The project will be implemented in Ghana and Tanzania, which is incredibly diverse in terms of culture and language, making it essential to capture this diversity in our research design and project implementation. Aligned with our EDI principles, we will capture these differences in our research framework by ensuring that a wide range of voices is heard, we’re prioritizing inclusivity in our sampling design. We aim to include those who are typically excluded from decision-making, such as women, elders, and marginalized ethnic groups. Our community liaisons will build long-term relationships with community members, enabling marginalized groups to contribute their insights to identify solutions. Additionally, we are ensuring not to exclude marginalized individuals or groups, especially women, from our study. We want our research to benefit those most affected by climate change and vulnerability, so we’re taking several steps to ensure inclusivity.
First, we’ve assembled a diverse team of interdisciplinary researchers, including early career researchers such as postdocs (see our budget section), non-governmental organizations, community groups and liaisons, and national agencies spanning across Ghana and Tanzania. This diversity in our team will ensure that our research is grounded in an African perspective and relevant to the climate adaptation needs of Ghana and Tanzania.
We’re also taking measures to ensure that our research findings are applicable to various groups affected by climate change. For example, we’re striving for gender balance and representation from different types of organizations and government levels in our study. For instances, our interactive on-site training during co-design and co-production of research outputs will include participatory mapping and co-production of DSS with members of the vulnerable coastal communities.
We’re also committed to diversity in our secondary research by looking beyond traditional academic journals, which may be inaccessible to researchers in developing countries. Instead, we’ll search for local publications, grey literature, and Indigenous knowledge systems. Our team’s proficiency in Swahili in Tanzania and the three main spoken languages in our research sites in Ghana will be invaluable in this regard.
During data collection, we will identify key diversity-related variables such as ethnicity and gender, which will guide the size and depth of our interviews. All our collected data will be organized by these diversity variables, allowing for in-depth analysis from different disciplinary and gender perspectives. We will make the data available to all team members through a secure online platform and regularly update everyone on our findings during meetings.
We will share our initial results with local stakeholders and community members to gather feedback and ensure that our findings reflect local perspectives and opinions. This collaborative approach ensures that our research is inclusive, relevant, and beneficial to those it aims to serve. Lastly, in keeping with our EDI principles, the bulk of our budget is allocated to training and developing research capacity for students and postdocs, and co-developing knowledge with vulnerable groups through participatory workshops and community-based research.
