Current page: Home > what we do > advocacy and researchAdvocacy & ResearchOverviewAt Excellent Development we are constantly looking for ways to improve what we do. We closely monitor our work and its impacts on the lives of those we work with. We aim to place learning and evaluation at the heart of our work. We do this by:
• Demonstration farms that enable farmers to see different farming techniques in action. • Regular meetings of self help groups and farm visits that allow farmers and staff to learn and inspire each other. • Exchanges between the self-help groups that allow these lessons to be shared between groups and provide a forum for outside speakers to share their knowledge and experience. • A programme of mentoring, training and external exchanges that allow our staff to develop their own knowledge and capacity. • The annual evaluation process which gives groups and staff the time and space to reflect on the successes and challenges of the previous year. ResearchAt Excellent Development, we believe sand dams and our integrated model of community-led development has tremendous potential to be replicated more widely and to transform the environment and lives of other farming communities in similar semi-arid regions. As we grow, an increasingly important part of our work will be communicating the benefits and key ingredients of our work and supporting others to adapt and replicate our approaches. To enable to this, Excellent Development is undertaking and will expand its programme of action-research. • What are the optimum conditions and limits to successful sand dam construction? • What support do other organisations and communities require to build sand dams? • What other ways exist to construct robust sand dams? • How do sand dams, community forestry, terracing and improved farming techniques combine to impact the local environment and climate? • What funding and business models will most effectively enable rapid replication? • How can rural communities in dryland regions better exercise influence over the decisions that impact their lives? These are just some of the questions we are currently exploring through our work and the work of others. In addition to expanding the scale of our work in Kenya, Excellent Development will be conducting pilot projects with other development agencies in other countries. The purpose of these pilots will be to better understand how our model can most effectively be replicated in a range of contexts and with a range of organisations. If you represent a development agency which works with rural communities in arid or semi-arid environments, if you share our commitment to community-led, participatory development and if you are interested in discussing how our experience of sand dams could benefit your work, we would love to hear from you.
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