About PELUM Association

About PELUM Association

What is PELUM Association?

Participatory Ecological Land Use Management (PELUM) Association is a network of Civil Society Organizations / NGOs working with Small-scale farmers in East, central and Southern Africa. The Association membership has grown from 25 pioneer members (in 1995) to over 250 members in 2014.  PELUM- Kenya is the Kenyan country chapter of the PELUM Association and has a membership of 57 member organizations.

Where Does PELUM Operate?

PELUM Association operates in 12 countries of East, Central and Southern Africa:

a. Eastern Africa            Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania,Ethiopia and Rwanda;

b. Central Africa            Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi;

c. Southern Africa        South Africa, Lesotho , Swaziland and Botswana

What Does PELUM Association Do?

  1. Promotes Participatory Ecological Land Use, Management practices in the East, Central and Southern region.
  2. Builds the capacity of members and partners to respond appropriately to community needs as they work to empower the communities they work with.
  3. Increases the visibility of the Small-scale farmers.
  4. Promotes sharing of information of development experiences, innovations, and best practices.
  5. Strengthens linkages and collaboration through action learning among partners and members.
  6. Lobbies (directly) for change and formulation of policies in favor of Small scale farmers.
  7. Promotes Seed Security and hence food security among small-scale farmers.
  8. Promotes the use of indigenous food Programme
  9. Promotes the mainstreaming of the Gender and HIV / AIDS in Agriculture Development Programme.
  10. Offers Consultancy

PELUM Association Vision

Empowered and prosperous communities deriving their livelihoods from sustainable land use.

PELUM Association Mission

To promote participatory ecological land use management practices for improved livelihoods among smallholder farmers and pastoralists in Kenya.

The Values of PELUM Association

  • Innovativeness and Creativity
  • Equity and Justice
  • Gender Sensitivity
  • Transparency and Accountability
  • Commitment to partnership and action for result and impact

PELUM-Association structure

Country Working Group (CWG)

The members in a country are called the Country Working Group. Presently PELUM-Kenya has 44 members of its CWG in 19 out of 47 counties in Kenya.

Country (National) Board

This is an advisory / governance body of PELUM at the Country level. PELUM-Kenya has a National Board of 8 including the Country Coordinator, who is the Secretary to the Boards and is also non-voting.

Country Secretariat (Offices)

This is where the activities of PELUM Association are coordinated at the Country level. The Country Secretariat for PELUM in Kenya is based in Thika. The head of the Country Secretariat is called a Country Coordinator and is also the CEO for PELUM Association in that Country.  Presently PELUM-Kenya Country Secretariat (Office) has 13 full time staff members.

The Regional Secretariat

This is where the activities of PELUM Association are coordinated at the regional level. The head of the Regional Secretariat is called a Secretary General. PELUM regional Secretariat is located in Lusaka, Zambia.

The Regional Board (made of Country Board Chairpersons)

The Country Board Chairpersons of the countries where PELUM-Kenya is operating make up the regional Board. They Country Board Chairpersons are also the Country Representatives for their respective Countries.

Triennial General Meeting (TGM)

This is the highest body of PELUM and meetings after every three years. The first TGM was held for PELUM was held in Kabwe, Zambia. The most recent TGM was held in Morogoro, Tanzania in 2008 and the last one was held in Lesotho in 2011.