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.
Ajima Farms Energy Division is an exciting, young social enterprise located in Nigeria that seeks to promote energy access in rural off-grid communities. Their Waste-2-Watt project uses biogas to generate electricity. Through targeting energy access to productive activities, Fatima, the founder of Waste-2-Watt, seeks to ‘transform off-grid communities by expanding energy access for socio-economic development.’ We asked Fatima and Sabrina, from the finance advisory team at BfE, for some more insights into the journey that Ajima Farms has taken so far.
The Kibale Chimpanzee Project, established by Dr. Richard Wrangham in 1987, is a long-term field study of the behavior, ecology, and physiology of wild chimpanzees. Our researchers and field staff conduct daily behavioral observations on a group of approximately 60 chimpanzees in the Kanyawara region of Kibale National Park, southwestern Uganda. This research contributes to our understanding of primate behavioral diversity, human evolutionary ecology, and chimpanzee conservation. Please see our publications page for information about this research. On a daily basis, KCP field staff and researchers collect data on chimpanzee social behavior, party composition, ranging, feeding, and health. These observations are supplemented by collection of specialized data, including detailed records of play, tool use, hunting, aggression, and forest phenology. We also conduct non-invasive urine sampling, for hormonal analysis, and fecal sampling, for genetic studies.
The cause for this crisis is essentially the inappropriate and unsustainable exploitation of life support system, which is apparent in the incredible rate of loss of bio-mass cover, soil erosion, irregularity and lack of precipitation, climatic change and creeping desertification.
Therefore, there is not only a strong need to reverse this situation, but also that the demand for some important attitudinal shifts among farmers, entrepreneurs, planners, decision makers, research and development think-thanks, and the public at large has never been more acute.
This needs a rational base for policy development in the fragile area of natural resources management, alongside the responsibility and accountability one should assume.
It is against this background of, on the one hand the horrifying environmental degradation that has rendered life support systems in the country untenable and, on the other, the emergence of new development paradigms on sustainability that LEM, the Environment & Development Society (Lem Ethiopia) is being launched. Thus, Lem the Environment & Development Society of Ethiopia is a citizen’s movement inspired with the concepts of sustainable development and established in March 1992. Since its establishment Lem Ethiopia has entered into a voluntary partnership with communities, schools, civil societies, national & international NGOs, government institutions at different levels, etc. working on environment/natural resources conservation and promotion of alternative technologies to translate the noble ideas of sustainable development and livelihood security into everyday action. It has legally registered by authorized government body & renewed its license every year.
More importantly, LEM Ethiopia enters into a voluntary development partnership with communities, to translate the lofty ideas of a stable environment, sustainable development and livelihood security into everyday action.
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.
The Foundation is a vehicle through which KTDA Holdings and its subsidiaries carry out corporate social investments (CSI). The Key objective of the Foundation is to initiate interventions that improve the welfare of small holders’ tea farmers in Kenya through strategic partnerships in areas of education, health, economic empowerment and environmental conservation.
To be able to bring about socio economic transformation for the small holder tea farmers, the Foundation has a focus on four key programme pillars. The Foundation’s programmes are aligned to Vision 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals since the tea sector is a major contributor to the socio economic development of the country.
The KTDA CSI business model is driven by sustainability anchored on 3 components:
- The need to address environmental sustainability and climate change challenges for our tea business depends on the environment.
- The need for KTDA Foundation to address social welfare issues that affect our farmers primarily driven by shared value and collaborative partnerships.
- The need to enhance KTDA brand and reputation as an entity that engages its stakeholders holistically.
Geological Survey of Ethiopia (GSE) was set up in 1968 as a Department within the Ministry of Mines (MM), and became the Ethiopian Institute of Geological Surveys(EIGS) in 1984, an autonomous federal government agency accountable to MM.It was recently renamedas GSE in 2000.
The GSE has been generating , collecting and managing geoinformation of the country for the last 4 decades.
Currently the Survey manage, store and process its volumes information using digital systems to satisfy the increasing users’ demand.
VISION To facilitate the utilization of the geoscience data of Ethiopia for developing the country’s mineral resources, so as to contribute as much as possible to its economic growth.
MISSION To carry out geoscientific surveys of Ethiopia so as to produce high quality geodata in a format suitable for easy utilization by end –users, thus enabling rapid development of the mining sector.
GOAL To improve the quality and coverage of the geoscience data of the country.
The GSE is responsible for collecting of basic geoscience information from the whole country and disseminate to all stakeholders. The GSE carries out geological mapping and investigations related to mineral resources, oil and natural gas, hydrogeology and engineering geology. It has well equipped laboratories capable of undertaking geochemical analysis of solid and liquid samples, physical property testing, and petrographic and mineralogical studies.
Plans are in-hand to enhance the capacity of the GSE in order to ensure that they meet the highest international standards and provide an efficient and effective service to potential investors, both foreign and domestic.
Sources of information
Many of the reports and data generated by commercial and Government mineral surveys in Ethiopia can be obtained free of charge from the national Geoscience Information Centre at the GSE or direct from the Ministry of Mines and Energy. Some digital geochemical data and a comprehensive digital mineral deposits database are also available. Geophysical surveys have been flown over most of the greenstone belts. In addition, particularly in the Southern Greenstone Belt, a substantial amount of ground geophysical data is available. Full details of these surveys can be obtained from the Geoscience Data Centre.
Organization Chart
Objective
Generally GSE Carry out geosience mapping activities to produce detail maps and reports used in various undertakings. Evaluate the economic mineral potential of the country by conducting reconnaissance, follow-up and detailed exploration; Provide an assessment of groundwater situation by preparing hydrogeological maps at 1:250,000 and larger scales; Give geotechnical information essential to designs of all types of civil works and investigate natural hazard such as, landslide, slope instabilities and volcanic activities ; Explore for geothermal resources potential of the country; Conduct geophysical surveys ; Identify, analyze and interpret data from geological samples such as mineral, rock, soil, stream sediment, and water etc.; Collect, classify, store, display, publish and disseminate user oriented geoscience data of the country including museum-piece specimens; Carry out core, water well, and geothermal deep well drilling and associated geotechnical works; Provide consultancy service in the areas of hydrogeology and engineering geology etc. to government and non-governmental organizations; and Collect and own information related to earth science studies.
Objectives
- Carry out regional geological and geochemical mapping activities to produce detail maps and reports for use in various undertakings;
- Evaluate the economic mineral potential of the country by conducting reconnaissance, follow-up and detailed exploration;
- Provide an assessment of groundwater situation by preparing hydrogeological maps at 1:250,000 and larger scales;
- Give geothechnical information essential to designs of all types of civil works and investigate natural hazard such as, landslide, slope instabilities and volcanic activities;
- Explore for geothermal resources potential in the country;
- Conduct geophysical surveys;
- Identify, analyze and interpret data from geological samples such as mineral, rock, soil, stream sediment, and water etc;
- Collect, classify, store, display, publish and disseminate user oriented earthscience information of the country including museum-piece specimens;
- Carry out core, water well, and geoghermal deep well drilling and associated geotechnical works;
- Provide consultancy service in the areas of hydrogeology and engineering geology etc. to government and non-governmental organizations;
- Collect and own information related to earth science studies;
The 400km electric fence is a conservation tool put in place to help resolve multiple challenges facing the Aberdare Range ecosystem. These challenges included poaching, bush-meat hunting, snaring, illegal logging, charcoal burning and encroachment. These activities, by the 1980’s had almost decimated the population of critically endangered black rhino in the ecosystem.
At the same time, regular crop damage by wildlife, especially elephant, was a major problem for the farmers residing next to the Aberdare protected areas. Encounters between farmers and wildlife occasionally led to human fatalities, and served to heighten tensions between humans and wildlife.
Construction of the fence began in 1989 and was completed in August 2009.
Today, in spite of the dramatic decrease in black rhino number in the 1980s, the ANP still hold a small and genetically viable population of native black rhino. This is largely due to the building of the fence.
To maintain the fence in good working condition, a team of fence scouts based in “Fence Energizer Stations” patrol the fence line daily to carry out maintenance work.
The project is a partnership between Rhino Ark, Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), Kenya Forest Service (KFS) and the local communities. Rhino Ark and the Kenya Government provided the funds while KWS oversaw the construction work.
The National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) was established by the National Biosafety Management Agency Act 2015, to provide regulatory framework to adequately safe guard human health and the environment from potential adverse effects of modern biotechnology and genetically modified organisms, while harnessing the potentials of modern biotechnology and its derivatives, for the benefit of Nigerians. The Act came into force in April 2015, with the appointment of a Director General and Chief Executive Officer. The UN international agreement known as Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety which Nigeria signed is an environment protocol and it requires members to domesticate the agreement through a law. The Biosafety Act is therefore to domesticate the Protocol and address our National Biosafety requirements.
The National Biotechnology Development Agency has currently a biotechnology bill before the NASS. Its mandate is to promote biotechnology development in all sectors of the Nigeria economy. It is to promote indigenous acquisition and development of easy and affordable requisite biotechnology in Nigeria and Indigenous R & D to generate copious innovations in biotechnology as well as for the sustenance and growth of the biotech industry.
The National Biosafety Management Agency regulates modern biotechnology activities and the release into the environment, handling and use of genetically modified organisms which are products of modern biotechnology to prevent adverse impact on the environment and human health. On the other hand the National Biotechnology development Agency promotes modern biotechnology activities and GMOs.
The Biosafety protocol which Nigeria signed, requires a biosafety management and Regulatory Agency separate from biotechnology promoting Agency for transparency and to avoid biosafety being compromised and to also avoid the promoter being a judge in its case. This is the situation in other countries where there are biosafety laws and agencies.
Global Hand is a matching service: a non-profit brokerage facilitating public/ private partnership.
Although today’s world sees many parties wishing to respond to global issues, the problem they often face is connectivity. Who should they partner with and how?
Global Hand is designed to bring together people from all parts of the spectrum. You can use this site to find partners wherever you fit. Your area of interest may be:
- Social Entrepreneurship
- Philanthropy
- Disaster response
- Poverty alleviation
- Advocacy
- Microcredit
- Job Creation
- Guidelines/Best Practice
- Doing business with the poor
- Sustainable Development
- Corporate Social Responsibility
- Gifts-in-kind
- Services-in-kind
- Humanitarian Aid
- Fair Trade
- Corporate Volunteering
Ecotourism Kenya promotes responsible tourism practices within the tourism industry. This entails encouraging the adoption of best practices in the use of tourism resources, working with local communities and managing wastes and emissions.
Tsavo Trust is a field based, Kenyan not-for-profit conservation organization working towards protecting wildlife and its habitat.Tsavo Trust believes in conserving the vast wilderness of the Tsavo Conservation Area, that encompasses Kenya’s biggest Protected Area, is home to Kenya’s largest elephant population, several iconic Tuskers, numerous high value species and one of the few truly wild places with significant wildlife left in Africa.
This national heritage is under threat and faces multiple challenges including wildlife crime, climate change and habitat loss.
Tsavo Trust works on a unique strategy, in partnership with Kenya Wildlife Service and other partners on direct wildlife conservation projects as well as engaging specific local communities in the stewardship of community conservancies, so as to encourage participation in conservation activities that bring many varying benefits to those marginalised people that border the formal Protected Areas.
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.
Guardianship – We are caretakers of the land, safeguarding endangered species and ensuring the openness and accessibility of conservation for all.
Innovation – An innovative attitude is part of our make-up, we empower our people to think the same way and embrace new approaches to conservation.
Authenticity – We provide natural wilderness experiences, backed up by scientifically credible conservation and genuine interactions with wildlife.
Zeitz Foundation was founded in Germany in 2008 by the business entrepreneur Jochen Zeitz, with the mission to create and support sustainable, ecologically and socially responsible projects and destinations around the world to achieve long-lasting impact and sustainability through the holistic balance of Conservation, Community, Culture and Commerce (the 4Cs) in privately managed areas. An overview of our work in Laikipia can viewed through our YouTube channel here.
Founded by the Zeitz Foundation and formerly known as the Long Run Initiative (LRI), The Long Run pursues the Zeitz Foundation’s mission internationally. By enhancing ecosystems management and building recognition and support for the 4Cs approach to sustainability, the Long Run is a driving force in promoting and encouraging sustainable thinking globally.
Digital Tools: Connecting Smallholder Farmers with Smart, Sustainable Solutions
he Tanzania Conservation Resource Centre is a non-profit organization which supports researchers and students working in natural resource issues in Tanzania. We have a resource centre in Arusha providing services and information to anyone involved in research and natural resource conservation.
CRC has an office behind the AICC Hospital, on a road opposite the Kibo Palace Hotel. Click here for the map to the office.
CRC is registered as a non-profit organization in Tanzania and in the United States. We rely on contributions from our members as well as in-kind and cash donations from supporting individuals and organizations both locally and internationally.
The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) establishes and manages global sustainable standards, known as the GSTC Criteria. There are two sets: Destination Criteria for public policy-makers and destination managers, and Industry Criteria for hotels and tour operators. These are the guiding principles and minimum requirements that any tourism business or destination should aspire to reach in order to protect and sustain the world’s natural and cultural resources, while ensuring tourism meets its potential as a tool for conservation and poverty alleviation.
The GSTC Criteria form the foundation for GSTC’s role as the global Accreditation Body for Certification Programs that certify hotels/accommodations, tour operators, and destinations as having sustainable policies and practices in place. GSTC does not directly certify any products or services; but it accredits those that do.
The GSTC is an independent and neutral organization, legally registered in the USA as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that represents a diverse and global membership, including UN agencies, NGO’s, national and provincial governments, leading travel companies, hotels, tour operators, individuals and communities – all striving to achieve best practices in sustainable tourism. It is a virtual organization without a main office, with staff and volunteers working from all six populated continents. Financial support from donations, sponsorship, and membership fees allows us to provide services at low costs and to create, revise, and make available the GSTC Criteria.
Membership is open to all interested parties and does not by itself imply endorsement by the GSTC of the policies and practices of the member organization
The Sierra Club is the most enduring and influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States. We amplify the power of our 3.5+ million members and supporters to defend everyone’s right to a healthy world.b
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.
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.