MSc. Dry Land Integrated Land Management Systems Master/MBA

The Dryland make upto about 80% of Kenya‘s total land mass. The ASALs is characterized by limited and unreliable rainfall, fragile soils and relatively high temperature. Currently, the ASALs are largely underutilized for economic benefit of the local communities and the country at large. The human population in the ASALs is estimated at 25% of the national population and accommodate about 80% of total livestock. It is against this background that a curriculum on Dryland Integrated Land Management Systems has been developed as a strategy for building on human capital to harness the available resources for economic benefit. The curriculum will produce graduates with in-depth understanding of dryland ecosystem, biodiversity in the ASALs, community livelihood and socio-cultural system, resources in ASALs, biotic and abiotic challenges, and innovations to harness resources to improve life in the ASALs.
Land management in Kenya‘s ASALs is yet to be prioritized as a means of judicious utilization and conservation of natural resources for economic development. Management of land resources could spur economic growth and reduce poverty index in the ASALs. There is need for adequate management of land resources in the ASAls to stimulate economic growth, improve livelihood and maintain healthy bio ecological co-existence. Besides, Kenya‘s vision 2030 emphasizes the importance of the arid and semi-arid lands (ASAL) as an important component in the economic pillar. The strategy is to utilize some 24 million hectares for livestock production and expand crop production through irrigation on some 9.2 million hectares in the ASAL.The Government plan in ―Strategy for Revitalization of Agriculture for 2004-2014‖ also recognizes the importance of agriculture in national growth and development and commits to expand agriculture production in ASALs through expanding irrigation.These can be realized by investing in a focused training of personnel capable of identifying opportunities and resources for utilization and development in the drylands. The MSc curriculum in Dryland Integrated Land Management Systems is designed to address this need.