1. Through collaboration with these institutions, it is hoped
that KARI will exchange best practices, coordinate research
projects and share data critical to developing comprehensive
climate change / adaptation responses.
The unit will strive at collaborating among other global
initiatives especially the newly initiated Challenge Program on
Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security. This is a new
10-year research initiative launched by the Consultative Group
on International Agricultural Research and the Earth System
Science Partnership.
CLIMATE SMART AND AGRICULTURE
KARI-Rockefeller Small Grants project is funding KARI
Scientist to implement vulnerability assessment and adapta-
tion strategies to climate variability and change projects in
different parts of the country. The projects are:
• Vulnerability, Impacts and Adaptation to climate
change in the Agricultural Systems in Central Kenya
• Vulnerability impacts and adaptation strategies of
the agro-pastoralists in selected areas of Machakos,
semi-arid Eastern Kenya
• Vulnerability and adaptation of pastoralists to climate
change in Marsabit County
Kenya Agricultural Research Institute
ADDRESS
• Vulnerability and adaptation of farmers to climate KARI Climate Change Unit (CCU)
change in semi-arid areas of Central Province, Kenya Socio Economic Building (Ground Floor)
•
Vulnerability and adaptation to climate change in the
context of conflict and natural resource degradation:
KARI Campus NARL/Kabete
P.O.BOX 14733 - 00800
Climate Change
A case of livestock system of West Pokot in Kenya
• Vulnerability and coping strategies to climate change
in the agricultural systems of the Coastal lowlands,
Waiyaki Way
Nairobi - Kenya Unit (CCU)
Tel: +254 (0) 20 234 9199 020 418 3301/8/9
Kenya Cell: 0722 206 986, 0722 206 988,
• Farm level assessment of costs of adaptation to cli 0733 333 223, 0733 333 224
mate change Website: www.kari.org/kccu
• Maize yield forecasting for adaptation to climate Email: karicc@gmail.com; director@kari.org
change in the Semi-arid areas of Kenya
The set up and operation of the KARI’s
Climate Change Unit (CCU) has been funded
by the Government of Kenya and the
Rockefeller Foundation

2. Preamble and water management, soil fertility, crop breeding, livestock
The Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) is a health and production.
premier national agricultural institution with a broad network KARI launched its Climate Change Unit (CCU) on the 27th
of 22 main research centres and 14 sub-centres strategically May 2010, through the support of Rockefeller seed grant,
located in various agro-ecological zones in the country. KARI to serve as a focal point for climate change related research
implements several research programmes, through a dynamic within KARI. The CCU aims to develop the capacity of KARI
approach programmatic research planning and implementation. scientists to understand and develop adaptation technologies
and techniques to help smallholder farmers and pastoralists to
KARI PROGRAMMES respond to the effects of climate change. In particular,
KARI varied research programmes include:
• Animal Health Research KARI CLIMATE CHANGE UNIT (CCU) Collaborators and Linkages
• Animal Production Research OBJECTIVES KARI has linkages and collaborates with various institutions which
• Biotechnology Research • To mainstream the climate change agenda in KARI includes various Government of Kenya Ministries and Departments
• Food Crops Research as a means of enhancing farmer resilience to the (i.e. Kenya Meteorological Department (KMD), Climate Change
• Horticulture and Industrial Crops Research effects of climate change, Secretariat at the office of the Prime Minister (Kenya), Climate
• Natural Resource Management Research ● To increase the level, awareness, coordination, and Change Secretariat at the Ministry of Environment (Kenya),
• Range Research oversight of research relevant to climatechange Climate Change Unit at the Ministry of Agriculture (Kenya), Climate
• Regional Adaptive Research vulnerability, adaptation and mitigation at KARI, and Change Unit at National Environmental Management Authority
• Socioeconomic and Biometrics Research ● To increase and sustain crop and livestock (NEMA – Kenya), Kenya Institute of Public Policy Research and
• Seed Research productivity through adaptation as a response to the Analysis (KIPPRA). Regional collaborations include: East African
effects of climate change. Community Secretariate climate change unit and IGAD Climate
KARI AND CLIMATE CHANGE • Engaging external partners and stakeholders on Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC). KARI CCU has
KARI recognises the potential impact of climate change, a relevant issue areas linkages and collaborates with local and international universities
phenomenon resulting from global warming, as one of the which include: Maseno University (Kenya), Egerton University –
major threats to sustainable development of agricultural Climate Change Unit and Tegemeo Institute (Kenya), University of
Operation of the Climate Change Unit
sector. Therefore, climate change vulnerability, adaptation Reading – Walker Institute (UK) and McGill University (Canada).
(CCU) KARI CCU collaborates and has linkages with various international
and mitigation research is one of the KARI’s thematic focal The unit is operating under the Environmental Research
areas as stipulated in its Strategic Plan 2009-2014. However, organisations UNDP – Africa Adaptation Programme, Alliance for
Programme of the Natural Resource Management Division a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), National Agricultural
KARI has not in the past had a programme or a unit dealing in liaison with the Deputy Director Research and Technology.
with issues of climate variability/change. Thus, some aspects Research Organisation (NARO) - Uganda, ICRISAT – Eastern
The unit receives backstopping from a technical advisory group and Southern Africa (Kenya), and FAO – Food and Agriculture
that could constitute vulnerability, adaptation and mitigation to (TAG) made up of heads of technical thematic areas of KARI
climate change have been addressed in projects falling under Organisation.
(listed above). TAG provides a forum of each thematic area
various KARI programmes such as irrigation and drainage, soil representation in CCU’s planningprocess and research support.
The coordination of the CCU comprises of the Coordinator
KARI CCU DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS
Environmental Research and a secretariat. The secretariat will •Rockefeller Foundation
have the role of streamlining and overseeing execution of climate •International Development Research Centre - Canada (IDRC)
change adaptation research in KARI. The CCU will specifically
guide and support KARI scientists in matters pertaining to i)
vulnerability assessment, and ii) climate variability/change
adaptation planning, strategies, policies and measures. It will
also work with stakeholders/actors as a community of practice
(CoP) in sharing and/or gaining knowledge on climate change
mitigation and adaptation through an online forum