Here at Excellent Development, we have tried to provide learning resources that can bring global issues into any classroom by raising awareness of environmental conservation and rural development in drylands.
Our resources focus in particular on sand dams, how they work, their impact and the crucial role of community self-help, environmental conservation and sustainable agriculture for overcoming the challenges faced by people in rural drylands.
These films, in particular, contain real-life case studies illustrating sand dam projects and grassroots development in dryland Kenya, as well as questions surrounding water availability, food security and sustainable land management; topics that all feature in the films.
We hope you find these resources as useful as Ian Langrish, Head of Geography at Tiffin School, Kingston-upon-Thames, UK, who said:
"Excellent Development provides a valuable example of how sustainability in semi-arid Africa can be addressed in a manner that really benefits people and the environment. I'm delighted to utilise film footage and focused curicula case studies of their excellent work."
Our foldable A5 leaflet explains how a sand dam works and its potential impact in drylands. Read more
Along with building sand dams, Excellent also supports dryland communities to adopt climate-smart agriculture, which includes educating farmers on how to use seed banks stocked with seven drought-tolerant seeds; reducing the risk of crop failure, providing food throughout the growing season and ensuring a good nutritional balance. Find out more about these magnificent seven seeds in this brochure. Read more
Excellent Development works with community self-help groups in Kenya, supporting them to improve their water supply, food production, health and incomes. This educational video explains how soil and water conservation through Excellent Development's work with community self-help groups, and comes with a Q&A at the end for any students wanting to test themselves! Read more
Part 2 of our sustainable farming educational film demonstrates the importance of sustainable agriculture for food security and poverty alleviation. Like with Part 1, the film ends with a short quiz for those wanting to test their new knowledge of sand dams and their impact. Read more
This 3 part film explains sustainable development, using Excellent Development's work as an example of how community-led approaches can create conservation and a virtuous cycle of development. There are questions at the end for anyone that wants to test their knowledge. Read more
Part 2 of our sustainable development educational film with questions at the end. Read more
Part 3 of our sustainable development educational film with questions at the end. Read more