Innovation in governance: integrating technical and contextual perspectives to address fragility

Building resilience among pastoralists and agro‑pastoralists in drylands requires navigating systemic challenges within fragile political systems. This report examines the Stakeholder Approach to Risk Informed and Evidence Based Decision Making (SHARED), a framework designed to integrate technical expertise with contextual knowledge of local political economy, society, and ecology. Applied since 2014 across Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali, Niger, and Somalia, SHARED emphasises inclusive, adaptive engagement to ensure decisions are technically sound, contextually appropriate, and locally legitimate.

Findings highlight that fragile and conflict‑affected environments benefit most from evidence‑based practices, yet resist simple adoption of external “best practices” due to weak institutions, climate pressures, and instability. SHARED demonstrates how multi‑stakeholder processes can shift political possibilities, support adaptive management, and embed evidence within local realities.

The study cautions that success depends not only on frameworks but on implementers’ responsiveness and motivation, underscoring the importance of process innovation for resilience in complex dryland contexts.