Dr. Kariũki Kĩrigia

Dr. Kariũki Kĩrigia is an Assistant Professor jointly appointed in the School of the Environment and African Studies Centre at the University of Toronto. Kariuki’s research lies at the intersection of climate change, biodiversity conservation, land governance, African indigenous knowledges, and sustainability in Africa. Kariuki works in close partnership with African indigenous organizations and African universities in pursuit of knowledge co-production for sustainable livelihoods. His publications include an edited book volume titled “‘African Potentials’ for Wildlife Conservation and Natural Resource Management: Against the Image of ‘Deficiency’ and Tyranny of ‘Fortress’”, and a recent co-authored journal article titled “Land grabbing in pastoral areas: insights from Eastern Africa”. His current book project is tentatively titled “Promises of Property: Dispossession, Displacement, and Conservation in African Indigenous Commons”. Kariuki’s past research addresses multiple SDGs and has spanned many countries including Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Ghana, the Netherlands, and Canada, focusing on food security, agriculture and agribusiness, floriculture and foreign investments in Africa, payment for ecosystem services (PES) schemes, community-led hydroelectricity projects, technical and vocational education and training (TVET), microfinance in rural Kenya, land and water governance, and climate anxiety among youth.