Scaling out resilient Water and Agricultural Systems (ScaleWAYS) is a project implemented under the broader framework of Advancing Water Futures and Scenarios (WFaS East Africa: Accelerating transition towards resilient water and Food Systems). It’s a research project that would be implemented in the extended Lake Victoria Basin.

The research would cover two agricultural production systems: Rice Production & Fodder production in the agro-pastoral set-up with a view to identify action options for intensification of water efficient and resilient practices within the two systems.

The Partnership and Implementation arrangement:

The work is undertaken as a partnership between the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) based in Austria together with the Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC) as the local regional implementing partner. LVBC will involve all its member countries in the research project. The International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) will contribute as an international research partner. Local universities and centers of excellence will join to carry out specific research activities.

Expected outputs and project outcomes.

The expected outcome is to have an improved understanding of up scaling of promising local and regional land and water management practices for sustainable intensification of rain fed and irrigated agriculture. Activities carried out over the course of the three-year implementation period are structured around the following output areas:

(i)        Output 1 – Identification and scoping of pilot initiatives: Promising pilot initiatives for resilient local and regional agricultural water management are identified and scoped in detail to determine up scaling potential in selected agro-ecological zones;

(ii)       Output 2 – Multi-dimensional up-scaling simulations: A biophysical and economic model for up scaling the sustainable intensification of selected rainfed and irrigated agricultural practices is produced/adapted and tested for at least two agricultural production systems;

(iii)      Output 3 – Political economy analysis and stakeholder engagement: Political economy aspects, social and gender dimensions relevant to the up scaling of selected pilot initiatives in selected agricultural production systems are analysed and level of understanding is documented; and

(iv)      Output 4 – Capacity development: Capacities of practitioners and researchers from regional and local institutions from academia, government, NGOs and business advanced in the scope of the research project.