Tucson Standard

University of Arizona researchers are delving into global issues like climate change with funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). 

In what is being called a "critical moment", researchers are working with the Arizona Initiative for Resilience and Development (AIRID) to pursue three humanitarian and resilience initiatives, some with global potential.

AIRID connects university researchers with communities, countries and other research partners to develop solutions and "build resilience to global stresses, such as climate change, COVID-19 and the rising cost of food and fertilizer due to the war in Ukraine," according to a release by UArizona. With the funding from USAID, AIRID researchers plan to expand their research and their partnership with other groups.

"This is a critical moment when scholars need to get engaged because the urgency of crises that are happening around the world," Gregory Collins, of the Arizona Institute for Resilient Environments and Societies (AIRES), said.

Collins, an associate vice president for resilience and international development and a research professor, anticipates that these grants will put the University of Arizona in a position to make a difference. 

"This is a huge step forward across three different grants to get our university community more deeply engaged with policymakers in these countries, with foreign policymakers in the U.S. government and, critically, with communities and local researchers," Collins said.

USAID awarded $1 million to the project Enhancing Evidence for Humanitarian Action in the Face of Climate Change to study and report data on the efficiency of disaster and humanitarian assistance programs offered by federal agencies. UArizona's Humanitarian Assistance Technical Support received a $5 million grant in 2019, which has given technical support to USAID's Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance. In addition, the Climate Adaptation Support Activity is being awarded up to $38 million to research other humanitarian efforts, the university said in the release.

"These three new USAID awards are important in that we are able to connect UArizona's collaborative, interdisciplinary work around resilience to opportunities where we can make a positive impact globally," Elizabeth Cantwell, senior vice president for research and innovation, said. "Our mission as Arizona's land grant institution means that we practicalize the power of science and the expertise of our researchers to discover solutions that meet societal needs across our state and beyond."

One task undertaken by university researchers is to help USAID measure the effectiveness of the federal agency's disaster and humanitarian assistance programs, particularly in Bangladesh and Kenya. That includes examining early warning systems and how to minimize damage from a disaster through preparation, response and recovery, the release said.  

"We're trying to think of these problems comprehensively within a resilience framework and bring different disciplinary perspectives together in teams to generate creative thinking," Zack Guido, principal investigator for the project and director of International Programs in AIRES, said.

Tim Finan, a research anthropologist in the Bureau of Applied Research in the School of Anthropology, leads the HATS management team with Corrie Hannah, an AIRES research scientist.

"This project represents a major step in the effort to create equitable, effective partnerships with higher education institutions in Africa and elsewhere," he said.

As part of its $38 million grant, UArizona researchers and others from the Climate Adaptation Support Activity will investigate topics such as the intersection between climate adaptation, health, food security, governance and the environment, the release said. That study will include areas such as agriculture, public health, climate sciences, geography and natural resources.

"UArizona faculty have a unique contribution to make to these research efforts given the relevance of place-based research in the desert southwest to other arid environments on the front lines of the climate crisis," he said.

University of Arizona President Robert C. Robbins said the school is leading the way in global climate study.

"I am proud to see University of Arizona researchers participating in international development," he said. "I have always said we are a global land-grant university, and we have always made a point of applying our research strengths to serve people around the world. It is no surprise that our expertise and experience learning about and adapting to a hot and dry environment can help others in similar climates and situations across the globe."