When HYT graduates arrived at Iowa State University (I.S.U.) campus in Kamuli, Uganda, they were not greeted by the flurries of students, society gatherings and introductory seminars that might be expected. A troop of monkeys larking around in the trees was the closest thing to student life in the area, and the only learning taking place was how to leap safely from one branch to the next. That’s because construction had not yet begun. It was HYT’s job to build the campus’ hallowed walls, and to do so with as little disturbance to the natural environment as possible. More...

Iowa State program is improving the lives of rural Ugandans, one person at a time

Since 2004, Iowa State’s Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods has made an impact on nearly 60,000 people in Uganda’s Kamuli District – one of the poorest regions of that East African country – by improving access to clean water, nutrition and health for mothers and infants, school gardens, livestock and entrepreneurial activities, and crop and livestock extension programs.

Clay has had many successes at Iowa State University. She was an active member of the University Honors program for four years, served as a teaching assistant, research assistant and actively tutored several students to success. She's shared her talent and service by studying abroad a semester in Ecuador, serving as a learning volunteer in Uganda, co-directed the 2014 International Association of students in Agriculture and related Sciences (IAAS) World Congress and served as a summer intern in Guatemala on a sustainable intensification project.

Des Moines Register reporter Timothy Meinch visited the Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods’ ISU-Uganda Project in Kamuli, Uganda to report on efforts to save lives and help create a more sustainable future there. ISU Builds Better Future for Uganda

“Thank you to the Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods for being the engine of the transformation story that has blossomed on the lips of hundreds and thousands of beneficiaries in Uganda,” wrote a student at Makerere University in Uganda. “I am grateful for being part of the service learning teams who were on the ground in rural Kamuli to witness this story.  We have never remained the same.”  From the ISU College of Ag and Life Sciences Stories on how CSRL is improving life in Uganda with clean water, education and farming.

Dean Wendy Wintersteen is leading a small task force to explore next steps toward agricultural research. On Feb. 3, 2015, she posted a message on the Farm Foundation website, AgChallenge 2050. “As the report states, connect the dots of every major societal challenge ahead and what emerges is the critical importance of food, agricultural and natural resources research.

A brand new publication about the Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods is now available through Lynne Rienner Publishers. "Tapping Philanthropy for Development: Lessons Learned from a Public-Private Partnership in Rural Uganda" offers advice for managing multi-faceted, public-private partnerships for development. "Tapping Philanthropy for Development" is co-authored by Lorna Michael Butler, Professor Emeritus of Sociology and Anthropology, as well as an Agricultural and Life Sciences Global fellow at ISU, and Della E.

Women whose leadership has made a difference at Iowa State University will be honored by the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics on the ninth annual Women Impacting ISU calendar.

Two students from the College of Engineering visited the Kamuli District in Uganda. See their story....

October 28, 2014

When you tell Ugandans you work in the Kamuli District, one of the country's most rural and impoverished areas, they look at you wonderingly. Why would anyone go there? Can anything good come from Kamuli?

The answer is "yes." Something good is coming from Kamuli, and it has implications for other parts of the world gripped by hunger and poverty.

For the past decade, the Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods at Iowa State University has worked with numerous local partners in Uganda to train an army of change agents in Kamuli. We have been equipping the young and old with the skills to improve their lives through agriculture, nutrition, education and sanitation.

Iowa State University’s Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods continues to succeed in tackling global issues such as hunger and sustainability, directly reaching more than 1,000 households in Uganda and affecting almost 2,500 more families through outreach programs.

Aligning with our objectives for the center, households achieve greater crop yields, increasing food security and reducing levels of malnutrition. School children share what they learn with their families, and produce from the school gardens provides a substantial supplement to school lunches. Through the farmer-to-farmer program, local farmers learn to differentiate between and properly use insecticides, pesticides and fungicides, greatly increasing crop yields.

September 24, 2014

The Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods is changing rural Ugandans’ quality of life — and teaching Iowa State students to be change agents in improving the global community. Read the story on pages 12-13 in the Summer 2014 edition of Forward from the Iowa State University Foundation... Article [PDF]

A new photo book helps to mark a time of reflection for the Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods. The story of the past 10 years is told through striking images — the faces of the people, the lines of the landscape and the raising of crops, livestock and . . . hope. [PDF]

Transformative experiences through service learning.

July 2014

Imagine having the opportunity to dramatically transform the quality of life for thousands of people by helping provide clean water or teaching sustainable agricultural practices. Now, imagine doing this as a college student - and the profound impression the experience would have throughout your life.

Providing a precious resource:  Clean water

March 2014