DRYLANDS SUMMER SCHOOL
BUILDING RESILIENCE FROM BELOW IN THE PASTORAL DRYLANDS
Date: 16-21 March 2027
Venue: Camp Simpirre at Gotu, Isiolo County, Kenya
Application Deadline: 20th November 2026
- Introduction and Rationale
Despite a growing body of evidence to the contrary, pastoralism as a production system remains on the fringe of development policy frameworks, with the main policy direction aimed at replacing it with ‘more efficient’ and modern production systems such as irrigation and ranching. Consequently, most responses to the shocks in the drylands are framed by the assumption that pastoralism is inherently vulnerable and thus requires recurrent relief, so people need to diversify out of pastoralism. This biased view is rooted in beliefs of the superiority of sedentary agricultural systems. This view entrenches an old-age misconception of pastoralism as an inefficient and environmentally destructive form of livelihood where poverty necessarily persists.
Nevertheless, new research findings have shown that pastoralism, operated under dryland conditions, is resilient to environmental stressors. As a production and land use system, it has shown its viable nature, which has helped researchers rethink resilience-building using a transdisciplinary perspective. In partnership with the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) and others, CRDD has been engaging with alternative, locally relevant and grounded perspectives to promote effective early warning, response and adaptation to crises. We call this approach ‘resilience from below’, which suggests new ways of working for governments, humanitarian agencies and development actors.
Part of this effort involves organising the much-anticipated second edition of the Drylands Summer School in 2027. This will bring together Master’s and PhD students studying development studies, social anthropology/sociology, political science, economics, agriculture/livestock production, ecology, natural resource management and other fields that engage with rangelands, livestock systems and the political/social/economic aspects of dryland and pastoral areas.
Through a combination of lectures and interactive exercises, the Summer School will examine and challenge myths about pastoralism, explore how resilience has been understood and applied, alongside alternative approaches to policy and practice. The Summer School will also be an opportunity for participants to share their research plans and learn about appropriate methodologies and concepts. The aim will be to prepare the next generation of practitioners with the necessary skills to engage with pastoral contexts more effectively.
The first Summer School was held at Camp Simpirre in Isiolo county in February 2025. A video offers an overview of the School to give you a flavour of what to expect. The students also organised the Camp Simpirre declaration.
2. The first edition of the Summer School 2025
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qavD08DsjkI
Overview: https://www.crdd-kenya.org/summer-school
Declaration: https://www.crdd-kenya.org/blog/post/declaration-student-participants-dryland-summer-school
3. Aims and Objectives
The Summer School will draw on emerging research evidence on the need to rethink policy, development and humanitarian interventions in the pastoral drylands by focusing on local constructs of resilience. By participating in the Summer School, participants will:
- Familiarise themselves with key debates on pastoral systems in relation to the diverse social, ecological and political changes in the Horn of Africa, with knowledge and methods shared of use for Master’s and PhD theses.
- Get exposure through peer-to-peer learning and ideas towards co-creating alternative methodological and analytical approaches in conducting research, resilience and humanitarian programmes in drylands of direct use in the development of postgraduate theses and in practitioner work when studies are completed.
- Explore the possibilities of establishing a network of emerging and future scholar-activist-practitioners to champion the privileging of pastoralists’ knowledge, assets and capacities in research, policy and practice.
4. Target participants
The intended participants are Master’s and PhD students from Kenya who have an interest in the social, economic, political, and ecological dynamics of dryland ecosystems. If funding allows, we hope to sponsor the international travel of a small number of students from the broader Horn of Africa region (Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, South Sudan, Uganda, and Tanzania). Applicants must show proof of enrolment and consistent progress in a Master’s or PhD programme at a university located in the region.
5. Summer school venue and duration
The Summer School will be in-person at Gotu in Isiolo county, Kenya. It will be from 16th March (arrival) to 21st March (departure) 2027, with four days of intensive sessions.
6. Approach and Facilitators
Participation in the Summer School will be in person and participation for the full period is required. It will be delivered through a combination of lectures, participatory exercises and fieldwork facilitated by a team of international research and policy experts on diverse social, political, economic and ecological drylands dynamics.
Some of the key facilitators include Professor Ian Scoones (IDS Sussex), Professor Elizabeth Stites (Tufts University), Dr. Hussein Tadicha (CRDD), Dr Rahma Hassan (CRDD/Tufts) and Professor Emeritus Gufu Oba (Formerly of Norwegian University of Life Sciences) currently Executive Director of Gaadisa Gummi Foundation (GGF). Other distinguished scholars and practitioners will also be involved potentially including from ILRI/Jameel Observatory, Christensen Foundation and ICPALD. We will also have some participants from the first Summer School attending who will share their experience of moving on from postgraduate study to working in this field.
The programme will include a) Introduction to pastoralism and policy; b) Exploring experiences of resilience from below and the role of high reliability professionals; c) Qualitative methods for research in pastoral areas; d) Policy processes and facilitating change; e) Thematic discussions on key areas identified; f) Informal discussions on thesis research. Plus other sessions identified by participants if time allows. Sessions will be relaxed, informal and interactive and there will time too for shared meals, informal chats, watching films, enjoying music, dancing and more!
7. Funding
Through the on-going support of the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), CRDD will cover the full cost of participation (ground transportation, meals and accommodation) of all students. In addition to encouraging self-sponsorship, we will seek funding for international participation from the wider Horn of Africa.
8. Application process
If you are interested in attending and you fit all the criteria for attendance, please apply through the link below before November 20th 2026, completing all the sections fully. We will aim to accept around 40 participants with a good balance of disciplinary field, past experience, gender and origin (although note regional participation will be conditional on funding, but please apply). In the first edition of the Drylands Summer School in 2025 we were overwhelmed with applications, so please only expect a response in early 2027.
Application link: https://forms.gle/hrrZevSVGGCqCLNFA
