June 2026 was a vibrant and inspiring month at the Aga Khan University's Arusha Climate and Environmental Research Centre (AKU-ACER). The Centre advanced its mission through international collaborations, field research, experiential learning, scientific conferences and scholarly publications. These activities strengthened its role as a living laboratory, generating practical solutions to climate change, environmental sustainability and community resilience.
The month kicked off on June 5 with World Environment Day(#NowForClimate). Representing AKU-ACER, ICT Support Technician Kelvin Mwatusi won first place in AKU's global Climate Photography Exhibition, championing environmental advocacy through visual storytelling. The same day, the Arusha Principal Campus hosted an environmental walk-through featuring a tree nursery, regenerative agriculture demonstration plots, the AKU Forest, and the herbal garden to showcase biodiversity conservation.
Dr Emmanuel Sulle, Assistant Professor and Director of AKU-ACER, elevated the Centre's visibility at two major conferences. From June 8 to 11, he served as a panelist at the Institute for Human Development (IHD) International Conference in Nairobi, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration. Later, on June 22 and 23, he presented Living Lab Insights for Climate Resilience at the 5th Utafiti Elimu Tanzania Conference in Arusha, sparking immense interest in AKU-ACER's community engagement model.
Between June 16 and 27, Dr Sulle and AKU-ACER researcher Dr Happiness Moshi partnered with Dr Sandro Simon (University of Cologne) and Cyriaque Hakizimana (University of the Western Cape). As part of the Medium-Scale Farmers in Rural Africa project, the team interviewed onion farmers in Mang'ola, Karatu District, gathering data to support climate-resilient food systems and understand rural land-use dynamics.
AKU-ACER remains committed to experiential learning. On June 18, four Faculty of Arts and Sciences students, Enzhar Hafeez Malik, Aquasa Anwerali Morani, Yasir Rauf and Ammara Karim, began a six-week internship focusing on primary data collection and community engagement in northern Tanzania.
Shortly after June 21, the Centre hosted a 10-day field school for 22 School of Nursing and Midwifery (SONAM) students. Accompanied by faculty member Dr Mary Lyimo, and AKU Tanzania staff Janeth Zenze and Peter Mangi, the students conducted community health screenings in Ilkiushini and Arkaria villages. They also established an on-campus herbal medicinal garden, bridging the gap between biodiversity and human health.
On the publication front, the Centre continued building its global profile. Dr Bashir Adelodun co-authored a review of rainfall-runoff models in Acta Geophysica and partnered with Dr Emmanuel Sulle on a FiTCON 2026 conference paper about land-based learning for sustainable food systems. Dr Emmanuel Sulle also contributed to a study in Smart Agricultural Technology introducing Lite Weed, an affordable edge-AI robotic platform designed for laser weed management in resource-limited farming settings.
