In
a world fractured by the effects of environmental degradation, political
turmoil, and economic crises, it is easy to forget that cultures of peace
depend on good governance and equitable management of our natural resources.
Sustainable development from the grass-roots up can only happen if these three
core issues are addressed. Furthermore, the connection between environmental
challenges and local conflicts cannot be assessed separately. They must be
understood and acted upon not just by academics, but by as many different kinds
of people as possible – bustling city-dwellers, hard-working villagers and
farmers, children, poets, dreamers – and by those who visit our country and
carry away with them a sense of our key cultural developments and aspirations.
Moreover, successful fusion of university research and traditional training
requires the provision not only of academic resources, but of experiential
learning opportunities, community mentoring, and utilization of indigenous
knowledge.
The Center for Sustainable Drylands (CSD) has now been established at the LARMAT Department. This collaborative effort between University of Nairobi and Colorado State University promises to bring much more visibility to our research and training programmes.
About the Center
The Center for Sustainable Drylands is one of 11 partnerships between Africa and U.S. institutions of higher Education that has received a two-year funding through a competitive grant process by Africa -USAID/Higher Education for Development Initiative.
The implementation of the Center’s activities will be done collaboratively with other institutions/organizations such as; RUFORUM, Dryland Management Programme at University of Nairobi, ILRI, Reto-o-Reto Foundation, Ministry of Northern Kenya and IUCN among others. The Center for Sustainable Dryland Ecosystems and societies will have an Advisory Board composed of key players in development issues and institutions of higher learning and a Project Implementation Team headed by a Project Director/Coordinator.
Some of the Center activities include mainstreaming dryland issues in academic curricula review, short courses for skill building in dryland development and recruitment of Center interns among others. The center will also award short fellowships and grants for students and interns as well as faculty to work on needs-driven research for development on a competitive basis.
- creating a center in UON which results in effective co-ordination of interdisplinary education, research and outreach supporting sustainable dryland ecosystems and societies in Kenya.
- Developing a dryland leadership Learning Program at the UON resulting in greater capacity of students and faculty to address the problems of dryland ecosystems and societies in Kenya.
- Developing a comparative, trans-displinary Research-for-Development Program resulting in addressing the development and sustainability needs of dryland communities, their ecosystems and the policymakers who serve them.
- Creating a dryland community outreach program resulting in greater participation in higher education by pastoralists, especially women, for development of more appropriate innovations for dryland systems and.
- Developing a drylands learning platform for Knowledge exchange resulting in effective coordination and impacts of education, research and outreach for drylands of Kenya.
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