Keynote Lecture | Prof. Gufu Oba: African Environmental Crisis- A History of Science for Development

Professor Gufu Oba’s lecture traces how Western scientific theories have been applied to East African drylands and why that often failed to produce effective development. He explains the historical roots, colonial-era assumptions about desertification and fixed stocking rates through to 20th-century projects (1930s–1980s), the shift toward large-scale, interdisciplinary ecosystem research, and the more recent acceptance of disequilibrium thinking. Key points: (1) colonial and externally developed theories were frequently misapplied to African pastoral systems; (2) research and development remain poorly connected—funding and project design often ignore available science and indigenous knowledge; (3) practical priorities now include ecosystem-scale planning, local resource inventories (range surveys), and protecting communal grazing from enclosure and alternative land uses. Watch to understand the historical causes of current policy gaps, the scientific debates (equilibrium vs disequilibrium), and concrete actions suggested for counties, researchers and pastoral communities—such as conducting resource inventories, integrating indigenous management systems, and designing development projects based on landscape-scale science. 00:00:23 Welcome & speaker introduction 00:02:04 Lecture thesis: linking science and development 00:03:56 Colonial science & historical context 00:07:05 1930s theories: desertification & stocking rates 00:12:22 Large-scale grazing schemes & rotational grazing 00:20:00 Post-independence shift: systems analysis & disequilibrium 00:26:32 Persistent gap: research vs development and funding 00:28:44 Q&A: indigenous knowledge, county boundaries, land use and practical recommendations #pastoralism #drylands #rangelands #desertification #disequilibrium #rangeScience #ecosystemapproach #communityland #GufuOba #GadisgumiFoundation #climatevariability #livestock #ILRI