2017 PRDF ‘Urbanisation and its Impact on Peri-urban Water and Food Security in Africa: Developing Research Collaboration and Capacity Building’ has recently held a successful international workshop in Kampala, Uganda.

The collaboration will contribute knowledge through research and can be used to make good policies for better planning.

Professor Basant Mahenshwari from Western Sydney University, said: “This collaboration with Makerere will help to share experiences from Australia and Africa and come up with ideas and learn from each other and identify what can be done to further capacity building and research“.

“In Western Sydney University we have designed a natural water line for food production and if this can be done in Africa, it will help keep the environment clean and hold the ecosystem much more sustainably.”

This citation originally appeared in The Uganda Daily-New Vision
See article

Program

View/download the workshop brochure including program, and the discussion paper. View the 2-minute YouTube photo compilation clip for an overall impression of the day.

Summary of presentations

Day 1

• Peri-urban water and food—critical issues and challenges
  Professor Basant Maheshwari, Western Sydney University
• Urbanisation and peri-urban food production – African perspectives
  Professor Elly Sabiiti, Makerere University
• Sustainability, peri-urban landscapes and worldview challenges
  Adj. Professor Roger Packham, Western Sydney University

Day 2

• Agriculture in Kenyan cities
  By: Solomon Kamau
  Prof. Nancy Karanja, Dr. Fredrick Ayuke, University of Nairobi
• Multi-temporal assessment of the declining urban and peri-urban agricultural land areas in Kampala
  Ronald O. Muchelo and A/Prof Inakwu Odeh, The University of Sydney
• Waste Impact On Peri-Urban Water And Food Security, Case Of Kampala
  Shamim. N. Nalukwago, Makerere University School of Agricultural Sciences

Proposed Research Activities

Group 1

Group 2 

Group 3

 

Professor Elly Sabiiti (photo credit: Agnes Nantambi)

Adj. Professor Roger Packham, Western Sydney University

Workshop Summary

With urbanisation, cities across the globe, including Australia and Africa, can experience significant negative impacts as less land and water becomes available for nearby food production, more wastewater is generated and flooding risk increases.

This international workshop is organised to bring together Australian and African partners to understand complex issues of changing land use patterns from the view point of community, policy and physical environment and identify the knowledge gap for collaborative research and teaching to improve water and food security and liveability in African cities. The workshop has helped to develop a trans-disciplinary research and capacity building program to address the issues identified.

Specific Objectives
Overall, the workshop encouraged an open dialogue on ways to strengthen institutional capacity and framework for effective management of peri-urban landscapes. The specific objectives of the workshop:

• Share learning and experiences from Australia and Africa on peri-urban water management and food production
• Identify areas for research collaboration, shared post-graduate teaching programs and capacity building
• Develop a joint research proposal for a longer term research collaboration.

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For more information please contact: 

Australia:
Western Sydney University
Professor Basant Maheshwari
E: b.maheshwari@westernsydney.edu.au
M: +61 410 550 911

The University of Sydney
A/Professor Willem Vervoort
E: willem.vervoort@sydney.edu.au

A/Professor Inakwu Odeh
E: inakwu.odeh@sydney.edu.au

Queensland University of Technology
Professor Ashantha Goonetilleke
E: a.goonetilleke@qut.edu.au

Africa:
Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
Prof Elly N Sabiiti
E: elly.sabiiti@gmail.com
T: +256 414 533580
M:+256 772438010