UK Weather and Climate Information SERvices for Africa (WISER) HIGHWAY Research and Fellowship 2019

Development of African academic and research capacity to facilitate the integration of local knowledge and terminology, including indigenous knowledge, into weather information and warnings in the Lake Victoria Basin. 

Application Deadline: 5th March 2019 at 12:00 noon (GMT)

Eligible Countries: Select African countries based or operating in the Lake Victoria Basin (e.g. Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda)

About the Award:To develop academic and research capability in region, facilitating the increase in uptake and use of weather warnings across target communities and users by making them more relevant and usable, with local knowledge and terminology. 

One of the challenges of introducing decision-making weather information to communities is its accessibility and ‘local acceptability’ to vulnerable people (end-users). Indigenous Knowledge (IK) has developed over many years, has its own vocabulary for terms, and is a fully understood and accepted for decision support by the local communities. The introduction of meteorology as an alternative source of decision-making information is a challenge as it is an unknown quantity and the language is often very technical in nature.  

This activity should test the effectiveness of incorporating IK and its vocabulary into the processes of distributing weather information and warnings, in collaboration with African academics and researchers. 

This activity will take place alongside pilots on Lake Victoria (in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda) testing the delivery of a regional, co-produced Impact-Based Early Warning System for key weather hazards to lake users and communities.  Where suitable processes and methodologies are identified, it will develop the guidance and capacity for these to be delivered across the Lake Victoria region.

Type: Research, Fellowship

Eligibility: WISER, and the HIGHWAY project favour activities that are led by, or have very strong participation from, organisations and individuals either based or operating in the project regions, in this case the Lake Victoria Basin (e.g. Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda), and this will be reflected in the assessment of bids.

On this basis, we would expect any consortium undertaking this research programme to include:

• Established researchers and social scientists (from universities within and outside the region) forming a multi-disciplinary team with experience in (some or all of) use of weather information, integration of local knowledge (IK), communicating risk and working in communities;
• Early-career academics (undergraduate to post-graduate) working in weather, climate or social science. Specific information should be given in the responses as to how it will support African early-career academics, and how many;
• NMHS staff to support access to key user groups, such as extension workers or Service Development Team leads, and;  Representatives or members of key user groups and communities.

Number of Awards: Not specified

How to Apply: 

• It is important to go through all application requirements on the Programme Webpage see link below) before applying
• GOODLUCK!

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