ABSTRACT
The African Highlands Initiative (AHI) started in 1995 as a collaborative eco-regional programme focusing on natural resource management in the highlands of East and Central Africa (ECA). The programme operates under the umbrella of the Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in East and Central Africa (ASARECA) and forms the East African component of the Global Mountain Programme (GMP) of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). It operates as a research-for-development consortium to improve the livelihoods of poor people living in the ECA highlands. The AHI started with four countries (Madagascar, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda); Tanzania joined in 1997, so that five of the ten East and Central African countries are now active in the programme. The programme works in district-sized benchmark sites with a small catchment area – often a village – as the pilot site. By 1998, there were eight benchmark sites: two in Madagascar (Antsirabe and Fianarantsoa), two in Kenya (Embu and Kakamega), two in Ethiopia (Ginchi and Areka), and one each in Uganda (Kabale) and Tanzania (Lushoto). Currently, the Embu site is no longer participating in AHI activities. Figure 6.1 shows the member countries of ASARECA and the countries currently active in AHI.
