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 AGRICULTUREKARI-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,ImpactsandAdaptationtoclimate change in the Agricultural Systems in Central Kenya• Vulnerabilityimpactsandadaptationstrategiesof the agro-pastoralists in selected areas of Machakos, semi-arid Eastern Kenya• Vulnerabilityandadaptationofpastoraliststoclimate change in Marsabit County• Vulnerabilityandadaptationoffarmerstoclimate change in semi-arid areas of Central Province, Kenya• Vulnerabilityandadaptationtoclimatechangeinthe contextofconflictandnaturalresourcedegradation: A case of livestock system of West Pokot in Kenya• Vulnerabilityandcopingstrategiestoclimatechange in the agricultural systems of the Coastal lowlands, Kenya • Farmlevelassessmentofcostsofadaptationtocli mate change• Maizeyieldforecastingforadaptationtoclimate change in the Semi-arid areas of Kenya

Climate Change Unit (CCU)

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

Kenya Agricultural Research Institute ADDRESS

KARI Climate Change Unit (CCU)Socio Economic Building (Ground Floor)

KARI Campus NARL/KabeteP.O.BOX 14733 - 00800

Waiyaki WayNairobi - Kenya

Tel: +254 (0) 20 234 9199 020 418 3301/8/9Cell: 0722 206 986, 0722 206 988, 0733 333 223, 0733 333 224

Website: www.kari.org/kccuEmail: karicc@gmail.com; director@kari.org

PreambleThe Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) is a premier national agricultural institution with a broad network of 22 main research centres and 14 sub-centres strategically locatedinvariousagro-ecologicalzonesinthecountry.KARIimplements several research programmes, through a dynamic approach programmatic research planning and implementation.

KARI PROGRAMMESKARI varied research programmes include: • AnimalHealthResearch• AnimalProductionResearch• BiotechnologyResearch• FoodCropsResearch• HorticultureandIndustrialCropsResearch• NaturalResourceManagementResearch• RangeResearch• RegionalAdaptiveResearch• SocioeconomicandBiometricsResearch• SeedResearch

KARI AND CLIMATE CHANGEKARI recognises the potential impact of climate change, a phenomenon resulting from global warming, as one of the major threats to sustainable development of agricultural sector. Therefore, climate change vulnerability, adaptation and mitigation research is one of the KARI’s thematic focal areasasstipulatedin itsStrategicPlan2009-2014.However,KARI has not in the past had a programme or a unit dealing with issues of climate variability/change. Thus, some aspects that could constitute vulnerability, adaptation and mitigation to climate change have been addressed in projects falling under various KARI programmes such as irrigation and drainage, soil

and water management, soil fertility, crop breeding, livestock health and production.KARI launched its Climate Change Unit (CCU) on the 27th May 2010, through the support of Rockefeller seed grant, to serve as a focal point for climate change related research within KARI. The CCU aims to develop the capacity of KARI scientists to understand and develop adaptation technologies and techniques to help smallholder farmers and pastoralists to respond to the effects of climate change. In particular, KARI CLIMATE CHANGE UNIT (CCU) OBJECTIVES • To mainstream the climate change agenda in KARI as a means of enhancing farmer resilience to the effects of climate change,● Toincreasethelevel,awareness,coordination,and oversight of research relevant to climatechange vulnerability, adaptation and mitigation at KARI, and● Toincreaseandsustaincropandlivestock productivity through adaptation as a response to the effects of climate change.• Engagingexternalpartnersandstakeholderson relevant issue areas

Operation of the Climate Change Unit (CCU)The unit is operating under the Environmental Research Programme of the Natural Resource Management Division in liaison with the Deputy Director Research and Technology. The unit receives backstopping from a technical advisory group (TAG) made up of heads of technical thematic areas of KARI (listed above). TAG provides a forum of each thematic area representation in CCU’s planningprocess and research support. The coordination of the CCU comprises of the Coordinator Environmental Research and a secretariat. The secretariat will have the role of streamlining and overseeing execution of climate changeadaptationresearchinKARI.TheCCUwillspecificallyguide 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

Collaborators and LinkagesKARI has linkages and collaborates with various institutions which includes various Government of Kenya Ministries and Departments (i.e. Kenya Meteorological Department (KMD), Climate Change Secretariat at the office of the PrimeMinister (Kenya), ClimateChange Secretariat at the Ministry of Environment (Kenya), Climate Change Unit at the Ministry of Agriculture (Kenya), Climate Change Unit at National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA – Kenya), Kenya Institute of Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA). Regional collaborations include: East African Community Secretariate climate change unit and IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC). KARI CCU has linkages and collaborates with local and international universities which include: Maseno University (Kenya), Egerton University – Climate Change Unit and Tegemeo Institute (Kenya), University of Reading – Walker Institute (UK) and McGill University (Canada). KARI CCU collaborates and has linkages with various international organisations UNDP – Africa Adaptation Programme, Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) - Uganda, ICRISAT – Eastern and Southern Africa (Kenya), and FAO – Food and Agriculture Organisation.

KARI CCU DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS•Rockefeller Foundation•InternationalDevelopmentResearchCentre-Canada(IDRC)