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Dr Graham Clarkson

Email:
g.clarkson@reading.ac.uk
Phone:
+44 (0) 118 378 5036
Job title:
Senior Research Fellow

Areas of interest

My main research interests include:

Rural livelihoods and rural change
Extension and agricultural innovation systems for smallholder agriculture
Communication for Development
Participatory methods for research and practical outcomes
Promoting smallholder adaptation and developing resilience to climate variability and change
Understanding decision making in smallholder households and implications for agricultural innovation

Research centres and groups

Livelihoods Research Group
Walker Institute

Research projects

Current and recent research:

Capacitating African Smallholders with Climate Advisories and Insurance Development (CASCAID). Funded by CCAFS (2015-2018)
Developing and piloting mobile apps for smallholder agriculture and improving climate data analysis, management and sharing. Funded by CCAFS (2015)
Scaling up climate services for farmers in Africa. Funded by USAID (2015)
Global Framework for Climate Services: Training Agricultural Research & Extension Staff to Produce and Disseminate Agro-Climatic Advisories, to enhance the resilience and food security of Farmers and Pastoralists in Tanzania. Funded by CCAFS (2014-2016)
Assessing the Impacts of Shamba Shape Up. Funded by Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund (2014)
Review of Mobile Applications that Involve the Use of Weather, Climate & Crop Information for Smallholder Farmers. Funded by CCAFS (2014)
The effects of smallholder farmers' investment in agricultural innovations on livelihoods in Malawi - A pilot study. Funded by ICRISAT (2013-2014)
Farmers' sources of information on and attitudes towards crop genetic innovations in Uganda - funded by Biosciences for Farming in Africa (www.b4fa.org) (2013-2014)
Provision of climate information to farmers in Lesotho: Current needs, provision and recommendations for future development - Funded by IFAD (2013)
Innovation systems, agricultural growth and rural livelihoods in East Africa. Funded by ESRC/DFID (2012-2014)

Background

Graham is a human geographer with 3 years of post-doctoral experience. He completed his PhD, 'Land Use Intensification and Trees on Farms in Malawi', in 2010 at the University of Hull. Graham's primary research interests are based around rural livelihoods and rural change, small scale agriculture and innovation, communication for development and climate services. He has experience working in East, West and Southern Africa on projects funded by CGIAR centres (IFAD, ICRISAT and CCAFS), USAID, DFID and Economic and Social Research Council and integrates both qualitative and quantitative research methods with expertise in participatory approaches for research and practical application. Graham's current research involves collaboration with colleagues from academia, government and non-government organisations in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana, Lesotho, Mali, Sudan, Burkina Faso and Malawi.

Publications

Giraldo, D. , Clarkson, G. ORCID: 0000-0002-4342-4773 , Dorward, P. , Obando, D. , Ramirez-Villegas, J. (2023) The development of a farmer decision-making mind map to inform climate services in Central America. Frontiers in climate , 5 ISSN: 2624-9553 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fclim.2023.1235601
Kipato, N. , Dorward, P. , Clarkson, G. ORCID: 0000-0002-4342-4773 (2023) A lower threat than I thought: how the analysis of the interdependence between risks influences smallholder farmers’ perceptions. Sustainability , 15 (19). ISSN: 2071-1050 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su151914467

Nsengiyumva, G. , Clarkson, G. ORCID: 0000-0002-4342-4773 , Gumucio, T. , Dorward, P. , Ingabire, C. (2022) Exploring the effects of a participatory climate services approach on smallholder decision-making in Rwanda using a gender lens. Gender, Technology and Development , 26 (3). pp. 544-563. ISSN: 0971-8524 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09718524.2022.2144102
Clarkson, G. ORCID: 0000-0002-4342-4773 , Dorward, P. , Poskitt, S. , Stern, R. , Nyirongo, D. , Fara, K. , Gathenya, J. , Staub, C. , Trotman, A. , Nsengiyumva, G. , Torgbor, F. , Giraldo, D. (2022) Stimulating small-scale farmer innovation and adaptation with Participatory Integrated Climate Services for Agriculture (PICSA): lessons from successful implementation in Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean and South Asia. Climate Services , 26 ISSN: 2405-8807 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cliser.2022.100298

Clarkson, G. ORCID: 0000-0002-4342-4773 , Dorward, P. , Poskitt, S. , Mambwe, D. , Mtonga, R. , Below, T. (2021) User needs assessment for climate services in Zambia. CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) pp 38.
Giraldo, D. , Jiménez, G. , Obando, D. , Clarkson, G. ORCID: 0000-0002-4342-4773 , Dorward, P. (2021) Creating opportunities for young coffee farmers in Honduras using climate services: findings from on-line training in Participatory Integrated Climate Services for Agriculture (PICSA). CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS)
Staub, C. and Clarkson, G. ORCID: 0000-0002-4342-4773 (2021) Farmer-led participatory extension leads Haitian farmers to anticipate climate-related risks and adjust livelihood strategies. Journal of Rural Studies , 81 pp. 235-245. ISSN: 0743-0167 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2020.10.029

Clarkson, G. ORCID: 0000-0002-4342-4773 , Dorward, P. , Nsengiyumva, G. , Kagabo, D. (2020) Participatory Integrated Climate Services for Agriculture (PICSA) as part of Rwanda climate services for agriculture: Findings from quantitative evaluation of 2017/18 PICSA implementation. CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) (339).
Clarkson, G. ORCID: 0000-0002-4342-4773 , Dorward, P. , Nsengiyumva, G. , Kagabo, D. (2020) Participatory integrated climate services for agriculture (PICSA) as part of Rwanda climate services for agriculture: findings from quantitative evaluation of 2016/17 PICSA implementation.. CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) (338).
Areal, F. , Clarkson, G. , Garforth, C. , Barahona, C. , Dove, M. , Dorward, P. (2020) Does TV edutainment lead to farmers changing their agricultural practices aiming at increasing productivity?. Journal of Rural Studies , 76 pp. 213-229. ISSN: 0743-0167 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2020.03.001

Clarkson, G. , Dorward, P. , Osbahr, H. , Torgbor, F. , Kankam-Boadu, I. (2019) An investigation of the effects of PICSA on smallholder farmers’ decision-making and livelihoods when implemented at large scale – the case of Northern Ghana. Climate Services , 14 pp. 1-14. ISSN: 2405-8807 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cliser.2019.02.002

Dayamba, D. , Ky-Dembele, C. , Bayala, J. , Dorward, P. , Clarkson, G. , Sanogo, D. , Mamadou, M. , Traore, I. , Diakite, A. , Nenkam, A. , Binam, J. , Ouedraogo, M. , Zougmore, R. (2018) Assessment of the use of Participatory Integrated Climate Services for Agriculture (PICSA) approach by farmers to manage climate risk in Mali and Senegal. Climate Services , 12 pp. 27-35. ISSN: 2405-8807 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cliser.2018.07.003
Caine, A. , Clarke, C. , Clarkson, G. , Dorward, P. (2018) Mobile phone applications for weather and climate information for smallholder farmer decision making. In: Duncombe, R. , (eds.) Digital Technologies for Agricultural and Rural Development in the Global South. CABI , Wallingford, UK. pp. 1-13. ISBN: 9781786393364
Clarkson, G. , Garforth, C. , Dorward, P. , Mose, G. , Barahona, C. , Areal, F. , Dove, M. (2018) Can the TV makeover format of edutainment lead to widespread changes in farmer behaviour and influence innovation systems? Shamba Shape Up in Kenya. Land Use Policy , 76 pp. 338-351. ISSN: 0264-8377 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2018.05.011

Clarkson, G. , Dorward, P. , Kagabo, D. , Nsengiyumva, G. (2017) Climate services for agriculture in Rwanda: initial findings from PICSA monitoring and evaluation. The CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security pp 4.

Dorward, P. , Clarkson, G. , Stern, R. (2015) Participatory Integrated Climate Services for Agriculture (PICSA): field manual. A step-by-step guide to using PICSA with farmers. Walker Institute, University of Reading pp 64. ISBN: 9780704915633

Cardey, S. , Garforth, C. , Clarkson, G. , Dorward, P. (2014) Supporting farmer innovation for agricultural growth: an innovation systems perspective.

Cardey, S. , Garforth, C. , Clarkson, G. , Dorward, P. (2013) Dynamics of farmer innovation and communication systems in agricultural growth in East Africa.
Kamoto, J. , Clarkson, G. , Dorward, P. , Shepherd, D. (2013) Doing more harm than good? Community based natural resource management and the neglect of local institutions in policy development. Land Use Policy , 35 pp. 293-301. ISSN: 0264-8377 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2013.06.002

Clarkson, G. (2012) On-farm tree planting in Malawi. Agriculture for Development , 16 pp. 29-32. ISSN: 1759-0604