The Southern African Resilience Academy (SARA) hosted a Knowledge Exchange, from the 10th to the 12th of July in Stellenbosch, South Africa. This three-day summit was a vibrant mix of talks, activities, and workshops designed to advance social-ecological resilience in the southern African region.
The theme of the event, “Connecting Research, Policy, and Practice for Social-Ecological Resilience,” attracted 69 participants from both academic and practical backgrounds. The gathering provided a platform for learning, networking, and collaboration. SARA was able to support the attendance of more than 40 of the attendees, including early career researchers from other parts of South Africa and Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.
SARA, which is managed by the Centre for Sustainability Transitions at Stellenbosch University in collaboration with the Global Resilience Partnership, serves as a convening and support space for inter- and transdisciplinary researchers and practitioners working across southern Africa on pressing resilience and development issues, primarily using an innovative working group model to produce and share knowledge.
Nirvana Chavon Milton
Day 1: Sharing outcomes and bridging gaps
The first day focused on building connections between practice, policy, and research. Reflections were shared from eight working groups supported by SARA, all exploring the theme of “Equitable Resilience.” An exhibition dinner showcased the exciting knowledge products from these groups, and discussions emphasized the value of transdisciplinary collaboration for innovative cross-learning and skills building.
Nirvana Chavon Milton
Day 2: Exploring Key Themes
Day two was dedicated to sharing insights across five key themes:
- Pathways to resilience in urban, food, water, and conservation systems
- Science-society partnerships for resilience and transformation
- Indigenous and local knowledge for resilience
- (In)Equitable resilience
- Holistic approaches to resilience assessment, monitoring, and evaluation
Participants presented their latest research and practice insights through individual talks and engaged in skill-building mini-workshops, led by external partners. This day was full of learning and practical takeaways, despite an extreme winter storm raging throughout the day. Participants also discussed collaborative opportunities the community could tap into, such as the new global social-ecological systems society.
Nirvana Chavon Milton
Day 3: Fostering Collaboration
The final day centered on fostering connections and collaborations. Highlights included the “Collaboration Marketplace,” where participants pitched ideas and found others with similar interests. Additionally, discussions were held on creating communities of practice focused on resilience issues in southern Africa, and crafting insights on how to develop the next phase of SARA activities.
The Knowledge Exchange event was a significant opportunity to disseminate the outcomes of the SARA “Equitable Resilience” working groups (the full Outcome Report is available here), and to gather input on enhancing connections within the southern African resilience community. Key action points emerging from this Knowledge Exchange included the need to create networks which cater to the needs and barriers of both practitioners and academics; including knowledge brokers who work at the interface of these sectors more deeply; and to facilitate innovative ways to embed policy into such networks for clearer research-to-impact pathways.
Nirvana Chavon Milton
A call for new SARA working groups for 2025-2027 will be announced soon, offering an exciting chance for involvement in the next iteration. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to be part of the next chapter!
Nirvana Chavon Milton