An abstract of the Rockefeller Foundation supported Project under the Climate Smart for Rural Development Initiative

Project Title: Mainstreaming Climate Change Adaptation at KARI

Grant number 2009 CLI 322

Name of the Organization: KENYA AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE (KARI)

Country: KENYA

Name of the Contact Person:  Dr. Jane W. Wamuongo

Email: jwwamuongo@kari.org

Telephone: +254-20-4183348 / +254 -721 548 295

Key Objectives

Develop a new climate change focal unit in order to increase the opportunity for and incidence of collaborative work and develop capacity of researchers on technical climate change adaptation topics, with hiring of climate change technical assistant.

Key Activities

• Create focal point for climate change activities and research at KARI and launch programme.
• Staff programme with scientists and climate change technical assistant.
• Equip the programme and implementing centres with necessary and essential equipment.
• Spearhead knowledge management efforts on climate change
• (Internally) Sponsor workshops on how climate change issues affect research agenda
• Clearly communicate mission and goal of the unit by disseminating information about the programme throughout KARI.
• Develop criteria for evaluating climate change adaptation proposals.
• Influence and contribute to strategic planning for units across KARI
• Increase funding for climate change projects through directed grant proposals to external funding sources, e.g., multilateral organizations, multilaterals, foundations, etc.
• Develop fund for financing (internal and external) climate change projects through competitive proposal process
• Evaluate future funding decisions on performance metrics and outcomes.
• Understand potential partners and sponsors and maintain relationships
• Align climate change research agenda with “customers”, e.g., farmers, extension services providers, etc.
• Contribute to Kenya’s climate change policies as a voice of agriculture, e.g., on sustainable development, land and water resource management, etc., through regional community of practice.
• Participate in international, regional and national fora on climate change.

Key Deliverables

• Formation and equipping a CC unit, communicating about the unit and formal launch.
• KARI’s existing knowledge on CC coordinated and organized centrally and shared widely within.
• Guide future strategic direction of evaluating and funding adaptation programs.
• Increase visibility of CC as one of KARI’s major focus areas and connect projects with internal and external collaborators.
• Coordinate and source funding for installation new weather station and rehabilitation of old ones
• Identify gaps, mobilize potential funding, and coordinate research on CC.
• Collaborate with relevant organization on CC knowledge and implementation.

Expected Outcomes

1. Increased awareness of CC issues and concerns internally and externally.
2. Coordinated funding for CC adaptation research.
3. Increases knowledge-sharing and collaboration with established working relationships with partners through a regional community of practice on CC adaptation in agriculture.

For PDF download: Kenya Agricultural Research Insitute – KARI