The SLU-led Drylands Transform project is coming to the last phases of the project where a lot of effort is put on analysing information, writing different outputs for different audiences and together with the local communities discussing the ways forward. For this, Drylands Transform was strengthened with a Postdoc called Philemon Ng’asike.
Currently Philemon is preparing feedback and explorative workshops at all of the project’s 4 sites, e.g. identifying what was missed out on in the surveys from the local stakeholders point of view. Apart from that, he is also working on a meta-data analysis, synthesizing existing data on e.g. population, livestock, climate change and socioeconomic parameters during the last 30 years.
The work is challenging when it comes to limited access to key libraries, with ability to allow for access to majority of publications, and other key websites. However, it is also rewarding in terms of collaboration with senior researchers, opportunities for working on publications, and in joining the large body of researchers from Eurocentric approaches in theorization and conceptualization.
Philemon, Per and others from Drylands Transform giving feedback to communities in Uganda. Photo: Horacio Gonda
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Philemon together with Gert and others from Drylands Transform displaying results during a feedback session in Uganda. Photo: Stephen Mureithi
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But Philemon knows the work of Drylands Transform very well. He has been involved in the data collection with all the other Drylands Transform enumerators during both the baseline survey, the follow up survey and also during the qualitative data collection process. Before joining DT he graduated with a PhD in Drylands Resource Management in 2021 from the University of Nairobi.
For this coming year, the plan is, in liaison with IGAD (Intergovernmental Authority on Development) and the ICPALD (IGAD Centre for Pastoral Areas and Livestock Development) team be drafting dissemination materials for stakeholder engagement in the projects sites, apart from writing scientific publications.
Drylands Transform (DT) is a research project led by the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) in partnership with an interdisciplinary team from the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), Linnaeus University, Makerere University, Umeå University, University of Gothenburg, University of Nairobi, and World Agroforestry (ICRAF).
Ingrid Öborn, Professor
Department of Crop Production Ecology, SLU
ingrid.oborn@slu.se, +4618671274, +46703703705