Boniface Kiteme

Researchers' roles in knowledge co-production: experience from sustainability research in Kenya, Switzerland, Bolivia and Nepal

Co-production of knowledge between academic and non-academic communities is a prerequisite for research aiming at more sustainable development paths. Sustainability researchers face three challenges in such co-production: (a) addressing power relations; (b) interrelating different perspectives on the issues at stake; and (c) promoting a previously negotiated orientation towards sustainable development. A systematic comparison of four sustainability research projects in Kenya (vulnerability to drought), Switzerland (soil protection), Bolivia and Nepal (conservation vs. development) shows how the researchers intuitively adopted three different roles to face these challenges: the roles of reflective scientist, intermediary, and facilitator of a joint learning process. From this systematized and iterative self-reflection on the roles that a researcher can assume in the indeterminate social space where knowledge is co-produced, we draw conclusions regarding training. Copyright , Beech Tree Publishing.

Integrating mitigation and adaptation into development: the case of Jatropha curcas in sub-Saharan Africa

BART MUYS , L INDSEY NORGROVE , TENA ALAMIREW , RHODA B IRECH , EL I SA CH IR IN IAN , YOSEPH DELELEGN , ALBRECHT EHRENSPERGER , CAROL A . ELL I SON , ADEM FETO , BERNHARD FREYER , JAN GEVAERT , S IMON GM € UNDER , RAYMOND E . E . JONGSCHAAP , MANFRED KAUFMANN , JOD IE KEANE , MARC KEN I S , BON I FACE K ITEME , JACKSON LANGAT , REG INALD LY IMO , V IOLET MORAA , JAC INTA MUCHUGU , AKL I LU NEGUSS I E , CAROL INE OUKO , MATHUR IN W . ROUAMBA , I R IA SOTO , MANFRED W € ORGETTER , RA INER ZAH and RIGOBERTO ZETINA

Sustainable River Basin Management in Kenya: Balancing Needs and Requirements

Many research initiatives worldwide are established with the aim of explicitly contributing to sustainable development efforts within their respective contexts. Transdisciplinarity is one of the basic principles used to achieve this aim. In practice, however, this has remained a daunting task for many institutions, especially those focusing on sustainable natural resources management. This is partly due to a number of factors: a limited timeframe of operation; limited scope of work and implementation methodology, which are critical to ensuring broad disciplinary coverage and multistakeholder involvement; and use of approaches that do not guarantee integration of, or ensure responsiveness to, changing ecological processes and socio-economic, cultural and political landscapes.

Agricultural expansion and intensification in the foothills of Mount Kenya: A landscape perspective

This study spatially assesses, quantifies, and visualizes the agricultural expansion and land use intensification in the northwestern foothills of Mount Kenya over the last 30 years: processes triggered by population growth, and, more recently, by large-scale commercial investments. We made use of Google Earth Engine to access the USGS Landsat data archive and to generate cloud-free seasonal composites. These enabled us to accurately differentiate between rainfed and irrigated cropland, which was important for assessing agricultural intensification. We developed three land cover and land use classifications using the random forest classifier, and assessed land cover and land use change by creating cross-tabulation matrices for the intervals from 1987 to 2002, 2002 to 2016, and 1987 to 2016 and calculating the net change. We then applied a landscape mosaic approach to each classification to identify landscape types categorized by land use intensity. We discuss the impacts of landscape changes on natural habitats, biodiversity, and water. Kappa accuracies for the three classifications lay between 78.3% and 82.1%. Our study confirms that rainfed and irrigated cropland expanded at the expense of natural habitats, including protected areas. Agricultural expansion took place mainly in the 1980s and 1990s, whereas agricultural intensification largely happened after 2000. Since then, not only large-scale producers, but also many smallholders have begun to practice irrigated farming. The spatial pattern of agricultural expansion and intensification in the study area is defined by water availability. Agricultural intensification and the expansion of horticulture agribusinesses increase pressure on water. Furthermore, the observed changes have heightened pressure on pasture and idle land due to the decrease in natural and agropastoral landscapes. Conflicts between pastoralists, smallholder farmers, large-scale ranches, and wildlife might further increase, particularly during the dry seasons and in years of extreme drought.

Community-based water development projects, their effectiveness, and options for improvement: lessons from Laikipia, Kenya

Using the case of 30 community-based water development projects in the Laikipia County, Kenya, this paper analyses the factors for their effectiveness and options for improvement drawing on the perspectives of 30 project management committees and 290 project members. Data were collected through questionnaires, interviews, and observations. The water projects improved the members’ living conditions, community cohesion, and livelihoods. Key factors for project success include public–private partnerships, participation, and ownership, while those for failure include inequity, poor leadership and accountability, and inadequate capacities regarding skills and resources. We conclude by discussing options to improve local capacity to address the identified challenges.

From fragmented to integrated knowledge for sustainable water and land

The crucial role mountain ecosystems play for mountain communities and people living in the lowlands is emphasized by the 3 mountain-specific targets of Agenda 2030 (targets 6.6, 15.1, and 15.4). To achieve these targets, sound and integrated knowledge is needed for policy- and decision-making that fosters sustainable management of water and land resources in mountain areas, including equitable negotiation of trade-offs between stakeholders. The Water and Land Resources Centres in Kenya and Ethiopia and the recently approved Global Land Programme working group on Land Systems for Mountain Futures are just 2 of a number of initiatives launched by the Centre for Development and Environment and its partners to integrate and share knowledge for evidence-informed policies and practices aimed at safeguarding key mountain ecosystem services.

From Fragmented to Integrated Knowledge for Sustainable Water and Land Management and Governance in Highland–Lowland Contexts

The crucial role mountain ecosystems play for mountain communities and people living in the lowlands is emphasized by the 3 mountain-specific targets of Agenda 2030 (targets 6.6, 15.1, and 15.4). To achieve these targets, sound and integrated knowledge is needed for policy- and decision-making that fosters sustainable management of water and land resources in mountain areas, including equitable negotiation of trade-offs between stakeholders. The Water and Land Resources Centres in Kenya and Ethiopia and the recently approved Global Land Programme working group on Land Systems for Mountain Futures are just 2 of a number of initiatives launched by the Centre for Development and Environment and its partners to integrate and share knowledge for evidence-informed policies and practices aimed at safeguarding key mountain ecosystem services.

Concepts and Practices for the Democratisation of Knowledge Generation in Research Partnerships for Sustainable Development.

In response to the development and climate crisis of the Anthropocene, world leaders at the 2015 UN Sustainable Development Summit in New York have reconfirmed the urgency of a sustainability transformation. This paper shows how a strong conceptualisation of sustainability can guide scientists in contributing to this transformation. The Eastern and Southern Africa Partnership Programme (1999–2015) offers experiences in framing and implementing research as a transdisciplinary future-forming process. Its procedural, reflexive programme design proved adequate to support the democratisation of knowledge generation. This fostered evidence-based contextualised knowledge and corresponding institutions, and strengthened the future-forming capacity of all partners involved.

How national and local contexts shape the impacts of foreign investment in land: a comparative analysis from three African countries

Recent changes in the global agro–food–energy system – driven in part by consumption trends, climate change-mitigation agendas, and general economic forces – have sparked renewed interest in agricultural investment and a rush to acquire land. The broader socio-economic and ecological impacts of these land use changes are not always clear. Many assessments focus mainly on short-term locallevel effects, failing to link changes to the wider agrarian and socio-economic transformations that are underway. Against this backdrop, the objective of the Belmont Forum-supported AFGROLAND project is to analyze how large-scale investments in land and agriculture impact natural resources, rural livelihoods, food security, and public policies in African countries.

Upper Ewaso Ngiro River Basin Water Management Information Platform: Survey on Development priorities, Information Needs and Conflict Management Efforts

A survey of development priorities and needs for water related information, including information on Water User Associations