Supporting Pastoralism and Agriculture in Recurrent and Protracted Crises (SPARC)

The Supporting Pastoralism and Agriculture in Recurrent and Protracted Crises (SPARC) is a large-scale, multi-country research-to-action programme focused on supporting the resilience of communities in some of the world’s most vulnerable and conflict affected countries across Africa and the Middle East. SPARC is funded by the FCDO and is delivered by Cowater International in partnership with the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Mercy Corps, and ODI Global. Additional donors and partners include the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and Jameel Observatory.

Communities relying on pastoralism and agriculture are exposed to increasingly frequent and intense shocks, such as the effects of conflict, economic shocks and climate change, and long-term stresses including marginalisation and declining access to grazing areas. In this context, SPARC is has addressed evidence gaps on the effectiveness of different programmes and policies, and using the evidence it generates to support donors, governments, and the aid sector to more effectively engage in the drylands and promote resilience for people affected by protracted crises in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East.

Since 2020, SPARC has produced and shared evidence to inform more effective interventions, encourage deeper understanding of the challenges faced in these communities, and foster enhanced stakeholder capacities. Partnering with local researchers and organisations across Africa and the Middle East, and drawing on our own research and field programme expertise, SPARC’s activities have clustered around:

1. Research to strengthen evidence bases.
2. Targeted technical assistance to FCDO country and programmes teams and other stakeholders to inform the design, delivery and review of programmes and policies.
3. Knowledge management, research uptake and dissemination to ensure research remains operationally relevant and that findings target and reach relevant decision-makers, and audiences.
4. Innovation studies supporting the development and scale-up of innovative solutions available to pastoralists and agro-pastoralists in dryland regions in SPARC’s focus countries.