University Involvement

Iowa State University recognizes the increasing importance of collaborative international experience for researchers, educators and students. The Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods (CSRL) builds upon the ISU mission to "create, share and apply knowledge to make Iowa and the world a better place" through faculty, staff and student collaboration in development-oriented applied learning and research projects in international environments. The collaborations -- cross-disciplinary, multi-institutional, national and international -- increase the program's expertise, insight and impact. Experiences and insights gained through the projects are shared with the ISU community through teaching, seminars and other communications.

Students present seminar and award-winning posters describing their work in Uganda.

Undergraduate Students
Graduate Students
Faculty Members

ISU Undergraduate Students

CSRL extends ISU classroom learning for undergraduate students to include Uganda communities, organizations, and small-scale farmers.

Engineers for a Sustainable World
Engineering students at Iowa State University and Makerere University collaborate on projects that address needs identified by small farmers in rural Uganda. More...

Dr. Say Kee Ong, Associate Professor in the Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, engages engineering students in development projects through the CE 388x course, Sustainable Engineering and International Development, and as the faculty advisor to the student organization Engineers for a Sustainable World.

School Garden Service Learning
Six Iowa State University students joined three Makerere University students on our pilot service learning project with VEDCO in June 2006. The students worked to help incorporate a primary school garden into the science and nutrition curriculum at Namasagali Primary school. More...

The project leaders were Dr. Gail Nonnecke, ISU Professor of Horticulture, Dr. Lee Buras, ISU Associate Professor of Agronomy, and Bernard Obaa, Makerere University lecturer in the Department of Agriculture Extension and Education. Preparation for the pilot project began in 2005 through a visit to Uganda by Dr. Nonnecke, Dr. David Acker, ISU College of Agriculture Associate Dean for Academic and Global Programs, and Dr. Grace Marquis, Food Science and Human Nutrition.

Youth Farmers
Amber Herman, an ISU undergraduate student in Public Service and Administration in Agriculture, believes in the power of youth to actively participate in developmental progress. Amber traveled to Uganda... More...

ISU Graduate Students

Graduate students make important contributions to CSRL by using both scientific and indigenous knowledge to address issues and questions relevant to sustainable livelihoods.

Haroon Sseguya, Richard Miiro and Bernard Obaa, all lecturers in agriculture extension and education at Makerere University, are doing advanced studies at ISU. Haroon will receive his Ph.D. from ISU in 2009 and his dissertation will focus on the effectiveness of farmer groups in livelihood improvement programs. Richard took courses during 2006 at ISU and returned to Makerere to complete his Ph.D. there, with a focus on sustainable and effective farmer organizations. Bernard begins Ph.D. work in sociology at ISU in 2007. Shelia Onzere, Ph.D. student from Kenya, will focus her research on social networks and farmers' adoption and adaptation of innovation.

ISU Faculty Members

CSRL provides to faculty members a forum for across-disciplinary, multi-institutional, national, and international partnership building that potentially leads to joint efforts to seek extramural funding.

Business - Sanjeev Agarwal, Ph.D.
Dr. Agarwal is an international business development and marketing specialist and Professor in the Department of Marketing. He was a member of CSRL's founding management team and has contributed to program initiatives in the areas of business development and marketing.

Communications - Eric Abbott, Ph.D.
Dr. Abbott is an international development communication specialist who is a Professor in the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication and Coordinator of ISU's Technology and Social Change Program. He was a member of CSRL's founding management team and contributes to evolving communication-related initiatives.

Linkages - Lorna Michael Butler, Ph.D.
Dr. Butler is an agricultural anthropologist and sustainable agriculture specialist and the Henry A. Wallace Endowed Chair for Sustainable Agriculture. She was a member of the CSRL's founding management team and strengthens the linkages among ISU faculty and students to our Ugandan collaborators through networking and financial support.

Livestock - Max Rothschild, Ph.D. and James Reecy, Ph.D.
Dr. Rothschild, C.F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor of Agriculture and Dr. Reecy, Assistant Professor in Animal Science, are strengthening VEDCO's ability to support farmers into the market place. Through visits to Uganda, they have observed that smallholdings of cattle, goats, chickens and pigs serve multiple vital roles for families - food, income that is used for day-to-day expenses, and to build wealth. Dr. Rothschild and Dr. Reecy have presented lectures to over 20 VEDCO staff on pig production and health issues. The lectures generated useful discussion, and a plan for more advanced training of VEDCO staff. The ISU faculty members also visited pig farms to learn more about the conditions and challenges of current pig production in Uganda, and discussed future joint work with Makerere University and the National Animal Genetics Resource Centre.

Technology Adaptation - Robert Annex, Ph.D.
Dr. Annex, Associate Professor in Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, visited Uganda in June 2005 with the objective of strengthening the capabilities of faculty and graduate students at Iowa State University and Makerere University to engage in applied research that improves our understanding of the roles of social capital in technology adaptation for food security in HIV/AIDS impacted communities. He presented a seminar at Makerere University Faculty of Agriculture to stimulate input from colleagues on this topic by providing an overview of research at Iowa State, particularly in agricultural and biosystems engineering. Dr. Annex also met with smaller groups of faculty, visited research institutions and rural farmers to learn about technologies that have been developed to assist small-scale farm operators.

Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods, 106 Curtiss Hall, Ames, IA 50011-1050
Phone: 515-294-9237, Fax: 515-294-7177,

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