Accelerating Climate Adaptation via Meso-level Integration (ACAMI)

The ACAMI project addressed a lack of recognition of the role of meso-level organizations (MLOs) in enabling transformative, locally-led climate change adaptation. In a two-year initiative  ACAMI identified leverage points and bottlenecks affecting the capacity of MLOs to facilitate equitable and effective adaptation for small-scale producers. By co-creating tools and metrics that capture the attributes and strategies of MLOs, the project supports partnership opportunities and improves risk management and sustainable livelihoods under climate change.

Vision and Mission

ACAMI envisions a transformed institutional context for inclusive and effective adaptation in African small-scale farming systems, in which “Meso-level” Organizations – connecting financial sponsors and policy makers to farmers --  use and share knowledge on their capacities and strengths in novel partnerships, helping farmers access the knowledge, data, climate services, and other resources they value for improved risk management and sustainable livelihoods under climate change.

ACAMI’s mission is to identify leverage points and bottlenecks to enable Meso-level Organizations to serve as catalysts of equitable and effective adaptation for small-scale African producers. Through collaborative approaches, ACAMI integrates knowledge and develops decision-support tools that will facilitate the mobilization of Meso-level Organizations’ capacities, thus enhancing communities of practice in relation to resilient and sustainable small-scale farming systems.

Project Objectives

1. Understand how Meso-level Organizations influence the effectiveness, sustainability, and scaling of climate change adaptation 
2. Identify what might enhance the ability of Meso-level Organizations to exercise full capacities in climate change adaptation 
3. Co-create tools, and metrics that capture Meso-level Organizations attributes and capacities to support partnership opportunities in climate change adaptation

Project Location

To capture the contextual diversity of  agricultural small-scale producers and climate adaptation initiatives in Africa, ACAMI focuses on four African Countries, namely Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, and South Africa.

ACAMI’s Approach to Making the Meso-Level Visible

ACAMI Knowledge Series