October 7, 2024

Expertise in international development

Work experience in international development since 1999…

Research and analysis

  • Research interests and experience: linkages of land use change, sustainable livelihoods and natural resource management, land tenure, environment and biodiversity.
  • Baseline surveys, rapid assessments, appraisals, evaluations
  • Analysis and reporting
  • Literature reviews
  • Household surveys, focal group interviews and enumerator training, community meeting facilitation
  • Biodiversity studies, land use studies
  • GIS (Geographical Information System) & GPS mapping, thematic maps and geographical data visualisation
  • Both scientific and public interest papers, project reports, annual reports and news blog articles on the Internet

Organisational and project expertise

  • Whole project cycle: situation analysis, project and programme planning (incl participatory facilitation), baselines, proposal development, project management, reporting, evaluations
  • Project administration and project cycle management 
  • Capacity building and joint learning
  • Communications, Internet pages (WordPress), news blogs
  • Organisational administration, management, coordination

Technical expertise for rural development

  • Forest Gardens in the lowlands of East Africa
  • Rainwater harvesting from rooftops
  • Drip irrigation for kitchen gardens
  • Dryland agroforestry: nurseries by recycled water from handwashing and kitchens at schools; suitable species for drylands
  • Improved stoves (several models tested) for homesteads and schools and solar cooking (cookit)
  • Soil and water conservation (farmland terracing and gully rehabilitation)
  • Environmental and hygiene education, training, facilitation (Teacher’s pedagogic qualification)
  • Facilitation of farmer trainings and designing training materials
  • Faciliation of community meetings for community mobilization, participatory investigation for baselines and rapid assessments, planning and implementation, awareness raising and feedback

Mission to be a searcher…

“In foreign aid, Planners announce good intentions but don’t motivate anyone to carry them out; Searchers find things that work and get some reward.

Planners raise expectations but take no responsibility for meeting them; Searchers accept responsibility for their actions.

Planners determine what to supply; Searchers find out what is in demand.

Planners apply global blueprints; Searchers adapt to local conditions.

Planners at the Top lack knowledge of the Bottom; Searchers find out what the reality is at the Bottom.

Planners never hear whether the Planned got what they needed; Searchers find out if the customer is satisfied.”

(Quotations from Willing Easterly)