Background

Given the complex and conflict-ridden history of the region, the project aims to contribute social science perspectives to ongoing restoration efforts, enabling rangeland restoration to move beyond biophysical sustainability to also become socially and economically sustainable. 

The East African drylands face unique climatic and social vulnerabilities, with a history of persistent and violent conflicts over resources. People in the Karamoja border region of Kenya and Uganda face complex overlapping challenges, including land 
degradation, increased impacts of climate change (e.g., drought, flooding), food insecurity, animal diseases, gender inequalities, and violent conflict both within and across national borders. These challenges not only mark the border region as a climate and land degradation hotspot, but also as a conflict and social inequality hotspot where the population faces multiple interconnected vulnerabilities.

Project objectives

To overcome these challenges, Include2Restore targets four main objectives: 

• Co-identify rangeland management and restoration practices that will safeguard inclusive and equitable restoration and peacebuilding longterm on household and community levels
• Co-identify ways to realise new financial returns from rangeland restoration that will safeguard and promote inclusive restoration outcomes long-term
• Support and strengthen identified practices within local management structures by integrating them into Next Generation Livestock Cafés
• Jointly test the potential of inclusive rangeland restoration and sustainable management to build peace through scaling identified best practices and initiate discussion of systems changes needed at  higher scales 

Project outcomes

Through close collaboration with local communities, the project outcomes will be co-created approaches to rangeland restoration that are ecologically, economically, and socially sustainable. The project will simultaneously address both adaptation to climate change and enhanced livestock productivity, as well as climate mitigation through increased carbon uptake of restored rangelands.