training

CETRAD, through its platform function, facilitates academic training at post-doctoral, doctoral, and masters levels in both local and foreign universities. The academic training is funded by scholarships provided through different initiatives (see section on research).

CETRAD offers short-term training courses and provides a platform for academic training programmes from collaborating local and foreign universities and other related research institutions. The short-term courses are designed to impart technical skills and provided field based and practical exposure to the target trainees, normally drawn from government and NGO institutions from the respective training fields. The academic training programmes are offered at Masters, PhD and Post Doc levels.

Currently, the following training courses are on offer:

The Conservation Agriculture Project aims to build upon the base knowledge smallholder farmers have gathered through CA training, and incorporate the safe and effective use of Crop Protection Products (CPP) to further increase crop yields and improve family income, health and quality of life.

Planned Research areas:

1. Mapping CA practices and documenting farmers adaptation experiences in the Mt. Kenya region;
2. Factors influencing adoption and non-adoption of CA practices;
3. Cost-Benefit Analysis of CA

Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research North-South (NCCR North-South) Programme

The NCCR North-South Programme is implemented by the Centre for Development and Environment in concert with 8 institutions from Swiss Universities, and is in its second phase since July 2005 till June 2009. The core focus of the second phase is 'Research partnerships for mitigating syndromes of global change' through

Mission

• Assess the potential and utilisation of the ASAL.
• Enhance knowledge among planners and development agents of the ASAL.
• Empower local communities through information dissemination to enable them to participate effectively in the ASAL development process.