Nexus Regional Dialogues Programme MENA // Demonstration Projects in Egypt: Water-Energy-Food-Nexus Farming Design Thinking Workshop El Heiz, Egypt
In the view of supporting farmers and entrepreneurs, an interactive workshop, gathering 17 farmers, educational institutions representatives, agricultural directorates has been carried out on September 22, 2022 in El Heiz, Egypt.
As a continuation of the capacity building journey in farming communities in WEF Nexus demonstration project’s locations, it is crucial to train the stakeholders specially from agriculture schools’ teachers and increase their knowledge regarding the Design Thinking approach.
Design thinking is a key process for solving sustainable farming problems by prioritizing the farmer's needs. It relies on observing, with empathy, how agriculture stakeholders interact with their environments, and employs an iterative, hands-on approach to creating innovative solutions.
During the workshop, the main five phases of design thinking have been demonstrated with practical examples. First phase ,the “Empathize” with the current challenges faced, Second phase , the “Define” phase where both the problem and the need are being specified, third phase is “Ideate” where participants put into groups for brainstorming and developing ideas, fourth phase , the “Prototype” were participants developed pilot design of proper WEF nexus farming and the governance needed to implement it, then comes the final phase where the prototype is being “Tested” via pilot showcasing and feedback from the expertise of different relevant sectors.
This workshop is part of a bigger 8-month initiative to raise awareness of integrated Nexus solutions at farm level and at the same time engage in dialogue with policy makers and the financing sector for more framework conditions that will enable the wider uptake of these technologies in small and medium sized farms.
Further reading on the NRD MENA initatives
- Nexus Regional Dialogues Programme MENA // Demonstration Projects in Egypt: Water-Energy-Food Nexus Farming Design Thinking Workshop Dandara, Egypt
- Nexus Regional Dialogue MENA // Launching the Nexus Farms Initiative in Egypt – How to secure food supply and rural livelihoods in the context of climate change
- Nexus Regional Dialogues Programme // Training of Trainers in Dandara-Upper Egypt
- Nexus Regional Dialogues Programme MENA // Environment and Development Forum NRD MENA-Technical Session: Upscaling the WEF Nexus for a Climate Resilient Future