Climate resilience and natural resource governance in Ghana: ESATRE project coordinated by the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies and funded by MAECI

Strengthening climate resilience through reliable data, innovative tools and informed policies: this is the objective of the Enhancing Sustainable Agriculture and Transhumance Regulation in Ghana (ESATRE) project, coordinated by the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa and funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI). The project will last one year and involves an interdisciplinary research group coordinated by Leonardo Caproni, researcher in Agricultural Genetics, and Luca Raineri, researcher in Political Science. ESATRE aims to strengthen climate resilience by promoting better access to and use of climate information and more effective governance of natural resources, with a particular focus on agricultural and pastoral contexts in Ghana. To this end, the project will work on the development and dissemination of an innovative climate information tool, adaptable to the needs of Ghanaian farmers and pastoralists, and will conduct an analysis of the factors hindering the regulation of transhumance in Ghana, with the aim of strengthening institutional capacities for informed policy-making.
At the same time, the research will analyse the Ghanaian case to contribute to the legal debate on the obligations of African states in the face of the climate crisis.

The interdisciplinary nature of the project

The initiative aims to continue and strengthen the interdisciplinary collaboration between the Institute of Plant Sciences (ISP) and the DIRPOLIS Institute of the Sant'Anna School, which began with the REJOWA project. The new initiative represents a second phase of joint work in Ghana, focusing on the relationship between climate change, natural resource governance and security and development conditions in rural communities.

Field missions to Ghana are planned for 2026, with the aim of collecting data, engaging in dialogue with institutional actors and co-designing interventions.

The first mission will take place in March 2026 and will include training on the use of AquaBEHER, a model developed by the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies that integrates seasonal agro-meteorological forecasts with soil data through a water balance-based approach in order to estimate the key phases of the rainy season. The training will be organised in collaboration with the Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet) and will be aimed primarily at its technical staff, as well as participants from academia and the private sector interested in learning how to use the platform for analysis and decision support in agriculture and the environment.

Through the involvement of national institutions, rural communities and local organisations, ESATRE aims to generate knowledge and solutions to support equitable and sustainable governance of natural resources, promoting social cohesion, security and development in a crucial area of West Africa.