Project partners

Alterra Wageningen University & Research Centre

University of Leeds

Environmental Science at the University of Leeds is organised in three Schools, each recognised as carrying out research of 'world leading' and 'internationally excellent' standard in the 2008 RAE (Research Assessment Exercise) and ranked in the top five UK institutions for research power. The University’s Sustainability Research Institute is a centre of excellence for participatory research, conducting interdisciplinary environmental analysis for sustainable land management, and the River Basin Processes and Management research group in the School of Geography has extensive research experience in Europe and Africa through a series of EU-funded projects and bodies like UNDP/GEF, Royal Society and UK Government Research Councils. The team conducts strategic and applied research that connects environmental knowledge to public and private sector decision making at local, regional, national and international levels.

The University of Leeds has expertise in integrated modelling, coupling agent-based, regional economic, hydrological, nutrient flow and erosion models at a landscape scale. The School of Geography has extensive research experience in Europe and Africa through a series of EU-funded projects (e.g. MEDALUS, DESERTLINKS, PESERA, DESIRE, DESURVEY) and other bodies (e.g. UNDP/GEF, Royal Society, UK Government Research Councils).

MetaMeta

MetaMeta is a group of companies, that is established to deliver socially relevant but commercially viable services. At present the group consists of MetaMeta Research, MetaMeta Management and MetaMeta Communications. MetaMeta Research undertakes applied research on water and natural resource management. It aims to complement these services with policy discussion, structured stakeholder engagement, program development and capacity building. Prominent themes are groundwater management, spate irrigation and environmental governance.

Able to resort to expertise from the core team of the Water-3R consortium partners (including Acacia Water, Rain Foundation and BGR), MetaMeta boasts hands on rain water harvesting experience from a variety of African countries as well as organizational and institutional expertise in ‘Water Resources Management’. Projects conducted by MetaMeta and Water 3R partners include topics as: rain water harvesting implementation, water supply and irrigation systems management, groundwater exploration, water resources assessments, institutional support and development and training. Clients of projects include, The World Bank, UNESCO, UNICEF, the EU & EC, national governments, universities, technical colleges.

Institut des Régions Arides (IRA)

IRA is a public research organization. It has the mandates of carrying research, training and outreach programs on activities related to combating desertification and natural resources protection and development in the dry areas of Tunisia including soil and water conservation, erosion control, remote sensing and GIS, agronomy, biodiversity, ecology, animal husbandry and wildlife, and agro-socio-economics and development policies.

During the last decade and in collaboration with European and US partners, IRA engaged in the application and development of environmental (MUSLE, SWAT, STM2D, PATTERN, PESERA) and socio-economic (FORCESMOD, LINDO, SIEL) modelling for natural resources management and desertification mitigation in the dry areas. In parallel, IRA worked also on many projects/program (national and international) related to water harvesting with a focus on techniques inventory, hydrological modelling, and biophysical and socio-economic impact assessment. IRA is the focal point of the ROSELT network and an excellency centre on drylands studies for the United Nations University (UNU).

INERA

INERA is the national institute of environment and agricultural research in Burkina. INERA has six research centers located in all the country. Research is conducted in different fields such as Soil and water science, Phytopathology, Entomology, Genetic and plant improved, animal feeding etc. INERA has four major scientific departments which are Natural resource management and farming system, vegetal production, breeding production and Forestry production. More than eighty projects are conducted in this year.

INERA conducts agronomic research at local, regional, national levels, on farm and in laboratory. During this research, INERA often works together with the local population through participatory research. A recent example of this was the EU-funded VINVAL project. INERA participates in a national research network on sustainability of techniques for soil and water conservation (CESII) together with vulgarisers, NGOs, the Active Network for Participatory research (MARP) and farmers' organizations. INERA is involved in participatory research on integrated water and nutrient management at watershed level in development projects with organizations of innovative farmers (e.g. the Rural Development Project).

Mekelle University (MU)

Mekelle University is the merger of two former colleges: Mekelle Business College and Mekelle University College and was established in May 2000 by the Government of Ethiopia (Council of Ministers, Regulations No. 61/1999 of Article 3) as an autonomous public higher education institution. Since its establishment, MU has proved to be one of the fastest growing Universities in Ethiopia with international reputation for teaching, research and community services. Thus, its ultimate goal is to pursue standards of excellence in teaching and research for the betterment of the society. At present, the University has seven faculties, with over 20,000 students in the regular and continuing education both at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. MU has been active in applied and development oriented researches of regional, national and international dimensions.

Mekelle University has been involved in teaching (undergraduate and postgraduate), research and community service for the last several years. It is one of the few higher education institutions in Ethiopia with national and international reputation in quality teaching and research. The university has been running several research projects in collaboration with national and international similar institutions. Based on research MU has been at the forefront in influencing policy issues nationally. Some of the large-scale research projects that have been under implementation at MU which are related to soil/water conservation and rural livelihood are: (a) VLIR – Mekelle University IUC Programme, (b) NORAD I-III.

GART

The Golden Valley Agricultural Research Trust (GART) was created in 1993 by the Government of the Republic of Zambia in partnership with the Zambia National Farmers Union, as a substantially self-sustaining and autonomous Public Private Partnership Initiative and as part and parcel of the National Agricultural Research and Extension System (NARES). It is registered under The Land Perpetual Succession Act (Cap 288) of the Laws of Zambia. GART is governed by an independent Board of Trustees. The Board of 7 members is composed from three constituencies; the Government of the Republic of Zambia (3), the Zambia National Farmers' Union (3) and the International Agricultural Research Centres (1).GART's mission is to contribute to optimisation of the production, commerce and trade of crops, milk, chicken, goats and where possible their by-products and income security of the target beneficiaries through - Integrated Agricultural Research for Development (IAR4D) programmes for market-oriented small-, medium- and large-scale male and female farmers as well as youths, who include those affected or infected by HIV/AIDS.

As a merger of a government branch and a farmers union, GART is able to assess WHT from different points of view, which is necessary for integration. GART has recently been involved in research to improve food security and farming systems in southern Africa.

Wageningen University (WU-LDD)

Wageningen University is a leading European university in Life Sciences and has been involved in agricultural education and research in many parts of the world. It is part of the Wageningen University and Research Centre (WUR). The Land Degradation and Development Group (LDD) focuses on physical and socio-economic processes leading to land degradation and on the design and economic impact assessment of technologies for soil and water conservation and rural development.

The LDD group has a long-term experience in semi-arid zones in West and East Africa and in southern Europe, has been leading partner in inter-university research on Management of Natural Resources in Burkina Faso, in a regional research project in East Africa (EROAHI), projects on water harvesting in Northern Africa (WAHIA) and Central Asia (AWACAD) and on the future of olive groves on sloping land in southern Europe (OLIVERO; QLRT-2002-01841), and is now involved in projects on mitigation and remediation of desertification (DESIRE; GOCE-037046) and on Conservation Agriculture in Africa (CA2Africa; KBBE-2009-245347).