CETRAD is a Bilateral Institution between the Government of Kenya (through The Ministry of Water and Irrigation and the Government of Swiss Confederation, through the Centre for Development and Environment of the University of Berne. CETRAD was established in July 2002 as a follow up of the then Laikipia Research Programme (1976 - 1997), and therefore builds on the long term preinvestment research facility.
CETRAD is based in Nanyuki, Laikipia County, Kenya. It is concerned with research and training to design strategies for sustainable development, promote land use planning for sustained livelihood and optimal resource use, foster sustainable resource use and management for improved productivity and promote non-farm, non-pastoral enterprises, infrastructure and related services.
Organisation
CETRAD is organized into four thematic departments and a support department responsible for Administration, Logistics and Finance. The four are:
• Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing
• Information Dissemination and Technology Transfer
• Socio-economics Research
• Natural Resource Management and Ecology Research
CETRAD runs a rich hydromet data and information base generated from its long term and comprehensive monitoring network in the upper Ewaso Ngiro North river basin. Most of this data is now linked through a real time transmission system and interfaced to its database as well as to some selected Water Resources Users Associations (WRUAs) in the upstream areas.
