Since its inception in 2007, Karatina University in Kenya has aspired to lead green, entrepreneurial Universities in Africa. Its mandate is to educate, conduct research, engage in community outreach events, and spearhead climate change mitigation activities.
In May 2023, Karatina University hosted its first International Climate Change Conference, which brought together more than 300 delegates from 10 countries. The physical attendance was represented by 5 East African countries and 12 universities in Kenya.
In addition, the Conference brought together grassroots operators, including 100 women and 86 youths representing 35 counties in Kenya. The conference aimed to enhance the link between research and implementation in climate change adaptation activities for sustainable agricultural landscapes with experiences from deforestation-free tea farming.
The University prioritized the facilitation for women and youth, given that women are the main managers of rural entrepreneurship, including tea farms, cereal farms and livestock farms, and therefore are impacted directly by the effects of climate change. At the same time, young researchers were able to explore issues and present findings while receiving critiques from experienced researchers.
The symposium was part of the south-south exchange component of Climate Action Africa, intended to be used as a key tool to facilitate the exchange of climate-related knowledge, expertise and lessons learned.
