Drought Tracker”: a ground-breaking tool to strengthen drought resilience in Africa, presented at COP 16

“Drought Tracker”: a ground-breaking tool to strengthen drought resilience in Africa, presented at COP 16.

A side event was held on December 9, 2024, on the occasion of COP 16 in Riyadh, to unveil the Drought Tracker, a pilot crowdsourcing tool for monitoring drought conditions and impacts in Africa. Organized by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and the United States National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC) and supported by the Sahara and Sahel Observatory, this event provided an opportunity to discuss the operationalization of the Drought Tracker based on crowdsourcing that collects geolocated data on drought conditions.

Accessible via mobile devices or computers, this tool allows local communities to use photographs to support their observations that are collected, aggregated and analyzed. This process makes it possible to visualize the impacts of drought and better guide decisions and interventions.

During this event, Mrs. Kelly Helm Smith (NDMC), explained the impact of drought at the global level. Mr. Mustapha Mimouni, Head of the GIS and RS Division (OSS), highlighted the added value of the Drought Tracker and its alignment with the objectives of his Organization. Mrs. Gergana Majercakova (Global Water Partnership), highlighted the usefulness of this tool for smallholder farmers and decision-makers.

The panel, moderated by Mr. Mark Svoboda, Director of the National Drought Mitigation Center, revealed the next steps for the deployment of the tool in Africa. The discussions placed particular emphasis on the integration of local needs and the necessity to mobilize regional actors.

This event highlighted the role that innovative solutions such as the Drought Tracker can play in adapting to climate change and building resilience to environmental crises.