| Sumario: | Co-designing research-for-development interventions with humanitarian organizations, government agencies, communities, experts, and policymakers promotes a participatory approach that tailors disaster resilience solutions to local needs, builds trust and evidence, and empowers refugees and host communities. With this in mind, we co-developed research-for-development interventions in refugee host community settings in Ethiopia. The co-design exercise was conducted using a workshop that combined presentations, breakout sessions, and a panel discussion. It gathered 27 participants and focused on four themes: nature-based solutions for addressing natural disasters and land productivity, flood hazard mapping, water access and availability for multiple uses, and evolving livelihood shifts and governance to improve resilience. The participants included (i) policy and decision-makers, such as government representatives (local, regional, national); (ii) humanitarian organizations, such as WFP and UNHCR, along with collaborating NGOs; and (iii) researchers and academics.
The knowledge sharing component of the co-design workshop highlighted collaborative research approaches and results, while breakout sessions concentrated on co-developing future interventions. The panel discussion, involving WFP, UNHCR, NGOs, and government offices, examined steps and challenges in designing resilience programs in refugee-hosting settings, considerations for equitable and sustainable livelihoods, and the role of collaborative research in creating socially acceptable and sustainable solutions.
Recurring issues identified during the co-design workshop included environmental degradation, salinity, poor water infrastructure, weak extension services, and aid dependency. The findings indicated that the challenges in addressing these problems stem from limited technical capacity, fragmented governance, lack of reliable data, and insufficient funding. Social barriers such as gender inequality and low community engagement and weak institutional collaboration further complicate intervention efforts.
Participants collaboratively developed a suite of interventions and research priorities in various thematic areas to address the challenges and problems in the study areas. The key thematic areas included: (i) NbS for land restoration and flood mitigation, (ii) Tailored flood forecasting models integrating community data, (iii) Smart irrigation and salinity management technologies, (iv) Strengthening cooperatives and irrigation water user associations (IWUAs), and (v) Gender-sensitive livelihood programs and market access strategies. Furthermore, detailed action plans for interventions identified for each thematic area, outlining objectives, activities, timelines, resources, and expected outcomes were developed.
The key recommendations came out from the co-design workshop emphasized shifting from humanitarian aid to development-oriented assistance, promoting inclusive governance, expanding infrastructure, and enhancing stakeholder coordination. It was also suggested the importance of community participation in designing interventions, ensuring local authority support, and developing practical solutions tailored to environmental and socio-economic challenges.
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