Dr. Harry Spaling - Research Interests

Participation and learning in community-based approaches to sustainable livelihoods in Sub-Saharan Africa  

Development projects that rely directly on natural resources for meeting basic human needs of clean water, food, shelter and livelihood must be environmentally sustainable for continued benefits.  This research examines the potential for enhancing environmental sustainability through people-centered, community-based approaches to sustainable resource management of rural livelihoods and development projects in Kenya.  Livelihoods dependent on agriculture, forests or artisanal fisheries and community projects such as water supply are studied to identify how participation in local resource management can enhance sustainability and alleviate poverty.  An assumption of the research is that participation contributes to learning about sustainability and that this learning can help advance sustainable likelihoods and community projects.  The research examines what participants learn about sustainability and how this learning occurs.  Findings so far confirm that participation does contribute to learning about sustainability in various ways, most often as instrumental learning (e.g., planting trees), sometimes as communicative learning (e.g., value of biodiversity) and occasionally as transformational learning (e.g., sustainability as a new paradigm for local resource management).  Findings should help advance the sustainability movement in Sub-Saharan Africa where it is urgently needed for sustained livelihoods and community projects.  Results should provide guidance to Canadian development NGOs seeking to ensure sustained benefits from their humanitarian aid initiatives.  Kenya should benefit from increased capacity for local resource management through community training.  Another goal of this research is to build knowledge and skills for undergraduate, Masters and PhD students. As members of the research team, students carry out literature reviews, conduct field work in Kenya and present their findings in various forums (theses, conferences, publications). Co-investigators for this project are Dr. John Sinclair (University of Manitoba) and Dr. Jesse Njoka (University of Nairobi). The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada provides financial support for this research.

Examples of recent research contributions from students include:

Heidi Walker, Community participation in Strategic Environmental Assessment: An exploration of learning outcomes in Kenya. MNRM candidate, Natural Resources Institute, University of Manitoba, 2010-present.   

Joanne Moyer, Learning, Faith, and Sustainability in Kenya: Considering the Work of Religious Non-Governmental Organizations. Ph.D. candidate, Natural Resources Institute, University of Manitoba, 2009-present.

Sheila Omom, The impact of HIV/AIDS on artisanal fishery practices and management: Lake Victoria, Kenya. MNRM thesis, Natural Resources Institute, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg. 2007-2009.

Jesse Montes, Community environmental assessment in rural Kenya: decision making for the future. MNRM thesis, Natural Resources Institute, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg. 2006-08

Susan Collins. Transformative learning through community conservation: a case study of the Arabuko-Sokoke schools and eco-tourism scheme, Kenya. MNRM thesis. Natural Resources Institute, University of Manitoba. 2005-08.


To learn more about graduate programs and research opportunities at the Natural Resources Institute, visit: http://umanitoba.ca/institutes/natural_resources/

Community-based environmental assessment of NGO development projects

This ongoing project involves applications of, and training in, community-based environmental assessment for various Canadian non-governmental development agencies. The focus is on applying a participatory environmental assessment process and tools to small community projects, especially water supply and food security initiatives (agriculture, irrigation). Project applications and training have been conducted for the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee, World Relief Canada and World Vision Canada in Bangladesh, China, Ethiopia, Ghana, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Malawi, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Uganda, Vietnam and Zambia.

Environmental assessment after the tsunami  (completed)

This research explored the role and contributions of environmental assessment (EA) in assessing and managing the impacts of humanitarian aid projects carried out after the 2004 Southeast Asia tsunami. It focused on community-based EA of small, village-level rehabilitation and reconstruction projects typically implemented by NGOs for long term recovery. A case study of housing reconstruction in Indonesia showed that community EA can provide timely information for protecting water supply and reducing risk of slope movement, and that community participation can provide useful input for site planning, rehabilitating farmland and securing land title for women-headed households. These contributions are useful for sustainable project design, local resource management, and facilitating the transition from temporary to permanent housing. King’s alum Brian Vroom (BSc ENVS 2002) joined Dr. Harry Spaling for this research and co-authored publication.

Improving the assessment of cumulative environmental effects in Canada (completed)

Phase one of this research evaluated the effectiveness of cumulative effects assessment in 10 projects selected from across Canada. Phase two studied regional management of cumulative effects for oil sands development in Northeast Alberta. See publications below for results. This research project was carried out with Dr. William Ross and graduate students in the Faculty of Environmental Design, University of Calgary, and undergraduate students at The King’s University College. The Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada funded this research.

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