Open research, built with the communities it studies
Peer-reviewed publications, policy briefs, and an indigenous knowledge archive — all grounded in fieldwork conducted in Nyandarua County and beyond.
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Imagining the Future of the Dairy Industry: A Participatory Human-Centred Approach to Policy Making for Rural Communities in Kenya
Examines the intersection of AI-driven technologies and human development at Kenya's rural–urban digital divide, drawing on two Futures Literacy Labs with 60 smallholder dairy farmers in Kinangop and Ol Kalou. Proposes capability-informed policy suggestions for equitable AI-driven human development.
Coop-Science: A Horizontal, More Inclusive Approach to Citizen Science for Rural Communities in Kenya
Explores a cooperative-based model of scientific participation that positions rural communities as co-creators of knowledge — challenging extractive, top-down models of citizen science common in development research.
Learning Hub Frameworks for Future-Oriented, Community-Designed Education Systems
Investigates community-centred learning hub models that combine digital tools with locally rooted pedagogy to support inclusive, lifelong learning in rural settings.
Community voices shaping policy futures
Recommendations drawn directly from Futures Literacy Lab outcomes, for AI, agriculture and rural development policymakers.
Multi-stakeholder future-making platforms
Grounded in local culture, language and storytelling — putting women at the centre of the dairy sector's future.
Farmer–researcher–policymaker collaboration
Ensuring agricultural technologies align with lived realities, not externally imposed assumptions.
Investment in farmer-led education & local leadership
Local champions and civic participation structures that let communities shape policy, not just adapt to it.
Co-developed pathways with power-holders
Spaces where futures are negotiated alongside government, private sector and civil society actors who can act on them.
Preserving knowledge for future generations
Our Futures Literacy Labs were conducted in Gĩkũyũ, the primary language of Nyandarua County, specifically to make space for vernacular knowledge and culturally embedded foresight that English-only research often excludes.
We document traditional ecological knowledge, oral histories and indigenous farming systems as a complement to — not a substitute for — scientific data.
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Profiles & affiliations
Caroline Kuhn
School of Education, Bath Spa University, Bath, UK
Critical pedagogy, digital and open education, social justice in research methodology.
ORCID ProfileMary Warui
Awakening Futures Africa, Nairobi, Kenya
Agroecosystems, climate resilience, biodiversity incentives, value-chain analysis, rural scenario planning.
Domini Kimani
Awakening Futures Africa, Nairobi, Kenya
Wildlife management, environmental biology, indigenous knowledge systems, human ecology.
Fisayo Oyewale
UNICEF Foresight
Strategic foresight in data governance, food systems, youth engagement and AI for development.