EU-MAIL Transition Project produces film about an EU-funded tool that analyses food insecurity and malnutrition in Afghanistan

The Integrated Food Security and Nutrition Phase Classification (IPC) was introduced in Afghanistan in August 2011 and has been supported by the EU through the EU-MAIL Transition Project, which is managed by Landell Mills, since 2014. The IPC unit functions under the agricultural statistics directorate of the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL).

IPC is an innovative multi-partner initiative that improves food security and nutrition analysis and decision-making. It is a common global system for classifying the severity of food insecurity and malnutrition. It also supports strategic and coordinated responses to the crises according to internationally-recognised scientific standards.

IPC Acute food insecurity 2018

IPC is an important tool for MAIL and the government to identify how many people are food insecure in each province and provide timely interventions to people in need. Since 2012, the country has been conducting IPC Acute Food Insecurity analyses in all 34 provinces on a yearly basis. The latest IPC analysis estimates that 43.6% of the rural population in Afghanistan are suffering from food insecurity.

IPC Acute food insecurity 2019

The IPC in Afghanistan brings together technical and institutional stakeholders, including government, UN agencies and NGOs, who share knowledge and work together to ensure that the IPC system is tailored to the needs of Afghanistan. This is achieved through workshops, technical working groups meetings, steering committee meetings, provision of Technical Assistance and a gap analysis of the IPC system.

You can find out more by watching the short film about the IPC in Afghanistan produced by the EU-MAIL Transition Project.

Find out more about the EU-MAIL Transition project:

Achievements of the EU-MAIL Transition Project showcased in short film

EU-MAIL Transition Project creates Advisory Unit under one-year contract extension

Achievements of EU-MAIL Transition project presented at steering committee meeting in Afghanistan

Landell Mills managed project supports evidence-based policy on food security in Afghanistan

Training programme gives staff skills for accurate data analysis to address food shortages in Afghanistan

Landell Mills managed project showcases grapes in Afghanistan to boost trade and find potential international markets

Fruits produced by Landell Mills-managed horticultural project impress Afghanistan’s Chief Executive, H.E. Dr. Abdullah Abdullah

Study tour in Thailand teaches best practices for sustainable management of water resources

Landell Mills, in partnership with the Department of Water Resources, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Thailand, organised a five-day study tour to Thailand as part of the Technical Assistance project Strengthening Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in Mountainous River Basins. The contract is administered by ADB, funded by the Japanese Fund for Poverty Reduction and managed by Landell Mills.

The tour improved the participants’ knowledge and capacity in sustainable management of water resources in River Basins through visits to various government water-related departments such as the Department of Water Resources, Office of National Water Resources, and Royal Irrigation Department, as well as technical visits to the Kra Siao Operation and Maintenance Project and a floodgate project to learn about controlling the flow of water during both drought and flooding periods.

The participants included Landell Mills’ staff, along with 20 key stakeholders from the project’s three target countries; Afghanistan, Bhutan and Nepal. They included members of the Panj Amu River Basin Agency (PARBA) and the Ministry of Energy and Water (MEW) in Afghanistan, Environment Officers of the Wangchhu Basin Committee (WBC) and Chair Persons of the District Councils in the basin in Bhutan, and members from the High Powered Committee for Integrated Development of the Bagmati Civilization (HPCIDBC), the Water and Energy Commission Secretariat (WECS), and the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation (MEWRI) in Nepal. 

The participants learnt about functioning river basins and the governance and institutional setup of River Basin Organisations. The study particularly focused on understanding the linkages between river basin management and local government, and the key government strategies and mechanisms used in Thailand. They can now apply this knowledge to help implement IWRM in the project’s target river basins; the Panj Amu in Afghanistan, Wangchhu in Bhutan and the Bagmati River Basin in Nepal.

Particularly useful lessons from the study tour included institutional arrangements and stakeholder coordination mechanisms, showing the roles and interactions between various organisations involved with water management in Thailand. There was also a focus on technology in river basin management, and discussions around the formation of water user groups and decision support systems in terms of data sharing and management.

The project ‘Strengthening Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in Mountainous River Basins’  is providing technical assistance to strengthen water resources management. It will help each of the three target countries to cope with expected changes in water availability due to climate change and increases in water demand to support economic and population growth.

Find out more about the project:

Study Tour to Japan enhances knowledge in effective river basin management for Bhutan and Nepal

Mid-project workshop in Kathmandu discusses way forward for Strengthening Integrated Water Resource Management in Mountainous River Basins project  

Achievements of the EU-MAIL Transition Project showcased in short film

Landell Mills and the EU have produced a short film about the impact of the EU-MAIL Transition Project (EU Support to Capacitate MAIL in Transition for Sustainable Public Services Delivery) which is managed by Landell Mills.

The film showcases the EU-funded project’s key achievements and features interviews with directors from MAIL’s directorates, as well as people who have benefitted from the programme, such as farmers and ranchmen.

The project is the EU’s initiative for supporting, improving, modernising and standardising the agriculture and livestock sectors in Afghanistan. It started in 2014 in order to support the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL) to embed the results achieved by previous EU-funded projects in the agricultural sector.

The project will be completed in December 2019 and has strengthened the institutional environment of MAIL, so it is ready to tackle the future challenges of private sector development in agriculture.

Watch the film:

Find out more about the EU-MAIL Transition Project here:

EU-MAIL Transition Project creates Advisory Unit under one-year contract extension

Achievements of EU-MAIL Transition project presented at steering committee meeting in Afghanistan

Landell Mills managed project supports evidence-based policy on food security in Afghanistan

Training programme gives staff skills for accurate data analysis to address food shortages in Afghanistan

Landell Mills managed project showcases grapes in Afghanistan to boost trade and find potential international markets

Fruits produced by Landell Mills-managed horticultural project impress Afghanistan’s Chief Executive, H.E. Dr. Abdullah Abdullah

Landell Mills wins Asian Development Bank contract to strengthen Integrated Flood Risk Management across eight Asian countries

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has contracted Landell Mills to implement a Knowledge Support Technical Assistance project to strengthen Integrated Flood Risk Management (IFRM) across Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines and Vietnam. IFRM is a basin or catchment perspective to flood risk management which incorporates social, economic, financial, environmental, and institutional aspects, as well as engineering, disaster preparedness, insurance, and emergency response requirements.

The technical assistance will strengthen the design and implementation of IFRM solutions, enhancing knowledge and the application of IFRM strategies across the eight countries. The project will provide targeted technical support for program and project preparation and promote more holistic IFRM solutions, including basin-scale and nature-based solutions which are inspired and supported by nature.

The project will focus on the following results:

1. enhancing ADB and target governments’ knowledge to implement IFRM projects

2. evaluating target country flood risk management and investment strategies

3. integrating IFRM concepts into future ADB investments

Landell Mills has partnered with Jeremy Benn Associates for this contract, a UK based environment, water and flood risk management consultancy. The project will run for 24 months and started on 4th February 2019.

EU-MAIL Transition Project creates Advisory Unit under one-year contract extension

The EU-MAIL Transition Project, which is managed by Landell Mills, has created an Advisory Unit (AU) to transfer the knowledge and results of the institutional work established under the Project into the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL) of Afghanistan. The €14 million Project has been extended for another year in order to support the new Advisory Unit until the end of 2019.

The AU will focus on the provision of tailored national and international technical assistance and will be responsible for facilitating the transfer of functions from the Project to MAIL, which until now has been carried out by the Project’s technical and financial support. The functions that MAIL will be taking over include institutional structures and mechanisms. 

As a result of the past two years of implementation, the Project established and consolidated a series of mechanisms and good practices in the following areas which the AU will work to consolidate:

• Technical and institutional capacity building

• Coordination with other projects and donors

• Institutional service delivery

• Sustainability

• Policy development and revisions

• Reform

• Public private sectors linkage

• Resources allocation

• Food and feed safety

• Horticulture research

• Certification of seeds and planting material

• Planning and programs

The General Director of Policy and Planning officially launched the AU on the 2nd December at the most recent EU-MAIL Transition Project Steering Committee, which is held every six months. The AU will report to the General Directorate of Policy and Planning, which recently agreed the implementation plan based on the following key deliverables:

• Development and endorsement of Tashkeel (Afghan civil service) guidelines

• Integration of the ‘Research to Extension’ reform

• Gap analysis of the MAIL legal department

• Gap analysis and a future strategy of the Perennial Horticulture Development Centers

• Development of an Institutionalisation Plan for the Horticulture Cluster Steering Committee

• Development of an Institutionalisation Plan for the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) Secretariat   

The EU-funded project has been running since 2014 and will now be finalised at the end of the year when the AU will be fully institutionalised into the government structure of the MAIL.

Find out more about the EU-MAIL Transition Project here:

Achievements of EU-MAIL Transition project presented at steering committee meeting in Afghanistan

Landell Mills managed project supports evidence-based policy on food security in Afghanistan

Training programme gives staff skills for accurate data analysis to address food shortages in Afghanistan

Landell Mills managed project showcases grapes in Afghanistan to boost trade and find potential international markets

Fruits produced by Landell Mills-managed horticultural project impress Afghanistan’s Chief Executive, H.E. Dr. Abdullah Abdullah

Conservation Agriculture Conference organised by Landell Mills recognises the achievements of the Sudan Food Security Programme – Rural Smallholders Component

Landell Mills organised a three-day Conservation Agriculture Conference in Khartoum to share lessons learnt from the EU-funded Sudan Food Security Programme–Rural Smallholders Component (SFSP–RSC), and map out the next steps to take conservation agriculture forward in Sudan.

The event attracted over 90 participants, many of whom were directly involved in the Programme including NGOs, smallholder farmers, state and federal government staff, private companies, financial institutions and insurance companies. The presence of a wide variety of organisations reflected the successful partnerships established under the programme, which contributed to achieving its objectives.

The first day of the conference focussed on sharing the achievements of the programme and opened with a speech from His Excellency Ambassador Jean Michel Dumond, Head of Delegation of the European Union to Sudan. The following two days were made up of technical workshops and focussed on four themes: research and technology development; extension, technology transfer and farmers’ associations; private sector engagement; and the role of financial institutions. For each theme, the participants agreed on a set of key recommendations in order to continue the practice and development of conservation agriculture among smallholder farmers in Sudan. Landell Mills will produce conference proceedings that will share the recommendations.

Landell Mills’ Chief Technical Advisor, Abdul Hamid Rhametalla giving a presentation

A number of presentations were given by participants, including Landell Mills’ Chief Technical Advisor, Abdul Hamid Rhametalla, as well as the four lead NGO implementing partners, World Vision, SOS Sahel, ZOA and Welthungerhilfe. Other presenters included Professor Lotfie Abdel Rahman from Agricultural Research Corporation; Abdalla Abdalla, Director of Technology Transfer and Extension Department, Blue Nile; Professor Mamoon Daw Elbait from CTC Group, and Ahmed Yousif from the Agricultural Bank of Sudan.

SFSP–RSC has improved food security and livelihoods for rural smallholders in Kassala, Gedaref and Blue Nile states by focussing on rain-fed agricultural production using improved technologies of rain water harvesting and conservation agriculture. In Red Sea State, the programme supported the development of the horticulture and fisheries sectors. The programme, which has a total budget of €24,850,000, has been supported by Landell Mills through a technical assistance contract since April 2013 and will come to an end in November 2019.

Find out more about SFSP–RSC:

https://www.landell-mills.com/news/2018/8/13/landell-mills-delivers-training-of-trainers-workshop-to-continue-the-positive-impact-of-producer-associations-in-sudan

https://www.landell-mills.com/news/2018/5/18/landell-mills-trains-ngos-on-eu-financial-management-procedures-under-the-sudan-food-security-programme-rural-smallholders-component

https://www.landell-mills.com/news/2018/4/11/sowing-the-seeds-for-better-livelihoods?rq=Sudan

Landell Mills’ team of experts attend international anti-poaching conference in Chad

Our team of experts based in Gabon attended an international conference which discussed operational strategies and actions for anti-poaching measures in the Congo Basin Region, specifically Cameroon, Chad, DRC, Central African Republic, Niger, South-Sudan and Sudan. The International Conference of Ministers of Defence, Security and Protected Areas engaged in efforts to address poaching and other cross-border criminal activities was held in N’Djaména, Chad, at the end of January 2019.

Photo: https://pfbc-cbfp.org/news_en/items/NDjamena-Declaration.html

The event attracted around 150 technical experts, high-level policy makers and the region’s main donors, such as the European Union, GIZ and UN agencies. It was organised by the Belgian Facilitation of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership, the Central African Forest Commission (COMIFAC) and the Government of the Republic of Chad, under the patronage of the President of the Republic of Chad.

Landell Mills’ team are currently implementing the four-year contract: Technical Assistance for the monitoring, knowledge sharing and visibility of the regional program ECOFAC 6 (Program for the preservation of biodiversity and fragile ecosystems in Central Africa). One of our short-term consultants gave a short presentation at the event about a study he is conducting under the contract about anti-poaching measures and strategy for Chad, and will include the conference’s results in his work.

Photo: https://pfbc-cbfp.org/news_en/items/NDjamena-Declaration.html

ECOFAC 6, which is funded by the EU, supports 12 protected areas across seven different states of the central African region, including eight priority conservation landscapes. Through tackling activities such as wildlife crime, the programme is protecting the region’s ecosystems, biodiversity and forests by promoting a green economy characterised by sustainable, inclusive and locally established economic development. Landell Mills’ team are working to promote the programme’s activities and develop environmental diplomacy at a regional level through technical support and knowledge sharing.

Establishment of EU-funded National Collection of Fruit Trees celebrated in Afghanistan

The EU-MAIL Transition Project recently organised a ceremony to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the establishment of the National Collection of Fruit Trees Species and Varieties. The event was organised in collaboration with the Afghanistan National Horticulture Development Organisation (ANDHO) and held at the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL) in Kabul.

Introductory speeches were given by the Minister of Agriculture, the Chief Advisor to the President on agriculture and development, and the Head of the EU Delegation. The ceremony prompted a multi-stakeholder discussion on the EU Delegation’s long-term strategic approach to development of the Afghan agricultural sector, the status of the National Collection and its key role in the development of the horticultural related value chain. It was covered widely on national TV including Shamshad TV[1].

The National Collection is one of the biggest successes of the EU-MAIL collaboration. It is a living repository of local fruit species and varieties collected from all over Afghanistan with the collaboration and approval of the elders of the villages. The varieties are kept in MAIL farms called Perennial Horticulture Development Centres (PHDCs) under the responsibility of Agriculture Research Institute of Afghanistan (ARIA) which ensures the protection of Afghan fruit biodiversity and improves the quality and quantity of Afghan exports to enhance the livelihood of the Afghan people.

The EU-MAIL Transition Project is strengthening agriculture as a pillar of development within Afghanistan and is funded by the EU and implemented by Landell Mills.

[1] Coverage starts from 26 minutes

Find out more here:

Achievements of EU-MAIL Transition project presented at steering committee meeting in Afghanistan

Landell Mills managed project supports evidence-based policy on food security in Afghanistan

Training programme gives staff skills for accurate data analysis to address food shortages in Afghanistan

Landell Mills managed project showcases grapes in Afghanistan to boost trade and find potential international markets

Fruits produced by Landell Mills-managed horticultural project impress Afghanistan’s Chief Executive, H.E. Dr. Abdullah Abdullah

Zarafshon Integrated Basin Project team organise river basin learning visit

A variety of stakeholders from the Zarafshon Integrated Basin Project recently took part in a learning visit to improve their knowledge of river basins and integrated water resources management. The participants travelled from Zarafshon River Basin to the city of Khujand in the Syr Draya Basin and attended a knowledge sharing workshop from 14th to 16th November.

Landell Mills’ team of experts organised the learning visit in collaboration with the Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development (ACTED) and Helvetas, who are implementing a river basin project in partnership with GIZ, funded by The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. They provide support to the Syr Draya Basin and agreed to share their knowledge, experience and lessons learned as they have been working in the basin for longer than the Zarafshon Integrated Basin Project. 44 people attended, including staff from NGOs, community representatives, personnel from the district government, the Zarafshon Basin Working Group and senior staff from the Zarafshon Irrigation Rehabilitation and River Basin Management Project (an EU-funded project implemented by the World Bank).

During the workshop, presentations were given by the National Water Resources Management Project with Q&A sessions. In addition to the ACTED and Helvetas staff team, eight local community representatives from the Ak-Suu Watershed Dialogue Working Group attended and contributed their experience and knowledge to the discussions. A practical site visit to Ak-Suu will take place in the spring of 2019 for the same participants to complement the workshop.

In addition to strategic and capacity-building support to the Ministry of Energy and Water Resources of Tajikistan, the Zarafshon Integrated Basin Project, which is implemented by Landell Mills and funded by the EU, also trains the personnel of the Zarafshon Basin Working Group, the precursor to the River Basin Agency. The project has been running for 2 years.

 Read more articles about the project:

The first Zarafshon River Basin Dialogue in Tajikistan is a great success

Zarafshon Integrated Sub Basin Project Working Group holds inauguration meeting

Zarafshon Integrated Sub-basin Project attends regional pre-consultations of the Citizens Forum of the 8th World Water Forum

Landell Mills organises Jucar River Basin study visit for the Tajikistan Ministry of Energy and Water Resources

The Zarahshon Integrated Sub-basin Project visits Switzerland and Spain

Landell Mills supports the preparation of the third EU implementation report on food and nutrition security

The Implementing EU food and nutrition security policy commitments: third biennial report was adopted by the Commission in October 2018 and was presented to the Council and the Parliament in November.

Following the adoption by the European Commission in 2010 of the EU policy framework on food security which establishes food security, nutrition and sustainable agriculture among the EU’s key priorities for development cooperation, progress reports have been produced regularly. The reports track progress on commitments and enhance coherence, complementarity and coordination within and between the external assistance programmes of the EU and those of its Member States in implementing their common policy on food security. The report shows that the annual financial assistance from the EU and its Member States to food and nutrition security reached €4.2 million, an increase of 14.7% since 2014 .

The third report focuses particularly on climate-resilient approaches and nutrition-sensitive agricultural practices and is available for download here.

Through the Integrated Support Service for Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture (ISS-FANSSA) project, Landell Mills has supported DEVCO-C1, the unit dealing with rural development, food security and nutrition, in drafting and coordinating with Member States in the preparation of this report.

ISS-FANSSA is a technical advisory service providing support to DEVCO-C1, both to EU Delegations, as well as to C1 Policy Officers, and focuses on monitoring and evaluation, knowledge sharing and communication, gender inclusion, and land governance in the field of sustainable agriculture, food security and nutrition.

The service started in January 2014 and so far it has mobilised 5,400 expert days for 150 specific assignments in support of DEVCO-C1 and 25 EU Delegations around the world.

Find out more about the project.

Landell Mills wins EU-funded contract to build capacities of State authorities in eastern Sudan

The EU has contracted Landell Mills to implement the Capacity Building Project for State Authorities in the East which is one component of the predominantly EU-funded Regional Development and Protection Programme (RDPP) for the Horn of Africa. Landell Mills will work closely with the State Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning in Kassala to strengthen the local development process, including enhancing the capacity of the Ministry’s Department of Economic Development and Planning in its role as the coordinating body for international aid agencies and their development and humanitarian activities.

Given that Sudan, and the Eastern states in particular, are home to many refugees and migrants, mainly from South Sudan and the Horn of Africa, one of the key activities will be to establish a reliable data information system, which will function as a tool for the Ministry to facilitate the prioritisation of needs in relation to basic service provision in areas such as Health, Education and WASH.

Overall, it is expected that the project will contribute towards improving the livelihoods, human development, and overall wellbeing of both refugees and host-communities in the region.

The project will run for 24 months and is expected to start in January 2019.

Training sessions enhance staff knowledge

Our head office staff recently took part in two training sessions to enhance their knowledge of the development sector. Landell Mills Regional Director, Simon Foxwell, gave an informative overview of the disbursement and distribution channels of development funding and of the project planning cycle.

This was followed by a session on value chains and their role in project planning, by Senior Project Manager, Patrick Lee. Patrick gave the example of a value chains contract that Asian Development Bank recently awarded Landell Mills that is helping to develop Timor-Leste’s coffee sector. This session will be followed shortly by a training on value chains mapping.

Landell Mills wins EU contract to conduct final evaluation of Madagascan food security project

Landell Mills is pleased to announce our implementation of the EU-funded ‘Final Evaluation of the Amélioration de la Sécurité Alimentaire et Eugmentation des Revenus Agricoles (ASARA) project’, a project seeking to improve access to food security and agricultural incomes in the southern regions of Madagascar. It will be implemented in collaboration with the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management GmbH.

This assignment is the first to be implemented through the SIEA Lot 1 framework contract relating to Sustainable Management of Natural Resources and Resilience. A global and complete analysis of the performance of the project and results achieved will be conducted to generate evidence that will support concrete recommendations and lesson-learning to inform the ‘Appui Au Financement De L'agriculture Et Aux Filières Inclusives’ Dans Le Sud De Madagascar (AFAFI) program (Support to Financing and Inclusion of the Agricultural Sector in the South of Madagascar) already launched as the next phase of ASARA.

Landell Mills wins EU-funded contract to guide the distribution of EU development funds in Sudan

The European Union (EU) has awarded Landell Mills a technical assistance contract to guide EU funding allocations and increase awareness of its support in Sudan. Landell Mills’ expert team will help identify and design future cooperation programmes that align with both EU and Sudanese development priorities including migration, agricultural development, basic services and sector growth.

We will monitor the progress of current EU projects and conduct studies to identify new areas of relevant and results-oriented development initiatives. Through seminars and training workshops, the contract will raise awareness of the benefits of EU engagement in Sudan among key stakeholders, such as government staff, beneficiaries, as well as the general public.

Landell Mills’ technical assistance will also build relationships between the EU Delegation and key government stakeholders, as well as engaging with local partners and working closely with other donors to ensure synergies are created and development initiatives are efficient and effective.

The contract, Technical Assistance to the EU Delegation for Cooperation in Sudan, will run for 36 months and is expected to start in January 2019.

Landell Mills is conducting a Study on the Textile and Leather Sector in Rwanda

Landell Mills is pleased to announce our implementation of the DFID-funded contract Study on the Textile and Leather Sector in Rwanda, as part of the Expert Advisory Call-Down Services framework contract and behind lead partner IMC Worldwide. Our team of experts will conduct an in-depth study on production and demand for clothes and footwear in Rwanda and produce a baseline report for development of the country’s textile and leather sectors.

Landell Mills wins new Asian Development Bank value chains contract to improve coffee sector in Timor-Leste

Landell Mills has been awarded a new Asian Development Bank (ADB) value chains contract to help develop Timor-Leste’s coffee sector. We will be providing Technical Assistance to support a loan agreement between ADB’s private sector operations and Olam, a private agribusiness, to expand its operations in the Timor-Leste coffee value chain.

At present, the private sector economy in Timor-Leste lacks enough jobs for the volume of new entrants to the labour market each year. Coffee is the country’s largest non-oil export, grown by 38% of households. Production and quality are low, yet the coffee sector can help the private sector develop by acting as a driver of growth to Timor-Leste and supporting local livelihoods. Landell Mills’ Technical Assistance will deliver a package of training and extension services to smallholder farmers who supply coffee to Olam, and support pilots and studies, such as traceability, access to finance and gender training, to further leverage the benefits of this training.

Through the $163 million loan agreement, Olam’s $211 million investment plan will be supported and will finance an expansion in the firm’s processing of midstream products, while providing permanent working capital investments for smallholder farmers in Timor. The loan will help smallholder farmers integrate into more formalised value chains and the global economy, expand their production and operations, and improve their livelihoods by promoting inclusive and sustainable development. Olam will see improved quality and quantity of production which will help increase their profitability, which in turn should lead to better prices for the farmers.

The contract, Supporting Inclusive, Sustainable, and Connected Coffee Value Chains in Timor-Leste, started this month and will run until April 2021.

The Technical Assistance will use a smart phone app to generate farm management plans for coffee growers to improve production and quality of the product ©Olam.

Landell Mills is implementing two EU-funded projects under FWC SIEA Lot 3 Human Rights, Democracy and Peace

Landell Mills is pleased to announce our implementation of two EU-funded projects through the SIEA Lot 3 framework contract relating to Human Rights, Democracy and Peace.

Final Evaluation of the Institutional Capacity Building in the Modernisation of Civil Service Planning Programme in Angola

We are implementing this programme in collaboration with GFA Consulting GmbH. This assignment is our first through the SIEA Lot 3 framework contract and seeks to complement our existing evaluation experience in Southern Africa. The assignment aims to conduct a global and complete analysis of the performance and results achieved of the programme and to generate evidence that will support recommendations and lesson-learning to inform and justify future interventions and actions.

Global Evaluation of the EU Support Projects on Elections, Electoral Cycle 2012-2016

We will be conducting this evaluation with GFA Consulting GmbH, our lead partner on the SIEA Lot 3 Human Rights, Democracy and Peace framework contract. This evaluation will provide the European Union and the relevant stakeholders with an overall independent assessment of the past performance of two programmes in Ghana: ‘Support to Independent Governance Institutions Involved in the Election Process (2012)’ and ‘Support to Independent Government Institutions Involved in the Electoral Process – Electoral Cycle 2016’.

Sudanese youth create solutions to climate change in global ‘Climathon’ event

24 young people were given 24 hours to find innovative solutions to the climate challenges facing Khartoum in a Climathon event on 26th October. The capital was one of 113 cities to take part in the event created by Climate-KIC, Europe’s leading climate innovation initiative, supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology.

Landell Mills organised the event in partnership with Impact Hub as part of the EU-funded project: Strengthening Local Communities’ Resilience to Climate Change in Sudan. Impact Hub, an innovation lab, business incubator and social enterprise community based in Khartoum, hosted the event at their workspace.

The 24 participants who took part in the Climathon at Impact Hub’s workspace. Photo by Daftar Studios.

The participants, a mixture of entrepreneurs, students and developers, were asked to form teams and present their ideas to a jury made up of representatives from the EU Delegation to Sudan, United Nations Environment Programme, Impact Hub and the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Physical Development. The themes they were given were sustainable urban development, extreme weather and waste management. The winning team’s idea was to introduce clay covered seedballs – balls of compost with seeds inside that retain moisture in dry conditions – as a way of increasing tree cover in the city to combat the effects of climate change. The idea has the potential for replication across the country in both rural and urban environments.

The winning team. Photo by Daftar Studios.

Before the event, a Public Symposium was held on 4th October to raise awareness and explain how people could apply to participate. Then a Pre-Ideation Workshop was held on 24th October where the 24 selected participants were invited to learn more about waste management and extreme weather through lectures by local experts. In addition to receiving mentoring during the event from entrepreneurs and business leaders on how to present a minimum viable product, the participants also received training on how to present a pitch.

Participants working on their innovative solutions to climate challenges. Photo by Daftar Studios

The Climathon in Khartoum resulted in five new ideas that have the potential to contribute to resolving climate related issues in the city. For example, one idea was a social enterprise aimed at improving public schools through introducing a holistic package of renewable energy infrastructure, care for the community and income generation measures. Another group designed a game to promote improved waste management in the city in which players gained points for recycling and clearing up rubbish which can be converted to rewards such as phone credit.

Landell Mills is implementing Component 2 of the Strengthening Local Communities’ Resilience to Climate Change in Sudan Project: Provision of Technical Assistance to Enhance Local Capacities Regarding Environmental Management and Environmental Governance. The event was organised as part of Component 2 and contributed towards strengthening the capacity of local stakeholders to adopt sustainable long-term approaches to natural resource management and climate change and to reduce the need of short-term emergency responses. The project is funded under the Global Climate Change Alliance Plus (GCCA+) initiative.

Find out more:

Landell Mills organises Panel Discussion – Promoting a Climate of Change – to voice young people’s opinions on climate change issues in Sudan

Kabul Managed Aquifer Recharge project features at two international water conferences

Consultants and beneficiaries of the Kabul Managed Aquifer Recharge Project (KMARP) recently presented at two international conferences in South Korea and the Philippines. They highlighted how the project, funded by the Asian Development Bank and managed by Landell Mills, is addressing declining groundwater levels in Kabul.

45th International Association of Hydrogeologists Congress, South Korea – September 2018

Hugh Klein presenting at the 45th International Association of Hydrogeologist Congress, South Korea

Two of Landell Mills’ consultants presented at the congress which was made up of nine technical sessions related to the theme: Groundwater and Life: Science and Technology into Action. Additionally, the project funded four Afghan Government officials to attend and learn about groundwater management topics.

Hugh Klein’s presentation – Managed Aquifer Recharge and Aquifer Storage and Recovery in Kabul, Afghanistan – gave an overview of the declining groundwater levels in Kabul and how the project will pilot Managed Aquifer Recharge technology to address the issues. Managed Aquifer Recharge is the intentional recharge of water to aquifers (underground layers of water-bearing permeable rock) under controlled conditions.

Attendees at the 45th International Association of Hydrogeologist Congress, South Korea

Boris Matti’s presentation – Evaluating Managed Aquifer Recharge and Aquifer Storage and Recovery in Kabul, Afghanistan, Using Regional and Site-Specific Models – gave an introduction to the three-dimensional hydrogeological modelling of both the whole of Kabul basin and the project Managed Aquifer Recharge sites.

With the participation of groundwater scientists, engineers, academics, policy makers, and industry members, the congress is one of the largest and most important conferences for groundwater specialists.

Asia Water Forum 2018, Philippines – October 2018

One of KMARP’s government beneficiaries, Engineer Anayatullah Popalzai, a Hydrogeologist from the Ministry of Energy and Water in Afghanistan, received funding from the project to present at the Asia Water Forum. He also learnt about relevant water management topics and Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) interventions.

Anayatullah Popalzai’s presentation – Managed Aquifer Recharge and Aquifer Storage and Recovery in Kabul, Afghanistan – discussed the problems surrounding groundwater availability in Kabul and how ADB funding is helping the government address the issues through pilot Managed Aquifer Recharge technology.

The Asia Water Forum 2018 was held at the Asian Development Bank Headquarters in Manila and focussed on the theme of Information, Innovation, and Technology. It provided a platform for sharing knowledge and experience on water information, innovation, and technology. 800 delegates attended the event, including government, donor, multi-national bank, NGO and private sector participants.

Visit the KMARP website and find out more here:

Landell Mills and Schlumberger train project and government staff in groundwater management in Afghanistan

Drilling begins for the new monitoring network to analyse groundwater levels in Kabul

Landell Mills shares knowledge of international urban water management at national meeting of Irrigation and Water Forum and British Hydrological Society

World Water Day Conference casts a spotlight on the Kabul Managed Aquifer Recharge Project

Landell Mills welcomes new staff to the Africa, Caribbean and Latin America Division

We recently welcomed two Junior Project Executives to support Landell Mills’ work in Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America.

Hannah Mary Harrington has a BA Hons in French and Spanish from University College London. Prior to joining Landell Mills, she completed the Charityworks Leadership Programme and worked as a Transformation Officer at GreenSquare Group, a housing association in Wiltshire. Hannah Mary has spent time in Togo as a Team Leader on the DFID-funded International Citizen Service Programme, as well as Canada and Chile as an exchange student, and as a volunteer in India at The Ashraya Initiative for Children.

Elisabetta D’Amico has a BA in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from LUISS University in Rome and an MSc in Development Economics and Policy from the University of Manchester. Prior to joining Landell Mills Elisabetta volunteered for AFS International Programs in Italy, and as an English teacher in China for over a year. Elisabetta was also a Speaker at the TEDxLUISS Conference in 2016.