Students in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ 2019 Uganda Service Learning Program are collecting books for activities to enhance the reading achievement of pupils in primary schools in the Kamuli District of Uganda. The students will take donated books with them to Uganda this summer.

Book Drive Dates: March 25 - May 1, 2019

Drop-Off Locations: 

119 Kildee Horticulture Hall Atrium 1320 Elings (ABE Student Services Office)

Reading Levels: Beginner - 7^th Grade

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The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Study Abroad Office and the Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods have offered Iowa State University students the opportunity to improve food security and change the lives of people in the Kamuli District of Uganda for the past 14 years by participating in study abroad and service learning opportunities related to agroforestry, education, nutrition and health, animal science and post-harvest handling. This past spring break, 14 Iowa State University students participated in the week-long service learning trip that focused on working at primary schools and with local communities in the Kamuli District on agroforestry, refurbishing a tree nursery and establishing woodlots.

The World Food Prize presented the inaugural “Inspiring the Next Generation” award to Iowa State University Associate Dean and CSRL Associate Director David Acker...[more]

Waking up in a dorm-like compound, Kate Stewart splashes her face with cold water. As she prepares for her day, fellow Iowa State students also prepare for a full day of coursework, service learning, working with each other and gathering information for their own projects.

Stewart, a senior in global resource systems, first experienced Uganda in the summer of 2017 with the Uganda Program through the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Study Abroad Office. Stewart knew it was somewhere she wanted to return, however, she never anticipated how soon she would have the opportunity to travel back.

Three Iowa State University graduate students were recently awarded the Worldwide 2018 Food Solutions Challenge. Samuel Kiprotich, food science and human nutrition; Mike Sserunjogi, agricultural and biosystems engineering; and Emmanuel Nsamba, genetics, completed a research challenge on reducing food waste, specifically cassava rot in Nigeria and other sub-Sahara African countries. The complete story can be found on the CALS website. 

For three Iowa State University graduate students, winning the worldwide 2018 Food Solutions Challenge was more than an honor – it meant they could help reduce food waste in their homeland.

The Iowa State team received $5,000 on May 20 for its proposal to improve the shelf life of cassava, which is a staple food in Africa and can rot within three days after harvest. Team members include Samuel Kiprotich, food science and human nutrition; Mike Sserunjogi, agricultural and biosystems engineering; and Emmanuel Nsamba, genetics. Read More. 

We could like to thank everyone that made a financial contribution to the Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods Nutrition Education Center Campaign. The campaign raised a total of $17,570 before a 3:1 donor match, bringing the final amount raised to $70,280 from 65 generous donors!

We encourage you to stay connected with the ISU Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods initiatives in Kamuli District, Uganda by visiting our website or following us on Facebook. Financial contributions are always accepted at www.foundation.iastate.edu/CSRL.

Webale! Thank you!

 

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 unifying message in support of agricultural research may sound daunting, but it’s incredibly exciting,” said Wintersteen. “Here is an opportunity to think boldly about one of the critical issues of our time.” See the full article on Farm Foundation, AgChallenge 2050, and visit the Charles Valentine Riley Memorial Foundation website for the webcast of Dr. Wintersteen's presentation.

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.