Volkswagen Stiftung Semi-arid areas in transition
Livelihood security, socio-ecological variability and the role of development interventions in East Africa
The project dealt with livelihood strategies in semi-arid regions of East Africa that are exposed to global climatic change and undergo rapid transition due to migration, changing access regimes, resource use conflicts, increasing relevance of centre-periphery asymmetries, and limitations in governance. It comprised two subprojects: The first focused on vulnerability, resilience, and adaptation processes of rural poor under these dynamic conditions. Special emphasis was thereby put on the importance of multi-strategies including their multi-locality and on aspects of gender and generational divides in a livelihood perspective. Building on these insights, the second subproject examined the role of development interventions from a livelihood perspective and identified structural and procedural properties important in approaches to reduce poverty and enhance the resilience and adaptive capacities of the rural poor. The project was based on case studies in four regions of Kenya (Kibwezi/Makueni Corridor and Laikipia Region) and Tanzania (Dodoma/Singida Corridor and Pangani Region) and applied a comparative approach.
Principal Investigator / Recipient of grant:
Prof. Dr. Marcus Nüsser
Project Group (External PIs):
Dr. Boniface Kiteme - Center for Training and Integrated Research in Arid and Semi-arid Lands Development (CETRAD), Nanyuki (Kenya)
Dr. Chinwe Ifejika Speranza - CETRAD, Nanyuki (Kenya)
Prof. Dr. Elias Ayiemba - University of Nairobi, Department of Geography (Kenya)
Prof. Dr. Francis K. Lelo - Egerton University Nakuru, Faculty of Environmental Studies and Natural Resources, Njoro (Kenya)
Prof. Dr. Zebedayo S.K. Mvena - Sokoine University of Agriculture, Department of Agricultural Education and Extension, Morogoro (Tanzania)
Prof. Dr. James Ngana - University of Dar es Salaam, Institute of Resource Assessment (Tanzania)
Dr. Davis Mwamfupe - University of Dar es Salaam, Department of Geography (Tanzania)
Prof. Dr. Urs Wiesmann - University Bern, Department of Geography, Centre for Development and Environment (CDE), Bern (Switzerland)
Project members (Heidelberg University):
Anne Ulrich
Paul Roden
Duration: 2008-2013 (SAAT I), 2014-2016 (SAAT II)
Funding: Volkswagen Foundation
Selected Publications
RODEN P, BERGMANN C, ULRICH A & NÜSSER M (2016): Tracing Divergent Livelihood Pathways in the Drylands: A Perspective on two Spatially Proximate Locations in Laikipia County, Kenya. Journal of Arid Environments 124: 239-248
ULRICH A (2014): Export-oriented horticultural production in Laikipia, Kenya: Assessing the implications for rural livelihoods. Sustainability 6: 336-347.
OGALLEH S, VOGL C, EITZINGER J & HAUSER M (2012): Local perceptions and Responses to Climate Change and Variability: The case of Laikipia District, Kenya. Sustainability 4: 3302-3325.
OGALLEH SA, VOGL C & HAUSER M (2012): Reading from farmers' scripts: Local perceptions on climate variability and adaptations in Laikipia, Rift Valley Kenya. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development 3 (2): 77-94.
ULRICH A, IFEJIKA SPERANZA C, RODEN P, KITEME B, WIESMANN U & NÜSSER M (2012): Small-scale farming in semi-arid areas: Livelihood dynamics between 1997 and 2010 in Laikipia, Kenya. Journal of Rural Studies 28: 241-251.
IFEJIKA SPERANZA C, KITEME B, AMBENJE P, WIESMANN U & MAKALI S (2009): Indigenous knowledge related to climate variability and change: insights from droughts in semi-arid areas of former Makueni District, Kenya. Climatic Change 100: 295-315.
NÜSSER M (2009): Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya: Colonized Mountains and their Rediscovery as Symbols of Global Climate Change. In: Geographische Rundschau - International Edition 5 (4): 26-32 & supplement (map).