The approach adopted here is to develop scenarios for East Africa to 2030 using a qualitative, narrative approach that takes account of the three components of the CCAFS programme: climate change, agriculture and food security. Over the course of approximately 12 months, the outputs will be developed and refined through interaction with a wider group of stakeholders and through interaction with the quantitative modelling community, specifically in the agricultural modelling sphere. The practical steps for implementing this approach are outlined.