ITCER e.V. and ITCER Kenya are non-profit partner organisations in the tertiary education sector, focusing on scientific research, teaching and outreach in an international training centre in Siaya County in Western Kenya (see Location)
Background
East Africa’s natural ecosystems are rapidly degrading due to unsustainable use and multiple mismanagement resulting from, in part, a large increase in human population, and land use practices that are not adequately adapted to the negative impacts of climate change. Finding solutions to environmental problems will require a new class of managers with practical skills to identify and assess current and emerging indicators of unsustainable land use practices that lead to soil degradation.
Kenya has biological and physical resources that are of considerable national, international, economic, and intrinsic value. It is estimated that the country has 35,000 known species of animals and plants, aside from numerous microorganisms. This wealth is fundamental to Kenya’s prosperity in many ways, such as a source of employment and foreign exchange earnings. Life and economy are based on natural resources such as water, rocks, and soils. These resources and their ecosystems are coming under increasing pressure from unsustainable use, leading to erosion, pollution, and depletion. Biological resources, which are sources of medicine, food, income, shelter, and fuel, are only secure if they are used sustainably. The level of institutional awareness is encouraging. In order to meet the challenges and requirements of biodiversity protection, conservation, and management while mitigating and preventing biodiversity loss, the government is already addressing specific management strategies and policies, enforcement of existing laws and biodiversity, formulation of land use plans, and development of systems for rehabilitation and restoration. Climate change, combined with reduced resilience, is exacerbating existing challenges and increasing pressure on mountain people and ecosystems in Kenya and neighboring countries. Climate change also leads to floods, droughts, and soil erosion. Therefore, there is a need to mitigate the effects of climate change by promoting grassroots action to build community resilience. It is therefore absolutely necessary to supplement teaching programs in the university sector to this end and also to raise awareness of these issues among the general public.
Organizational Structure
ITCER is a regional organization registered in Germany (e.V.) and Kenya as an international NGO. Both ITCER Kenya and ITCER e.V. have a board of directors composed of elected board members. These board members include representatives from Kenya and other countries. ... more
To provide quality case-based training in environmental sciences to postgraduate students, scientists, and members of various stakeholder groups from Kenya and neighboring countries. ... more
To …
act as an faciliator of concepts and materials to implement current environmental knowledge in higher education institutions and to inform key actors and local communities in Kenya and its neighbouring countries
improve the long-term conservation and sustainable use of natural resources
promote community development through self-sufficiency in resources
support sustainable agriculture planning and development activities within the community
sustainably cultivate indigenous fungal species and raise community awareness about tree and mushroom conservation, identification and use
promote group farming, especially in the areas of food cultivation, livestock, fish farming and other self-help activities
working closely with related organizations, village development committees and other NGOs
enhance the capacity building of its members by organizing and participating in training workshops and conferences
conduct scientific research in related fields to improve production capabilities and facilities.
Environmental Science Research and Training
Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services: Integrate sustainable natural resource management to enhance biodiversity and ecosystem services for community livelihoods and human well-being.
Climate Change: facilitate regional mechanisms to assess and address the impacts of climate change and promote grassroots action to build community resilience.
Sustainable Agriculture: working with communities to promote sustainable agriculture.
Strategic approaches
Engaging strategic partnerships and leading stakeholders ... more
and facilitating regional collaboration and networking for better environmental, climate, and conservation action and community empowerment.
Establishment of a regional reference center ... more
for information on the environment, climate change, biodiversity conservation and sustainable development.
Partnering with and strengthening grassroots community groups ... more
and working with responsible industries and businesses to promote corporate social and environmental responsibility.
Aims
Many university curricula focus more on theoretical aspects and have a gap in teaching practical skills in latest methods. ITCER aims to fill this gap … ... more
by providing relevant training units that combine theoretical and practical expertise and skills for field sampling, ecological modeling, detection, quantification, and analysis of environmental variables critical for sustainable ecosystem management. ITCER aims to offer a locally and internationally recognized training program and courses focused on current ecological challenges in the region, such as biodiversity, sustainable use and conservation, water quality and land management, climate change and its impacts, landscape and waterscape restoration, ecosystem service, pollution and remediation, environmental data management. Topics covered are generally aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals and the Regional Government Agenda, including Africa 2063.
ITCER aims to promote networking among local, national and international actors to improve sustainable development through the exchange of information and experiences.
ITCER aims to strengthen its network through policy dialogue, capacity building, and community engagement in the implementation of its work. ITCER aims to work with all types of organizations, including NGOs/CBOs, academic institutions, and businesses.
ITCER activities are intended to take an integrated landscape-scale approach focused on research and education in environmental sciences, protecting biodiversity and enhancing ecosystem services, mitigating the impacts of climate change, and building a shared stakeholder vision to address threats.
Activities
Educational Concept and Planning
ITCER bases its training program on international lecturers who volunteer their specific expertise on certain cutting-edge methods of environmental research to students from Kenya and its neighboring countries. ... more
The courses are short-term and take place at the training center, including laboratory and fieldwork. The lecturers provide detailed information and course offerings, which are reviewed by a management committee consisting of Kenyan and German ITCER members for compliance with ITCER objectives. Interested students may apply for a specific course and will be selected based on their background. For students in need, any fees incurred will be will be subsidized based on need and available funds. Accreditation of the course program by the Commission for University Education (CUE; Nairobi, Kenya) is strongly pursued in order to issue certificates with credit points that are recognized by the students’ home universities.
Programme
The academic learning program envisaged is in three parts, as we will offer the following.
over a period of max. 2 weeks and up to 15 MSc and PhD students per course: these training courses combine diagnostics and measures by providing knowledge of the latest methods and their application in specific use cases.
and local community involvement to encourage participation in ITCER’s work and socially relevant issues related to the conservation and restoration of the natural environment.
In addition, based on the needs arising from targeted training and collaboration with universities in Western Kenya and beyond, scholarly projects can be identified to take the use-case based training approach to a further, more intensive level of capacity building in Kenya and its neighboring countries.
Examples of Training Courses
ITCER courses provide training and knowledge in vegetation science and conservation, plant pathology and parasitology, omics-based microbial ecology, soil science and hydrology, biological informatics and data management, GIS analysis, and remote sensing.
(cellular, species, and ecosystem levels) will focus on disseminating knowledge about restoration of degraded soils and native species declines, addressing invasive species issues, and assessing the environmental health and ecosystem services of existing ecosystems. Techniques for quantifying ecosystem function and structure will be presented as part of the training.
will cover soil ecology, engineering, chemistry and hydrology. The training aims to provide sustainable solutions to the various forms of pollution and is designed along biological control mechanisms. For example, experiments with microorganisms to bioremediate plastic pollution in the environment will be conducted using fungi and bacteria to demonstrate the ability of microorganisms to degrade plastic.
will cover mycology, bacteriology and nematology. The training will focus on the collection of samples from infected crops and plants, and morphological, cultural and molecular examinations and control measures will be demonstrated. The training will provide solutions to ensure food safety and provide basic knowledge of pathogen biology.
will focus on data integration and management in environmental research. Based on use cases and using e.g. the free open source software tool Diversity Workbench (DWB) with its different components and the particular strength of implementing data standards, the complete workflows with data pipelines will be elaborated. In particular, the training covers the construction of a database from scratch, data exchange formats, schemas and data transformations, as well as the GIS tools for editing and managing georeferenced data.
Selected Specific Topics to be Taught at the Centre
Rhizosphere interactions impacting plant response to drought in semiarid environments
Soil and plant-associated mycobiomes — structures and interactions
Complex, adaptive responses of plants to changing environmental conditions
The economic importance of insects in agricultural systems
Interactions between ecosystem functioning and socio-economic needs of local communities
The role of secondary metabolites in plant health and defense mechanisms
Apply for a Course
(Functional as soon as training courses are announced)
Gkoutselis, G.M., Rohrbach, S., Harjes, J., Brachmann, A., Horn, MA., Rambold, G.: Plastiphily is linked to generic virulence traits of important human pathogenic fungi, Communications Earth & Environment (2024). doi:10.1038/s43247-023-01127-3
Kinge, T.R., Jefwa, J.M., Houdanon, R.D., Milenge, H.K., Abdel-Azeem, A.M., Gryzenhout, M., Triebel, D., Weibulat, T., Rambold, G.: Management and publication of scientific data on traditional mycological and lichenological knowledge in Africa, Lichenologist (2023). doi:10.1017/S0024282923000294
Gkoutselis, G.M., Rohrbach, S., Harjes, J., Obst, M., Brachmann, A., Horn, M., Rambold, G.: Microplastics accumulate fungal pathogens in terrestrial ecosystems, Scientific Reports (2021). doi:10.1038/s41598-021-92405-7
Schweiger, A., Ullmann, M., Nürk, N.M., Triebel, D., Schobert, R., Rambold, G.: Chemical properties of key metabolites determine the global distribution of lichens, Ecology Letters (2021). doi:10.1111/ele.13930
Cheng, T., Chepkirui, C., Decock, C., Matasyoh, J.C., Stadler, M.: Sesquiterpenes from an Eastern African medicinal mushroom belonging to the genus Sanghuangporus, J. Nat. Prod. (2019). doi:10.1021/acs.jnatprod.8b01086
Chepkirui, C., Cheng, T., Sum, B.W., Decock, C., Matasyoh, J.C., Praditya, D.F., Steinmann, E., Stadler, M. Skeletocutins, A.L.: Antibacterial agents from the Kenyan wood-inhabiting Basidiomycete, Skeletocutis sp., J. Agric. Food Chem. (2019). doi:10.1021/acs.jafc.9b02598
Okach, D.O., Ondier, J.O., Kumar, A., Rambold, G., Tenhunen, J., Huwe, B., Otieno, D.O.: Livestock grazing and rainfall manipulation alter the patterning of CO2 fluxes and biomass development of the herbaceous community in a humid savanna, Plant Ecology (2019). doi:10.1007/s11258-019-00977-2
Okach, D.O., Ondier, J.O., Kumar, A., Rambold, G., Tenhunen, J., Huwe, B., Otieno, D.O.: Interactive influence of livestock grazing and manipulated rainfall and soil properties in a humid tropical savanna, Journal of Soils and Sediments (2919). doi:10.1007/s11368-018-2117-x
The ITCER facilities are developing with time. While the plot of land was purchased in 2016 and construction of the first building (hosting lab and seminar room) started in June 2018 (both financed via private financial means), the final finishes to the building are expected for mid-2022. ... more
This allows us to now begin developing and arranging for the academic learning programme in collaboration and universities in Western Kenya and responsible governmental bodies. In order to run the courses (the first seminars have taken plase in 2nd half of 2022), first donations are sought for further equipping the laboratory and IT (see Donation).
Location
LOCATION OF TRAINING CENTRE
ITCER is placed in Ng’iya along the road leading to Nyang’oma Kogelo. As such it is located in Siaya County in Western Kenya, 60 km by road from Kisumu at Lake Victoria (see Site map).
The location is characterised by a developed public infrastructure (transport, water, electricity). The site can be reached by public transport, and internationally from the airport in Nairobi and domestic flights to Kisumu. ITCER is placed in proximity to diverse natural ecosystems such as savanna, rainforest, and wetlands, which serve as training grounds for the field work.
The organismic diversity on the site is continuously monitored and the data is forwarded to international platforms. A selection of plants, fungi, animals and other organisms is presented here. It may whet your appetite for a plant, bird or insect ‘safari’ that can be conducted on site and in the surrounding area. Further processing and analysis of samples and data will be possible under research permits, which will be applied for from the appropriate government agencies.
ITCER welcomes everyone interested in contributing to the training and communication of environmental science relevant for local communities in East Africa. ... more
As non-profit organisation in the tertiary education sector, ITCER’s functioning depends on donations, on a lively community of active, academic and non-academic members and financial support by the members. Financial resources are required for site management, further construction and equipment, as well as the support of training course participants.
Interest in membership can be expressed by completing the membership application form and attaching a short letter of interest along with a brief curriculum vitae.