Embracing climate adaptation in the governance standards of community development initiatives to mitigate the devastating effects of climate change in Kisii County, Kenya.

William Sagini Oribu

Funding Area: Community governance / Gobernanza comunitaria

Problem Statement: Climate change has altered the distribution of agricultural climate conditions in Kenya shifting and fragmenting land suitability for crop production and pastoral practices. The agro-climate suitability across the country has decreased primary cropland from 30 percent of Kenya’s total area in 1980 to 22 percent in 2022. Since Kenya heavily relies on rain-fed crop production, major crops like wheat and maize are experiencing significant shifts in suitable areas for cultivation. If the problem is not addressed urgently then there is likely to been severe hunger across the country. Further, there is heavy reliance on agriculture which significantly contributes to its economy, employment rates and food security. There is therefore an urgent need to work with the leadership of community based organizations through community activities aimed at reducing the impact and early warning systems thus; i) adapting to climate change effects by developing low-carbon pathways to a cleaner future; ii) preparing for hazards related to climate change and natural disasters; and iii) addressing issues of climate change through government action and resource allocation.

Proposed Activities: The proposed activities will include identifying the leadership of the chosen community to sensitize them on the need to mitigate flooding and the shifting of the agro-climate conditions through the planting of indigenous trees on areas that are prone to soil erosion. The study will introduce the indigenous tree nurseries to be supplied to the identified individuals who will be encouraged to plant them in identified portions of their land. Unemployment youths will be identified for training to help in training the selected individuals on how to take care of the seedlings supplied until maturity. Field studies will be conducted to identify where there are difficulties so that they can be sorted out. Experts on climate mitigation, agriculture officers, forest officers and climate experts will be used to advise on which activities may be taken at what time. The identified members will be taken through a rigorous training on how to identify the right tree for the right place, the right purpose and at the right time. A model tree garden will be established to be used for training and the first batch of graduates will be used to train other community members. The initial funding will be used to establish the model nursery from which trees will be distributed to the initial members. Thereafter the seedlings will be distributed at cost to ensure sustainability. It is anticipated that as more community members are sensitized to the idea, more model nurseries will be established in each of communities that shall have been established. Proposed Activities: ITEM ACTIVITY DURATION 1 Identify the place for the model tree nursery, Identify Community Leadership and conduct a seminar on the research Two Weeks 2 Preparation of the Plot for the project One month 3 Nurturing and seedlings and transferring them to the members to plant One week (Start time to be during the rains) 4 Monitoring and Reporting of the progress till maturity Two to three years but can be scaled down to the successful transplanting 5 Reporting on the impact on the community and expanding the same activity to interested communities Continuous as long as the project is on The economic and social benefits to the community will be recorded, documents and shared with the project sponsor and any other interested parties. Further, the model tree nursery will be used by other researchers who may wish to have the training on such an activity.

Openness: The project will be fully exposed to other community of users, supporters, collaborators, and others impacted by the work especially the government agencies. Some of the anticipated barriers to the project may be: i) Shortage of funds; this can be mitigated by scaling down activities according to the available fund:; ii) government agencies in regard with the planned activities; this can be mitigated by ensuring the project is recognized by the government through the public participation forums provided for in the Constitution of Kenya; iii) Anticipated competition from related business initiatives; this can be mitigated through the signing of partnership agreements. The success stories of the project will be published in widely read platforms to ensure that other scholars are made aware of the successes and shortfalls to enable them come up with improved models.

Challenges: Some of the challenges that are anticipated in carrying out this work include: i) Expert knowledge of the work that may be involved; I anticipate to work closely with the government experts in this are including forest officers, climate experts, agriculture advisors among others: ii) Shortfall in funding; will try as much as possible to use the locally available resources including labor and building materials where required. In the event that I get difficulties on the way I will seek expert advise from collaborators and other research groups that my be interested in this project.

Neglectedness: Before the embarking on the project I will seek to find the approximate impact of climate change in the area where the project will be conducted. Through monitoring and evaluation I will be able to conduct a SWOT analysis on a continuous basis to establish Shortfalls so that I can improve; Weaknesses to enable mitigate against them; Opportunities to exploit and Treats to be minimized. After the completion of the project I will document the progress made to achieve what I had anticipated. Going forward, I will work on any noted shortfalls and upscale the project to a wider coverage.

Success: Success will be measured by the number of people who shall have been impacted economically and socially. This will be measured through the general living standard and the health of the people in the areas covered. On a wider scale I will measure the state of the climate impact in the region.

Total Budget: US$25000

Affiliations: This proposal is not affiliated to any organization.

LMIE Carveout: The project fits within the category of LMIEs because it is located in Kenya which is within the Sub-Saharan Africa. The users are located in Kenya, the person contributing to this project is also located in Kenya. Lastly, the people to maintain the project will be mainly Kenyan although I will where necessary seek expert advice from wherever I may feel the same is warranted.

Team Skills: I hold a PhD in Business Administration and Management and have been teaching and supervising both graduate and post-graduate students in their projects for over ten (10) years. I have published over 10 research papers in Peer reviewed papers and my bias is in governance, sustainability and quality management. I have a wide experience in management having worked in senior management positions both in the private and public sectors in Kenya. I am also a certified internal quality auditor.

How Did You Hear About This Call: Word of mouth (e.g. conversations and emails from IOI staff, friends, colleagues, etc.) / Boca a boca (por ejemplo, conversaciones y correos electrónicos del personal del IOI, amigos, colegas, etc.)

Submission Number: 38