Farmers and herders living in the drylands of Africa and the Middle East are used to dealing with uncertainty. But their resilience is being tested by new and complex challenges.
In this podcast series, broadcaster Bola Mosuro talks to researchers, aid workers and herders about some of the new crises facing the drylands and the dynamic ways in which people are responding to meet them. She asks: what does long-term resilience look like in these fast-changing places? How are pastoralists and farmers adapting and innovating? And what can governments, development organisations and businesses do to more effectively support them?
One thing is clear: the drylands are more dynamic than you might think.
This series is produced by Supporting Pastoralism and Agriculture in Recurrent and Protracted Crises (SPARC), a six-year research programme managed by Cowater, the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Mercy Corps and ODI and commissioned by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
The podcast is produced by Loftus Media Ltd.
For more information, visit www.sparc-knowledge.org/dynamic-drylands-podcast or find us on X (@SPARC_ideas).
Note: This material has been funded by UK aid from the UK government; however, the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the UK government’s official policies.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Farmers and herders living in the drylands of Africa and the Middle East are used to dealing with uncertainty. But their resilience is being tested by new and complex challenges.
In this podcast series, broadcaster Bola Mosuro talks to researchers, aid workers and herders about some of the new crises facing the drylands and the dynamic ways in which people are responding to meet them. She asks: what does long-term resilience look like in these fast-changing places? How are pastoralists and farmers adapting and innovating? And what can governments, development organisations and businesses do to more effectively support them?
One thing is clear: the drylands are more dynamic than you might think.
This series is produced by Supporting Pastoralism and Agriculture in Recurrent and Protracted Crises (SPARC), a six-year research programme managed by Cowater, the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Mercy Corps and ODI and commissioned by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
The podcast is produced by Loftus Media Ltd.
For more information, visit www.sparc-knowledge.org/dynamic-drylands-podcast or find us on X (@SPARC_ideas).
Note: This material has been funded by UK aid from the UK government; however, the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the UK government’s official policies.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The drylands of Africa and the Middle East are home to millions of nomadic pastoralists, who make a living from livestock that move between water sources and seasonal grazing areas. It’s a way of life that has not just survived but thrived for thousands of years.
But pastoralists’ access to land and natural resources is changing – and increasingly coming into contact with other people and new plans for drylands development. In this episode of Dynamic Drylands, Bola explores how pastoralists use and access land and natural resources, and how to resolve the knotty issue of farmer-herder conflicts.
Dynamic Drylands is a podcast which explores new ways of thinking about aid, development and resilience in the drylands of Africa and the Middle East. It is produced by Supporting Pastoralism and Agriculture in Recurrent and Protracted Crises (SPARC), a six-year research programme managed by Cowater, the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Mercy Corps and ODI and commissioned by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
Podcast Production by Loftus Media.
For show notes, visit www.sparc-knowledge.org/dynamic-drylands-podcast or find us on X (@SPARC_ideas).
Contributors: Fiona Flintan, Sarli Sardou Nana, Emmanuel Seck.
Host: Bola Mosuro.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.