On Monday, November 12, the Food and Water Security PIRE team held an informational session for students interested in joining the project as an undergraduate researcher. The event started with baked goods and coffee from the local Cafemantic eatery as the students trickled into the classroom, finding safety from the cold. After ample time to warm up and settle down the presentation began with opening words from Dr. Elizabeth Holzer, the Project Investigator, “this project is unique in its’ dual-natured approach, it is a partnership between sociologists and our environmental engineering friends”, she enthusiastically stated before introducing Dr. Zoi Dokou, Project Manager and UConn Environmental Engineering professor. “Ethiopia’s very short rainfall season coupled with the extreme hydroclimatic environment makes it a very challenging situation for the engineers to model. However, it also makes it the most valuable for the stakeholders and farmers,” Dr. Dokou states.

Dr. Dokou proceeded to give a summary of the research completed since the beginning of the project in 2016, the pending objectives to be completed by 2021 and the engineering side of the research. Her technical engineering and explanation of the models being formed for this project was contrasted with the words of PhD student, Nabil Tueme who also serves as the PIRE Undergraduate Coordinator, “we often treat scientific investigation as apolitical or value-neutral. Yet, science is a socially situated human practice.” Nabil further explained how the sociological understanding is imperative to the long-term success of the engineering solution. To capture this idea she stated the project’s goal, “how do the relationships between scientists, farmers, water managers and other authorities, influence the production, dissemination and outcome of new scientific knowledge?” and informed the undergraduate students of potential research topics, should they choose to apply.

“How can we be sure we are positively influencing these villages?” asked a student, to which Dr. Phoebe Godfrey, fellow Undergraduate Coordinator and UConn Sociology Professor answered, “intention matters; measuring positive and negative effects is very complex and that is a great question, one that sociologists seek to answer and it is certainly good grounds for your research proposal”, she states. Dr. Godfrey introduced the spring workshops that selected students would partake in before their trip to Ethiopia in June which includes linguistic training in Amharic, Ethiopia’s nationally spoken language, guest seminar speakers, engineering project highlights through sociological perspective in a reading and discussion-based format. She opened the floor to questions regarding the informational material presented. With a hand raised, current PhD environmental engineering and sociology student, Sardor Musayev asked, “Will we be having fun?”, to which the room once filled with pensive thought broke into warm laughter. “Yes, we will be learning and growing together, and that is always fun”, said Dr. Holzer. “Today is about finding out what question you personally want to be answered in the scope of this research project. It is especially unique for selected undergraduate students because you may have the opportunity to collect the data yourself in Ethiopia”. Dr. Holzer then opened the rest of the meeting to the question and answer session so undergraduates could ask their questions and talk with the current PIRE graduate students with whom they may travel in Summer 2019.

For a summary of the project and for information if you are an undergraduate, the powerpoint may be downloaded: PIRE Informational Meeting 11-12-18

PIRE graduate and undergraduate students gathered on November 5th for one of their last brownbags, where civil engineering PhD student Sara O’ Alexander from University of Wisconsin spoke on the development of the project bulletin followed by sociology PhD student, Selam Negatu, from the University of Connecticut on understanding women’s empowerment.

The developer of the bulletin, Sara, led the discussion of preliminary versions of a forecast bulletin that can be used as part of the PIRE communication strategy to share modelling and rainfall prediction results with the communities we are working with in Ethiopia. She got feedback from the graduate student team that could inform future iterations of the product. Students had a robust discussion on what figures were understandable, what elements were still unclear or hard to interpret, and suggestions for improving the communication of results. The importance of understanding local knowledge and current climate related discourse, as well as what information is valuable to farmers and water managers, emerged as key questions that the team will focus on moving forward.

Selam began with stating first that the term empowerment elicits various definitions and responses within the social science research sphere; overall there is a lack of agreement since empowerment may range to mean participation, power, choice, freedom, an enabling process or the capacity and skill to use available resources and opportunities to maximize one’s own potential.

“Understanding the issue of women’s empowerment is a conceptual tool to forward the gender equality agenda”, she states.

“Failure to observe engagement of women in the management of communal resources such as water for irrigation derails intended outcomes of interventions”.

Selam’s research interest entails: how women’s empowerment is conceptualized and is practiced in development programs in Ethiopia, what is meant by development/empowerment from the bottom and how that is translated into practice in the context of water security, if non-participation is disempowerment or is it an expression of women’s agency and lastly how to move away from consultation, Tokenism, “add and stir approach” to women’s empowerment. Answering these questions could have immediate impacts on improving water supply and gender within the communities with which PIRE is working, including:

• Time saving: Irrigation schemes helped women in accessing water for domestic purposes, such us cleaning and for construction. This has brought positive changes in the reduction of their workload and in saving time (Romano, 2013).
• This can enable women to participate in other economic activities, young girls will be freed from carrying water to attend school, and adult women can engage in  more productive work on the farm (Awulachew et.al, 2005).
• Increased security for women once exposed to violence while collecting water (Calow et.al, 2013)
• Irrigation provide significant benefits to rural women by enabling women farmers to increase their cash incomes and diversify family nutrition and food sources (IWMI,2010; Calow, et.al, 2013)
• Active participation of women in water projects challenges gender specific roles and contribute to changing traditional perceptions about women’s status, skills and capabilities held by the community, the family and sometimes women themselves.