First Modelling Meeting for WATDEV project held in Wageningen

The first modelling meeting of Climate Smart WATer Management and Sustainable DEVelopment for Food and Agriculture in East Africa (WATDEV) project was successfully held in Wageningen, the Netherlands from 11-12 October 2022. The main goals were to select models to be used for simulating scenarios of best management practices (BMPs) and innovations in the project study areas and development of a toolbox. The workshop was organized by ISRIC – World Soil Information and chaired by Dr Jantiene Baartman.

ISRIC director Mr van den Bosch welcomed the participants and gave a brief introduction about ISRIC.

Dr Baartman presented the goals and program of the workshop. Subsequently, as the WATDEV project scientific coordinator, Dr Bogliotti (CIHEAM-Bari) illustrated the overall processes of modelling and model integration and expected outcomes. Further, Dr Si Mokrane Siad presented the proposed framework of multi-thematic modelling and model integration-based approach for development of the toolbox, outcomes from Activity 1.1 (stocktaking of BMPs), results of the stakeholder meeting in Egypt and provided an update about the stakeholder meetings in Kenya, Ethiopia and Sudan.

Potential models were presented by SKYE and ISRIC. Their required input data, spatial scale, applicability to WATDEV project study areas were discussed; a draft of matrix of models/processes vis-a-vis challenges/BMPs were created.

Dr Ulan Turdukulov (ISRIC) participated in the workshop to explore possible synergies between WATDEV and ISRIC’s ongoing DeSIRA LSC-IS project.

The workshop also included a visit to the ISRIC World Soil Museum guided by the Curator, Mr Stephan Mantel.

Finally, it was agreed that the second modelling workshop will be held in March/April 2023 in Finland. Members of the modelling team were suggested to participate in the first Regional Meeting in Nairobi, Kenya (January 2023) to permit in-person discussions with individual country partners concerning the modelling.