Drylands Transform

2020-2024

Research team Background Realising the SDGs

A map of the Karamojong cluster area in South Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda and Kenya.

Project introduction

Drylands cover 40 % of the global land area, host 2 billion people, and support approximately 50% of the world’s livestock population. In the drylands of East Africa, pastoral and agropastoral livelihoods are prominent.

In Drylands Transform we will investigate the links between land health, livestock-based livelihoods, human well-being, and land management and governance. We will contribute with new knowledge for transformative change and sustainable development of rangelands in the border region between Kenya and Uganda.

Front page of Drylands Transform brochure

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Transformation towards the sustainable development goals

Through strong stakeholder engagement in interdisciplinary research, we set out to explore the challenges and pathways towards a social-ecological transformation in drylands that optimizes synergies among the sustainable development goals (SDGs) while minimizing the trade-offs.

Logotype for the project Drylands Transform

Project themes

Dry landscape with a few trees in front of a hill in Turkana.

Land health linked to human health

Assessing land health at the landscape scale and exploring the links with human health and well-being

A brown sebu cow is standing and watching.

Livestock cafés

Co-developing sustainable rangeland management options with local communities, and set-up knowledge sharing hubs (‘livestock cafés’)

A cooking pot on a simple woodsaving stove in Kenya.

Resilience of communities

Studying impacts of seasonality and climate variability on food and livelihood strategies, well-being and resilience.

Innovative governance mechanisms

Identifying innovative land governance mechanisms and practices that effectively address livestock-keepers’ dependence on both flexible and secure rights to land.