ODI and commissioned by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). Podcast Production by Loftus Media. For show notes, visit www.sparc-knowledge.org/dynamic-drylands-podcast or find us on X (@SPARC_ideas).Contributors: Fiona Flintan, Sarli Sardou Nana, Emmanuel Seck.Host: Bola Mosuro.

The livelihoods of pastoralists in the drylands of Africa and the Middle East centre around livestock: raising, milking and selling camels, cattle, goats and sheep. Far from being small and unprofitable, livestock keeping supplies millions of people in the region with meat and milk, as well as a source of income and exports. In this episode, Bola Mosuro goes under the hood to talk with experts about the relationship herders have to their livestock, and how markets and financial measures are being adapted to support people through new shocks and challenges.Dynamic Drylands is a podcast which explores new ways of thinking about aid, development and resilience in the drylands of Africa and the Middle East. It is produced by Supporting Pastoralism and Agriculture in Recurrent and Protracted Crises (SPARC), a six-year research programme managed by Cowater, the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Mercy Corps and ODI and commissioned by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). Podcast Production by Loftus Media. For show notes, visit www.sparc-knowledge.org/dynamic-drylands-podcast or find us on X (@SPARC_ideas).Contributors: Rupsha Banerjee, Carmen Jacquez, Kelvin Shikuku.Host: Bola Mosuro.

How can a smartphone app improve the way pastoralists and farmers interpret weather and climate patterns? How does AI help with cattle sales? And how are new forms of social support transforming women’s lives and livelihoods? In this fourth and final episode of Dynamic Drylands, Bola Mosuro finds out about the innovative systems and strategies that herders and farmers are adopting to navigate new uncertainties.Dynamic Drylands is a podcast which explores new ways of thinking about aid, development and resilience in the drylands of Africa and the Middle East. It is produced by Supporting Pastoralism and Agriculture in Recurrent and Protracted Crises (SPARC), a six-year research programme managed by Cowater, the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Mercy Corps and ODI and commissioned by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). Podcast Production by Loftus Media. For show notes, visit www.sparc-knowledge.org/dynamic-drylands-podcast or find us on X (@SPARC_ideas)Contributors: Diba Wako, Tahira Mohamed, Alexis Teyie, Joshua Laizer. Host: Bola Mosuro.