CRDD's Roots and Evolution
'CRDD was born from a conviction that communities living in drylands—long misunderstood and marginalized—hold the knowledge, agency, and networks necessary to shape their own development. But for too long, their voices have been sidelined.'
Since its founding in 2019 in Marsabit, CRDD has continued to evolve, expanding its partnerships, refining its strategy, and deepening its impact. What began as a small effort to make research work for drylands has become a dynamic regional hub for innovation, learning, and policy advocacy.
We Are…
Rooted in Community
CRDD works from the ground up, strengthening locally led institutions and community voices in dryland development. Our work is embedded in the social, political, and ecological realities of pastoral and agro-pastoral communities, ensuring that solutions are not just contextually relevant—but co-owned and sustained.
CRDD locates its work within a bottom-up, community-led framing of resilience, development, and governance.
Guided by Indigenous Knowledge
We affirm local knowledge systems as legitimate and essential to shaping responses to uncertainty, climate variability, and ecological change. CRDD supports the recognition and institutionalization of indigenous practices and institutions as anchors of resilience and sustainability in drylands.
CRDD is committed to promoting the integration of indigenous knowledge systems and traditional institutions into formal development and policy processes.
Advancing Resilience Through Dialogue
CRDD works across social divides and geographic boundaries to foster constructive engagement, cross-border collaboration, and inclusive governance. We support the revitalization of traditional conflict-resolution mechanisms and promote participatory platforms for building trust and resilience in drylands.
CRDD supports inclusive dialogue and collaboration as key to strengthening peace, social cohesion, and collective action.
Centering Marginalized Voices
CRDD places a strong emphasis on gender equity, youth inclusion, and intergenerational knowledge transmission. We support marginalized voices to engage meaningfully in shaping their futures and to influence county, national, and global policy processes.
CRDD prioritizes the meaningful participation of women, youth, and historically excluded groups in research, dialogue, and decision-making.
Locally Led Innovation
CRDD serves as a centre of excellence in drylands knowledge co-production, testing and scaling innovative models that emerge from community realities. From co-designed digital tools to hybrid learning spaces, we harness local creativity to develop context-appropriate and scalable solutions.
CRDD facilitates innovation in development planning, drawing on both indigenous and scientific knowledge to inform policy and practice.
A Walk Through CRDD's Milestones
2019
CRDD is registered in Kenya; the first community dialogues are held in Marsabit.
2020
Launch of action research and training programs across two counties.
2022
Strategic partnerships with ACIAR, Tufts University, and Jameel Observatory deepen regional reach.
2024
Seeds4Range and InfoRange projects empower over 1,400 pastoralists.
2025
Hosting of the inaugural Summer School on Resilience in Drylands.
What Our Partners Say…
“CRDD is not just doing research, it is changing the way we think about resilience.”
— Professor Ian Scoones, Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex
“The knowledge they build with communities is real, practical, and makes policy more inclusive.”
— Abdirahman Buke, Community Leader, Sololo
“We feel seen and heard when CRDD is in the room.”
— Fatuma Wario, Women's Group Representative, Laisamis
Want to Discover More?
- 🔸CRDD Research Briefs
- 🔸Monthly Drylands Dialogues
- 🔸The Field Voice Podcast (coming soon)
- 🔸Alumni Stories and Fellow Spotlights
- 🔸Masterclasses on Dryland Development
- 🔸Community Perspectives Blog
We'd love to hear what you think of CRDD! Contact us at info@crdd-kenya.org or follow us on social media for updates, stories, and insights from Kenya's drylands.