Food Security

ALIN supports communities in Eastern Africa to achieve food security and safe environment through provision of practical and usable information using ICTs.The Strengthening Community Resilience to Impacts of Climate Change and Stewardship of Natural Resources in Baringo, Kajiado and Laikipia Counties, supported by the Act Change Transform (Act!) with financial support from Department for International Development (DFID) and Swedish International Development Cooperation (SIDA) in 2014-2015, will strengthen communities’ resilience to impacts of climate change while conserving natural resources in Laikipia County.
Kenyan communities living in Arid and Semi-Arid regions are already experiencing the impacts of climate change with a reducing natural resource base. Communities in the three counties of Baringo, Kajiado and Laikipia are vulnerable to food insecurity that leads to the government responding by giving relief food, water scarcity that results in conflict among communities due to reduced pastures and water especially for livestock and for irrigation; and limited livelihood options leading to low income levels and inefficient utilization of natural resources.

Enhancing Communities’ Participation

The Enhancing Communities’ Participation for effective Natural Resources management and Enhanced Resilience in Laikipia County Project (2014-2015), funded by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Global Environment Facility (GEF) Small Grants Programme (SGP), will provide a platform for knowledge sharing between partners supported by UNDP under its Small Grants Programme, being implemented in Laikipia County. ALIN-UNDP partnership is grounded on ALIN extensive experience in knowledge management and work with Laikipia communities over the last seven years.

Project Goal: To create an effective knowledge sharing platform to build communities’ capacity for effective stewardship of natural resources and enhanced resilience in Laikipia County.

Specific objectives

  • To facilitate consistent knowledge sharing about sustainable landscape management (SLM)
  • To disseminate Project information out of Ng’arua Maarifa Centre
  • To promote adoption of clean energy use to enhance biodiversity conservation and adaptation as well as mitigation against climate change
  • To capture and document indigenous knowledge relevant to sustainable natural resources use and management for posterity.


Planned outcomes

  • Better informed community members capable of adapting good SLM practices
  • Preservation of biodiversity in Laikipia County
  • Improved livelihoods of communities
  • Improved communication and knowledge sharing
  • Enhanced online visibility of UNDP GEF SGP Project
  • Improved accessibility of indigenous knowledge for enhancing communities resilience


Expected outputs

  • A revamped Ng’arua Maarifa centre into a community SLM knowledge focal point
  • An active group of trained community journalists
  • Quarterly newsletter in SLM available throughout Laikipia and online
  • Demonstration area for tubular biogas digesters and other clean energy alternatives established at Ng’arua Maarifa centre


Activities

  • Establishing a information repository at Ng’arua Maarifa Centre and meetings space
  • Disseminating Project information through a variety of channels including blogs, a quarterly newsletter and mainstream media
  • Regular field forums revolving around global environment events
  • Regular communication with all the partners in UNDP-GEF-SGP Project in Laikipia