Mohammed Kamel Damma

With a Bachelor’s degree in Environment and Resource Management and over six years working in community development and ecosystem management, Kamel is passionate about helping communities achieve food and income security in the face of climate change while preserving and enhancing their local environment. To this end, he is now a Project Manager for RAINS (Regional Advisory Information and Network Systems), where he develops projects to train local farmers and vulnerable households in agro-ecology and climate-resilient farming practices, helping them to identify challenges of adaptation and develop appropriate adaptation actions. To date, his project has helped over 5,000 smallholder farmers across ten communities in this regard He also engages in advocacy in support of sustainable livelihoods and the effective use of natural resources and ecological systems.

Kamel has used the grant to develop his independent research skills by conducting a study focusing on innovations and new knowledge on the topics of climate change, biodiversity conservation, food security and agriculture. He hopes to use this research as an enabling tool for effective, evidence-based project planning and to improve RAINS’ strategy regarding its new objective of  “Biodiversity and Climate Resilience”. This will allow them to support local farmers and communities climate adaptation efforts more effectively. In addition, the research will generate more robust evidence to underpin and strengthen his advocacy efforts.