Innovative Solutions to Strengthen Resilience in the Drylands

Innovation, at its core, is about doing business differently. Innovation might include products, services, processes, business models, and technologies aimed at creating value primarily through social impact, as well as commercial gains. Yet not all innovations work, and not all innovations that work do so at scale – especially in the arid-to-semi-arid lands, and even more so in fragile and conflict-affected areas. Discussions in this session explore the current landscape of innovations in dryland and conflict-affected countries of the Horn of Africa and the Sahel; benchmark success factors for innovations to have impact; and discusses opportunities and challenges of sustainably scaling innovations.