SPARC Research Framework

SPARC aims to inform policies, practices and investments that improve and support the resilience of pastoralists, farmers and agropastoralists in the context of recurrent and protracted crises. This means influencing how donors and governments frame and respond to issues

Since it was commissioned in 2020, much has changed in the countries where SPARC works. As an agile research-to-action programme designed to produce policy-relevant research in short cycles, SPARC has been able to pivot to respond to new crises and threats including Covid-19, the evolving drought in East Africa and the global spike in food prices, among other emerging policy areas.

SPARC's Research Framework is the resulting document of the programme's annual learning forum in 2022. It defines the four interlinked priority areas for SPARC's future work:

• Investments in resilience;

• Livelihoods and markets;

• Land and conflict; 

• Innovation for resilience.

Each area encompasses specific research projects that enable SPARC to have greater impact on supporting resilience. These four priority areas are also embedded in an understanding of how related issues are perceived by donors and countries, and how political economy and power - including along gendered lines - influence framings and policy priorities so that evidence can be effectively positioned for use.