Drought Adaptations in Kenya

Severe problems of drought represent some of the most pressing humanitarian, environmental, and political challenges of our time. The objective of this project is to develop a system model that can be used to provide policy makers with reliable information and analyses so that they can make well-informed decisions on resilient water-related infrastructures in developing regions. The project will develop an integrated modeling framework to advance our understanding of complex interactions among the natural/environmental, physical, and social/political drivers contributing to drought severity. Specifically, the project will investigate how weather patterns affect water availability, which largely determines crop yields and livestock production and hence food availability. In addition, the project will study how the social-political realities contribute to aggravate or alleviate the drought impacts. Based on this understanding, the project will explore how policy instruments can be used to support drought adaptation responses. The project deliverable will be a prototype system model that addresses the drought situation faced by Kenya continuously over the past years.