Purdue Applied Research Institute joins Abt Associates-led team in $49 million USAID climate initiative

The award is part of USAID’s five-year Comprehensive Action for Climate Change Initiative (CACCI), the agency’s global flagship program to create actionable programs and policies to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

“PARI Global Development and Innovation is excited to be a part of this important project with Abt Associates and USAID,” said John Glover, executive director for PARI GDI. “Our mission is to provide innovation and applied research approaches to develop practical policy solutions for the very complex systemic issues climate change poses, such as food security, community adaptation and resiliency as well as impacts of increased displacements and a greater need for humanitarian assistance as natural disasters from weather events occur.”

Through collaboration with Abt Associates, PARI’s partnering researchers in the College of Agriculture will receive $800,000 with potential for further support for their work over CACCI’s duration.

“This is an exciting initiative to address climate change challenges and policies across the globe,” said Gerald Shively, associate dean and director of International Programs in Agriculture. “We are pleased to be partnering with PARI, Abt Associates and others, and look forward to leveraging the expertise of the College of Agriculture to ensure the project’s success.”

Purdue researchers will work to address several of CACCI’s objectives by collaborating with Abt Associates on the generation of information and data to meet the needs of policymakers, calling on CGIAR, fellow U.S. land-grant universities, historically Black colleges and universities, and think tanks as needed.

“Climate change is a threat to all and challenges us to innovate in key areas: mitigation, adaptation and resilience,” said Matthew Huber, the David E. Ross Director of the Purdue Institute for a Sustainable Future and professor of earth, atmospheric and planetary sciences. “We are pleased to be part of this project, working with terrific partners. The project aligns exactly with ISF’s mission to foster and promote research, partnerships and engagement in areas including the environment, climate impacts and resilience, food-energy-water security, human and biosphere health, and sustainability as broadly defined by the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals.”

Abt Associates will also look to Purdue’s agricultural researchers for assistance in engaging with agribusiness sector associates in land and natural resource usage, and in planning for adaptation and mitigation, particularly in cocoa and coffee cultivation.

“Abt has spent decades working with municipalities to develop localized policy solutions, including in response to the climate crisis,” said Jenn Cisse, Abt Associates’ director for climate adaptation and resilience. “Collectively — with IISD (International Institute for Sustainable Development), Purdue and WRI (World Resources Institute) — this team has almost 100 years of experience supporting policy reforms and connecting stakeholders working on climate policy and action in more than 150 countries. We’re thrilled to harness this team’s know-how with that of our partner countries. We applaud USAID for their vision because activities of this scale are essential to ensuring global progress on climate adaptation and mitigation.”