1.
Success factors and Challenges to enhancing
rural community resilience to drought
Case study in Bugesera, Rwanda
Young Researchers Meeting, June 2016 in Gothenburg
Lazare Nzeyimana, PhD Candidate
Linköping University
SWECO Environment AB, Stockholm

2.
I. Background
By 2025, 1,8 billion will be living in regions with absolute water scarcity
and 2/3 of the population in regions under water stress (FAO, 2007;
Verma et al., 2004)
On a global scale, agriculture is the most important water user which
calls for new water management approaches (Sullivan, 2002)
In Sub-Saharan Africa, rain-fed agriculture is the main livelihood
source (FAO/NEPAD, 2002; Diao et al., 2007)
Community-based soil and water conservation skills are being
promoted to increase drought resilience (Foti et al, 2008)

3.
Drought is of global concern for society but it
originates as a local problem
East-Africa Australia
 Early Warning Systems
 Water Conservation Technologies

4.
Understanding Drought Resilience
But if we have Early Warnings and Water
Conservations systems–
 How can that information and knowledge be
used on local, regional and national level?
 What is missing to engage rural communities
to become drought resilient?

5.
Limited numbers of published scientific papers addressing the
challenge to enhancing rural community resilience to drought
Most studies analyse the potential of water conservation initiatives
and argue on their added-value in society
II. Current research and knowledge gaps
Resilience

6.
Gaps to be analyzed
 Empowerment (knowledge)
 Social networks
 Markets
 Powers and influence
 Gender
 Land tenure
 Horizontal and vertical communications
 Information sharing

7.
Facts on Bugesera district
- Area:1337 km2
- Population: 363 339
- Temp: 20-30oC
- Prec: 600-800 mm/yr
 Bugesera region, Rwanda (Google Maps)
II. Study area - Bugesera (Rwanda)
o High frequency of
rainfall deficit and late
rainfall onsets,
o early rainfall cessations
o a significant number of
dry spells and
o is prone to drought
Rwanda Disaster Risk Atlas (2014)

8.
Rainwater
ponds
Farmer
Field
School

9.
III. Research goals
 Assess success and limiting factors to
water conservation systems
 Map the vulnerability to drought in
Bugesera and capitalize the farmers
adaptive strategies
 Identify loopholes in Rwanda Climate
policies
 Discuss future scenarios
 Identify challenges and opportunities
for successful water conservation
system and resilience

10.
IV. Methods
 Literature review (globally and Sub-Saharan Africa)
 Semi-structured interviews, field observation,
participatory vulnerability mapping
 Policy analysis, Focus Groups and Review key
documents
 Field observations, workshops, participatory scenario,
GIS, modelling backcasting (future visioning)
 Developing a conceptual framework integrating up-
taking and community resilience

11.
Thank you very much