Regional Capacity Building for Sustainable Natural Resource Management and Agricultural Productivity under Changing Climate
Background
The East African region has an agricultural led economy and its population depend on natural resources for their livelihoods and development. Agricultural productivity and natural resources are increasingly facing threats of the variable and changing climates, which is likely to impact negatively on development.
Countries in the East African region face a range of common development challenges, including natural resource degradation, decreasing agricultural productivity, changing and variable climates, rapid population growth and high poverty levels. Due to existing economic and social inequalities, women are especially affected by negative climate change impacts.
Universities for development
Total budget:
-
2013-2018: 18 million NOK
Higher institutions of learning in East Africa are expected to contribute to the generation of solutions to obviate these challenges through supplying knowledgeable graduates as well as providing evidence-base for interventions and policies for accelerating national development.
This regional collaborative project is geared at increasing the relevance of southern universities in addressing national and regional development challenges in environment, natural resource management and climate change, with special attention to the University of Juba.
Innovative teaching and research
The overall goal is to enable the partner institutions to provide innovative teaching, learning, research and outreach services that are responsive to the needs of its countries. This will allow the region to benefit from its young productive population, with the capacity and competence of contributing to the creation of jobs and thus directly contributing to the national development agenda.
Overall goal:
To strengthen human and institutional capacities of southern institutions to better respond to climate change for improved agricultural productivity and livelihoods
The objectives of the project are:
- To review and strengthen academic programmes in respect to climate change and natural resource management in the three partner institutions in the south.
- To strengthen research capacities in climate change and natural resource management to generate knowledge and technologies for development and policy formulation
- To build staff capacities through PhD, postdoctoral for all south institutions and master level training specifically for the University of Juba, that will improve its educational and research management capacity
- To strengthen research and teaching infrastructure in order to produce better and responsive graduates
- To strengthen north-south, and south-south linkages through staff exchange, joint collaborative research and outreach activities
Partner institutions:
- Makerere University, Uganda
- University of Juba, South Sudan
- Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia
- Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Norway
Contact persons for the project:
- Professor Samuel Kyamanywa, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Makerere University, e-mail: skyamanywa@agric.mak.ac.ug
- Dr. Pasquale Moilinga, College of Natural Resources and Environmental Studies,
University of Juba, e-mail: worimoilinga@gmail.com - Professor Fisseha Itanna, Addis Ababa University, e-mail: fissehai@yahoo.com
- Professor Bal Ram Singh, NMBU, e-mail: balram.singh@nmbu.no
News and relevant links:
- Makerere University News Portal
http://news.mak.ac.ug/2014/01/caes-takes-lead-norhed-projects-launch - Norway MFA Grants Portal:
http://udtilskudd.regjeringen.no/#/en/agreement?agreementNo=SSD-13/0020