ALIN celebrates its achievements and lays foundation for the future

By Bob Aston

The Arid Lands Information Network (ALIN) on September 3-4, 2015 held a two days strategic workshop at Boma Hotel in Nairobi to celebrate its achievements over the years and lay out a strong foundation for the future.

The workshop enabled the organization to reflect on its achievements over the years and deliberate on five years strategic plan. This will ensure ALIN not only continues to be successful but also is able to satisfy the needs of its clients.

ALIN staff members together with some partners during the workshop

Speaking during the meeting, Mr. James Nguo, ALIN Regional Director noted that despite the organization having gone through many cycles it continues to grow stronger every year. 

He said that the changing environment in the non-governmental Organization (NGO) world calls for the need to adapt to the prevailing circumstances.

He said that ALIN would continue to strive to be a great organization that has great people who are ready to leave a legacy worth emulating. He noted that ALIN is building a ‘Good to great’ culture that delivers value to clients and growth to the organization.

ALIN has strategically focused its efforts to improve the livelihoods of arid lands communities in East Africa through delivery of practical information using modern technologies with emphasis on small-scale sustainable agriculture, climate change adaptation, natural resources management, climate smart agriculture, sustainable land management (SLM), and other livelihood issues.

Access of free information is through 29 community based Maarifa (Knowledge) centres in Kenya (7), Uganda (20), and Tanzania (2).

“We are working on a framework that will help us to cascade, communicate, measure strategic outcome and drive revolutionary change and innovation,” said Mr. Nguo.

Some of the staff members sharing ideas

ALIN  is keen to tap into various opportunities available in the agriculture sector like increase in data demand for evidence based decision policy making, affordable technologies for data capture, partnership opportunities for private public participation (PPP), increasing interest in climate change, and high population of educated, skilled and innovative youths.

In order to enable communities to access and share information through Maarifa centres, ALIN continuously build the capacities of infomediaries to support both dissemination and capture of information about innovations and best practices from communities. 

Platforms that include the use of video documentations, exchange visits, open learning days, and articles aimed at farmers and pastoralists have enabled many communities access practical information.

The organization has also been using three publications, namely Baobab, which features small-scale sustainable agriculture, Joto Afrika, a climate change briefing highlighting case studies on adaptation and Laikipia Mali Asili, a newsletter on SLM in Laikipia County

The international NGO facilitates information and knowledge exchange to and between extension workers or infomediaries and arid lands communities in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania.