Digital Tools: Connecting Smallholder Farmers with Smart, Sustainable Solutions
SEI Africa is based in Nairobi, Kenya and is hosted by the World Agroforestry Centre. The centre collaborates with African governments, organizations and networks, acting as a hub for SEI’s engagement across the continent. The centre’s work focuses on four key areas: energy and climate; natural resources and ecosystems; sustainable urbanisation; and health and environment.
From its establishment in August 2008 until June 2013, SEI Africa was based at the Institute of Resource Assessment at the University of Dares Salaam. As of July 2013, it is based in Nairobi, Kenya, hosted by the World Agroforestry Centre. Staff members are active across South, East and West Africa.
Solterra was born out of a need and wish to address South Africa’s energy crisis. We understand that in order to bring about the changes required in the South African energy landscape we needed a highly specialized commercial and residential product. South Africa faces a massive shortage when it comes to experienced, competent and technically sound energy consultants. Solterra aim to fill this void. We are the fastest growing renewable energy consultancy in Southern Africa, offering the public consistent, trustworthy solutions nationally.
With head office accountability, ethical standards and integrity we do not only exist to sell products – we exist because we are a group of individuals who believe in making a significant difference. We undertake comprehensive client engagement in order to understand their requirements, making the correct recommendations, ensuring that sustainable and accurate solutions are provided. We do not compromise on quality, and will only offer the best in class products, matched with industry leading design and implementation
ATE’s research arm, the Amboseli Elephant Research Project, has made many important contributions to elephant research over the years. The knowledge gained from the AERP team has profoundly altered the way we think about, conserve and manage elephant populations. Our research has highlighted the ethical implications of dealing with sentient, long-lived, intelligent and social complex animals and our knowledge base provides powerful and authoritative support to elephant conservation and advocacy campaigns worldwide. For more than four decades AERP’s presence has helped ensure the survival of the elephants as well as the Amboseli ecosystem.
AERP research covers many areas including: social organization, behavior, demography, ecological dynamics, spatial analyses and mapping, communication, genetics, human-elephant interactions and cognition. Our long-term datasets underpin all these research topics.
CORE RESEARCH
Our team of Kenyan research assistants and visiting scientists are in the field at least six days a week. We record all demographic events in the population; births and deaths, musth, oestrus and mating. Our routine daily observations note associations between family units and independent males, geographic location, group size, composition, activity and habitat type. Within families we monitor female affiliation and the dispersal of young males from their family to analyze family dynamics. We have systematically monitored the size and growth of over 600 individuals from 1976 to the present. Since 1999 we have collected dung samples for genetic analyses of population origins, paternity and within- and between-family relatedness. We are constantly maintaining and updating our individual records, and we also carry out basic ecological monitoring through vegetation plots, water table measurements and rainfall.
COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH
ATE hosts visiting researchers who contribute to the growing understanding of African elephants in general, and the knowledge base for the sustained future of the Amboseli population in particular.
Researchers interested in collaborating with ATE should address their enquiries to our Director of Science, Prof. Phyllis Lee (phyllis.lee@stir.ac.uk). ATE has always enjoyed a dynamic collaboration network and we welcome the opportunity for new partnerships to continue that tradition. Our collaborations extend across many subject areas:
Communication
Communication is the glue that binds the social network of an intelligent species. Joyce Poole and Petter Granli recorded and analyzed Amboseli elephant vocalizations as part of the work of their NGO ElephantVoices. Their aim is to build our scientific understanding of the intelligence and social complexity of elephants and enhance the toolbox for their conservation and management. At the same time they act as a voice for elephants in a strong advocacy component. You can follow some of their work and activities on the ElephantVoices Facebook page. Other communication studies have focused on elephants’ capacity for individual recognition: Karen McComb pioneered the playback approach and demonstrated that each female elephant recognizes around 100 other females from voice alone.
Elephant Life Histories and Reproduction
Ongoing studies provide vital information on how elephants grow, mature and learn to cope with their physical and social environments. This work, guided by Phyllis Lee asks how longevity and developmental processes contribute to fitness and reproductive success. The four-decade-long Amboseli dataset is now yielding exciting insights into these questions; Phyllis’ work has recently demonstrated that early life experiences have survival and fitness consequences across individual lifetimes. The role of old, experienced females in guiding family decisions has become apparent: families with older matriarchs have improved calf survival and shorter inter-birth intervals for all females in the family. An extreme drought event in 2009 caused the death of many of these important leaders. Vicki Fishlock’s work, supported by the International Fund for Animal Welfare, aims to assess the social and reproductive effects of these losses. As a result of Vicki’s work, we are developing further studies into what leadership and negotiation means for elephant families.
Human-elephant conflict and co-existence
ATE is bringing its specialized knowledge of elephant behavior and society to bear on developing conflict-reduction strategies that are consistent with rural agriculture and Maasai livestock husbandry (see also Community Outreach). Work by Kadzo Kangwana, Christy Browne-Nunez, Patrick Chiyo and Winnie Kiiru has guided and developed our approach to conflict and coexistence.
Genetic analysis
Scientists from Duke University have mapped DNA profiles in order to define family relationships and origins of the Amboseli population. Cross-referenced to behavioral observations, the DNA analysis by Beth Archie examined survival strategies based on relatedness. Beth’s student Patrick Chiyo studied the socio-ecology of crop-raiding elephants using genetic techniques. Patrick’s work expanded to examine male association patterns and the impact of these on high risk activities such a crop-raiding.
Cognition
Dick Byrne and Lucy Bates have examined elephants’ formidable reputation for memory and intelligence by investigating specific cognitive skills designed to probe elephants’ ability to manipulate and respond to their world and each other. Karen McComb and Graeme Shannon have expanded Karen’s early work on elephant communication and vocal recognition into the cognitive sphere by presenting elephants with a series of acoustic “threats” via playback experiments. Their studies show that elephants and discriminate and appropriately respond to varying levels of threats from lions and from humans, and that these abilities are strongest amongst experienced (older) elephants.
COMMUNITY OUTREACH
The long-term survival of elephants can only be assured by creating a niche for free-living elephants that is compatible with the needs and aspirations of the surrounding human communities. Elephants and humans have shared the Amboseli landscape for approximately 500 years. With the expansion of settlement, agriculture and livestock numbers inevitably encounters between people and elephants are increasing. ATE’s approach is aimed at maintaining the conservation ethos which has been part of Maasai tradition, but which is increasingly threatened by the pressures of 21st century human society.
Community Relations
Our field staff maintains daily contact with the surrounding Maasai community. This friendly interaction is essential to ensure that landowners maintain a tolerant attitude to the presence and passage of elephants on their group ranch land. We estimate that at any one time 80% of the wildlife in Amboseli is using community lands; without community participation there is simply no future for wildlife. Our approach is to allow a two-way exchange of understanding with communities. Concerns are aired in constructive dialogue, not in retaliatory killing of wildlife. We had proof of the value of this approach in 2012, when a local Maasai man waited for five hours beside an elephant calf trapped in a well. He patiently protected the little calf until he could reach ATE staff via an unreliable mobile phone network, and we then rescued the calf with the help of DSWT staff. Without this man’s care and respect, the calf, who we called Lemoyian, would certainly have died.
Consolation
ATE has an innovative and successful consolation scheme to assist members of the community who lose livestock to elephants. Started in 1997 the program pays an owner of a cow, sheep or goat a set amount when an elephant kills any livestock on community lands. Previously, Maasai custom dictated an elephant had to be speared and killed in retribution for livestock deaths. The number of elephants speared dropped by more than half after the initiation of the consolation scheme. This scheme has since become a model in other areas and for other species.
Maasai Elephant Scouts
ATE operations outside the park include employing fifteen Maasai elephant scouts who patrol the ecosystem on foot, reporting elephant presence and signs, injured elephants and conflicts, as well as signs of poaching and the bushmeat trade. Their work is coordinated with that of the Amboseli-Tsavo Game Scouts Association (ATGSA) and the Big Life Foundation. The ATE scouts support our monitoring work by augmenting our elephant sightings data, especially during the wet season when elephants range widely. Scouts also assist in verification of consolation claims. Support to the scouts contributes to improved community participation and understanding of human-wildlife interaction as well as providing employment in a depressed rural area. We are also beginning a collaboration with the Lion Guardians programme to fund the work of two conflict mitigation scouts, at the request of the Kaputei community.
ADEC Innovations advances sustainable practices around the world, and helps organizations grow and operate responsibly. Seamlessly delivering fully integrated, cost-effective consulting, data management and software solutions, ADEC Innovations helps clients save time, reduce costs, optimize resource use, and drive operational efficiencies in a world where sustainability matters.
We have over 30 years of group experience in data management, software solutions, professional services and workforce solutions. Our products and services cover various industry sectors such as education, health information, environmental services and compliance.
The Northern Rangelands Trust is a community conservancy membership organisation. Our mission is to develop resilient community conservancies, which transform people’s lives, secure peace and conserve natural resources.
We do this by supporting communities to:
- Develop locally-led governance structures that complement traditional systems
- Run peace and security programmes
- Take the lead in natural resources management
- Manage sustainable businesses linked to conservation
We fundraise for our member conservancies, and provide advice and guidance on management. We support a wide range of training, monitor performance, and work as an independent third party in support of conservancy partnerships with county and national government, investors and development partners.
kiangure Springs Environment Initiative (KSEI) is a registered Community Based Organization under the laws of Kenya that works towards enhancing resilience of communities towards impacts of climate change in the Aberdare ecosystem of Kenya. The Project is located on the Eastern side of the Aberdare Forest. The Aberdare forest is the source of Rivers that are tributaries of Tana,Kenyas biggest river. Our overall objective is to support the upper Tana catchment community in Poverty reduction through improved livelihood systems and the Conservation of Community natural resources and initiatives for enhanced environmental management and governance.Our beneficiaries include the catholic community in Nyeri Diocese.
Our Programmes are:
1) Renewable energy promotion-(improved cook-stoves, briquettes, solar, and bio-gas) Under this programme we have enabled 1000 households adopt ICS,500 adopt solar lamps ,19 households adopt biogas and 10 secondary schools adopt Biogas technology, promotion and production of Briquettes
http://www.trust.org/item/20150429114132-tnby1
2) Environment conservation- tree planting (bamboo, fruits, indigenous tree species) Planted over 500,000 seedlings in the Aberdare ecosystem
3)Environmental education https://www.apeuk.org/youth-aberdare-art-project/project Working with youth groups, schools and community groups to promote environmental education.
4)Climate change and environmental awareness http://www.paintinganewworld.com/galleries/int-murals-index.htm Working with Canadian Organization to create community level awareness on climate change through mural art.
5)Governance & Democracy The purpose of this program is to create an empowered society that can demand for democratic practice at all levels and participate in governance issues. The main projects under this include Alternative Leadership Programme, Women Civic Empowerment Program, Youth Empowerment program and Natural resource management . The overall objective of this programme is to entrench community participation in governance and democratic processes thereby creating an informed society that can demand for democratic practices at all levels and participate in governance issues.
6)Food Security &Sustainable livelihoods This project seeks to improve food security and ensure sustainable livelihoods through integrated intervention focusing on:
a)Sustainable Agriculture The main activities under this program include crop diversification, promotion of organic agriculture and initiation of community agricultural extension schemes. Similarly, livestock, fish, and poultry farming are encouraged with emphasis on efficient utilization of the small farm sizes. Over 500 households have benefited with poultry ,fish and Dairy goats.. There is emphasis on climate smart agriculture to reduce emissions, improve soil fertility, and conserve our water resources.
b) Community Health & Nutrition This is an initiative through which KSEI trains community health workers (CHWs), and peer educators to promote health education within the community and hence promote best practices in community health and nutrition
c)Gender & HIV/AIDS Project Under this project KSEI has in the last three years been involved in awareness creation, sensitization and behavior change advocacy focusing especially on women as the most vulnerable group
d)Water & Sanitation This component focuses on the improvement of sanitation both at domestic and institutional level. The domestic water supply and quality to mitigate the effects of waterborne and other diseases in the community. This is done through sanitation education and adoption of Integrated Biogas technology and conservation of natural water sources.
SABIC is composed of four strategic business units – Petrochemicals, Specialties, Agri-Nutrients, and Metals – each headed by an Executive Vice President. They support customers by identifying and developing opportunities in key end markets such as construction, medical devices, packaging, agri-nutrients, electrical and electronics, transportation and clean energy.
is to offer professional services in the field of physical planning, land surveying GIS and web
mapping. Specifically, the firm offers consultancy services in land use planning including
preparation of master plans, integrated plans, and advisory plans, Engineering survey and title
cadastral or Title surveys and tailor made mapping using GIS and development of web maps and
web mapping applications to in order to manipulate and share geospatial out puts to variety of
audiences. a reputable Urban and regional planning as well as environmental Management
consulting firm in Kenya wishes to extend the services and expertise available to the client bringing
their local experience achieved in association with other individual experts. The combined
experience of the team is capable of providing high-quality standard consultancy services in
planning and survey
Vision
We make a sustained, effective contribution towards the reduction of economic disparities in an increasingly complex, globalized world.
Mission
We promote economic, social, and environmental development by helping people integrate into local economic life. We thus make it possible for them to improve their living conditions through their own initiatives.
Our Values
Our commitment
- We are recognised as the reference for private sector development in Switzerland and worldwide.
- We believe that market mechanisms and a strong private sector create jobs and generate income, thereby reducing poverty.
- We are personally dedicated to our cause and loyal to our organisation.
- We strive for professionalism and quality in project implementation and adhere to ethical principles to carry out our mission.
- We are a politically independent and non-denominational development organisation.
- We are dedicated to equal rights and opportunities.
Our responsibility
- We respect our beneficiaries and all people with whom we work.
- We respect the environment in which we operate.
- We understand our work as a common effort, working as a team with our donors, partners, and beneficiaries.
- We are committed to safeguarding our Code of Conduct (CoC) and feel personally accountable for our actions.
- We meet our contractual and legal obligations.
- We deliver evidence-based results.
How we work
- We understand our role to be that of a facilitator in project implementation, fostering a sustainable environment for entrepreneurship, access to information, skills, and markets, while meeting the employment and income objectives.
- We deliver practical, market-oriented solutions adapted to local realities to meet the challenges of economic development.
- We strive for sustainability in all our activities, efforts, and resources.
Creeds Energy is a professional renewable energy services and solutions provider addressing electricity and energy challenges by improving access to and promoting adoption of clean and energy efficient technologies.
Our company is setting the pace to realize the development of a green economy with low emissions, resource efficiency and social inclusivity.
This is being achieved through the efforts of our knowledge driven team and network of internationally qualified experts within the fields of renewable energy technologies sustainable development and engineering.
We are dedicated to creating sustainable solutions and enriching lives by reducing energy poverty, providing long lasting and consistent solutions for households, businesses and communities.
In the basalt mountains around Lalibela, stay in local communities. See their ancient world, their churches and their way of life.
Walk through the age-old agrarian landscape of the Ethiopian Highlands following escarpments with birds of prey soaring in the thermals and Gelada baboon scrambling up and down the cliff face. Local shepherd boys keep an eye on their flocks, while their fathers plough the fields, and their sisters collect water in clay pots.
An experience you will never forget!
Please use the links on this site to find out more about these stunning sites and learn how a visit to them could be easily integrated into your holiday in Ethiopia.
See how easy it is to fit a trip to these mountains around your visit to Lalibela, perhaps stopping off en-route from Lalibela to Bahir Dar or Gondar. Let TESFA help you plan one that fits in with your preferences.
TESFA’s Mission Statement (extract)
TESFA seeks to work in partnership with local communities to enable them to generate sustainable improvements in their livelihood through the development of their own tourism related enterprises, while also contributing to the protection of their physical and cultural environments.
The United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment) is the leading global environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system, and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment.
Our mission is to provide leadership and encourage partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing, and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations.
Headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, we work through our divisions as well as our regional, liaison and out-posted offices and a growing network of collaborating centres of excellence. We also host several environmental conventions, secretariats and inter-agency coordinating bodies. UN Environment is led by our Executive Director.
We categorize our work into seven broad thematic areas: climate change, disasters and conflicts, ecosystem management, environmental governance, chemicals and waste, resource efficiency, and environment under review. In all of our work, we maintain our overarching commitment to sustainability.
Our work is made possible by partners who fund and champion our mission. We depend on voluntary contributions for 95 per cent of our income.
Every year, we honour and celebrate individuals and institutions that are doing outstanding work on behalf of the environment.
We also host the secretariats of many critical multilateral environmental agreements and research bodies, bringing together nations and the environmental community to tackle the greatest challenges of our time. These include the following:
The Convention on Biological Diversity
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
The Minamata Convention on Mercury
The Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions
The Vienna Convention for the Protection of Ozone Layer and the Montreal Protocol
The Convention on Migratory Species
The Carpathian Convention
The Bamako Convention
The Tehran Convention
Unga Group Plc entered into a strategic investment partnership with US-Based Seaboard Corporation in 2000 to form Unga Holdings Limited in which Unga Group Plc owns 65% and Seaboard Corporation 35%.
Our Vision “Nutrition for Life” directs the company’s future growth towards a portfolio of diversified value-added products in Eastern Africa and beyond.
Passionate about the ocean, its ecosystems and marine wildlife, Ocean Sole recycles flipflops that are found littered on beaches and in waterways of Kenya.
Every single Ocean Sole product is handcrafted to protect the oceans and teach the world about the threats of marine debris.
As a bizarre and yet very real phenomenon, thousands and thousands of flipflops are washed up onto the East African coast creating an environmental disaster. Not only spoiling the natural beauty of our beaches and oceans, the rubber soles are swallowed & suffocated on by fish & other animals, they obstruct turtle hatchlings from reaching the sea and are a man-made menace to our fragile ecosystems.
Our creative team of artisans transforms the discarded flipflops into elephants, giraffes, lions, rhinos, dolphins, sharks, turtles and more. These colourful masterpieces come with an important message about marine conservation whilst bringing smiles to people all over the world.
Be a part of the pollution solution and join us on a flipflop safari!
The African Conservation Tillage Network (ACTN) was initiated following a Stakeholders’ Workshop on “Conservation Tillage for Sustainable Agriculture” held in Zimbabwe in 1998 organized by Zimbabwe Farmers Union, German Development Co-operation (GTZ), and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Agricultural Research Council of South Africa (ARC). Driven by the desire among players to better and share more information and experiences on CA and related aspects, the Workshop ratified the initiation of a regional network as a mechanism to stimulate and facilitate cross-cutting and mutually exchange knowledge and information from experiences of CA. In 2000, under project support from GiZ, then GTZ, the Network formally established a full-time Secretariat with a Steering Committee to manage the Network. The Network has since evolved into a neutral platform, stimulating, facilitating and challenging for mutual sharing of information and knowledge on experiences and lessons on applications of CA and expanding to the whole region.
ACTN is a registered as a pan-African not-for-profit membership association that was initially commissioned with geographical focus on Southern, Central and East Africa. However, the Network has expanded responding to active interest from rest of the continent to west and North Africa. Existing potential for synergistic collaborations and knowledge sharing, enriched by the diversity, across the continent has justified ACTN reformation into a pan-African establishment with networking value within and between regions. Membership to the Network is voluntary bringing together stakeholders and players who are:
- Dedicated to improving agricultural productivity through sustainable management of natural resources in African farming systems.
- Committed to the principles of mutual collaboration, partnerships and sharing of information and knowledge on sustainable natural resource management and drawing on synergies and complementarities.
ACTN is established at three regional levels that include (i) Southern-Central Africa Region; (ii) East and Horn Africa Region; (iii) West-North Africa Region. This enables each region to articulate its main uniqueness, thrust and strengths as basis for inter-regional sharing and interaction. A distinct North Africa region is foreseen in the future.
adelphi is a leading independent think tank and public policy consultancy on climate, environment and development. Our mission is to improve global governance through research, dialogue and consultation. We offer demand-driven, tailor-made services for sustainable development, helping governments, international organizations, businesses and nonprofits design strategies for addressing global challenges.
Our staff of more than 200 provides high-quality interdisciplinary research, strategic policy analysis and advice, and corporate consulting. We facilitate policy dialogue and provide training for public institutions and businesses worldwide, helping to build capacity for transformative change. Since 2001 we have successfully completed over 800 projects worldwide. Our work covers the following key areas: Climate, Energy, Resources, Green Economy, Sustainable Business, Green Finance, Peace and Security, International Cooperation and Urban Transformation.
Partnerships are key to the way we work at adelphi. By forging alliances with individuals and organizations, we help strengthen global governance and so promote transformative change, sustainable resources management and resilience. adelphi is a values-based organization with an informal culture based on excellence, trust and cooperation. Sustainability is the foundation of our internal and external conduct. Our activities are climate-neutral and we have a certified environmental-management system.
A private, not-for-profit organisation committed to the protection of Kenya’s marine environment.To ensure the marine environments in which we operate are effectively managed and conserved to benefit local communities and commercial stakeholders, utilising natural resources sustainably.