Calestous Juma
Encyclopedia
Calestous Juma is an internationally recognized authority in the application of science
and technology
to sustainable development
worldwide. He is Professor of the Practice of International Development and Director of the Science, Technology and Globalization Projecthttp://bcsia.ksg.harvard.edu/global at Harvard Kennedy School. He also directs the School's Agricultural Innovation in Africa Project funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. His latest book, The New Harvest: Agricultural Innovation in Africa was published by Oxford University Press in 2011. http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/publication/20504/new_harvest.html
In recognition of his work, Juma has been elected to the Royal Society of London, the U.S.
National Academy of Sciences
, the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World (TWAS), the Royal Academy of Engineering
, the African Academy of Sciences
and the New York Academy of Sciences
. He is a member of the Kenya National Academy of Sciences. In 2007 he was listed by Kenya's Standard newspaper http://www.standardmedia.co.ke as one of Kenya's 100 most influential people.
Juma grew up on the Kenyan shores of Lake Victoria
where he obtained early education. He first worked as an elementary school teacher before becoming Africa's first science and environment journalist at Kenya's Daily Nation
newspaper. Juma later joined the Nairobi-based Environment Liaison Centre International (ELCI) as a founder and editor of trilingual quarterly magazine, Ecoforum. He later received an MSc in Science, Technology and Industrialization and a DPhil in Science and Technology Policy from the Science Policy Research Unit at the University of Sussex. He has written widely on science, technology and sustainable development and contributes to a weekly column in the Nairobi-based Business Daily.http://bdafrica.com/
’s first independent policy research institution designed to advance research on technology in development. In 1989 ACTS released a path-breaking study, Innovation and Sovereignty that led to the adoption of the Industrial Property Act in Kenya and the creation of the Kenya Industrial Property Office.
.
and directed the International Diffusion of Biotechnology Programme of the International Federation of Institutes of Advanced Studies. He continues to provide international leadership in research, training and outreach through Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. He is also advancing scholarship in this field as editor of the peer-reviewed International Journal of Technology and Globalisationhttp://www.inderscience.com/sample.php?id=104 and the International Journal of Biotechnology.http://www.inderscience.com/browse/index.php?journalID=4&year=2006&vol=8&issue=1/2
in Geneva and Montreal. Second, his research has inspired the field of biodiplomacyhttp://www.ias.unu.edu/research/biodiplomacy.cfm that focuses on interactions between biosciences and international relations.
(CBD) as documented in Biodiplomacy (ACTS, 1994). He later became Executive Secretary of the CBD where he advanced the use of scientific knowledge in conservation policy and practice.
and other international organizations on science, technology and innovation. He chairs the Global Challenges and Biotechnology of the US National Academy of Sciences and serves as co-chair of the African High-Level Panel on Modern Biotechnologyhttp://www.nepadst.org/biopanel/index.shtml of the African Union
(AU) and the New Partnership for Africa's Development
(NEPAD).
Juma led international experts in outlining ways to apply science and technology to the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals
arising from the UN Millennium Summit in the year 2000. Innovation: Applying Knowledge in Developmenthttp://www.ksg.harvard.edu/virtualbooktour/juma_05.htm (Earthscan, 2005), the report of the Task Force on Science, Technology and Innovation of the UN Millennium Projecthttp://www.unmillenniumproject.org/, was released in early 2005 and its recommendations have been adopted by development agencies and governments around the world. The report has become a standard reference against which governments assess their policies and programmes on the role of technological innovation in development.
In a successor study, Going for Growthhttp://bcsia.ksg.harvard.edu/publication.cfm?program=CORE&ctype=book&item_id=456, Professor Juma proposes that international development policy should be directed at building technical competence in developing countries rather than conventional relief activities. He argues that institutions of higher learning, especially universities, should be have a direct role in helping to solve development challenges.http://www.scidev.net/content/opinions/eng/we-need-to-reinvent-the-african-university.cfm
, the US National Academy of Engineering
, the United Nations University Institute for New Technologies in Maastricht
(The Netherlands), the World Resources Institute
in Washington, DC, the EARTH University
in Costa Rica
, the Dickey Centerhttp://www.dartmouth.edu/~dickey/ at Dartmouth College
, the Thailand National Science and Technology Development Agency http://www.nstda.or.th/index.php?lang=en and the Public Library of Science
in San Francisco. He is also a member of the editorial boards of several leading peer-reviewed journals on science, technology and innovation. He has held numerous honorary positions including the Chancellorship of the University of Guyana
.
’s knowledge base for development; the 1993 UN Global 500 Roll of Honour for Environmental Achievementhttp://www.global500.org/ for important contributions to Africa’s quest for solutions to the complex issues of biotechnology
, biodiversity
and the transfer of technology; and the 2001 Henry Shaw Medal for significant contribution to botanical research, horticulture
, conservation or the museum community.
In 2006 he delivered the Iowa State University's 6th John Pesek Colloquium on Sustainable Agriculturehttp://bcsia.ksg.harvard.edu/publication.cfm?program=CORE&ctype=paper&item_id=534 and the 2006 Hinton Lecturehttp://www.raeng.org.uk/news/publications/list/lectures/Hinton_Lecture_06.pdf of the Royal Academy of Engineering in London. In the same year he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree from the University of Sussex for outstanding contributions to the promotion of science and technology for development. He also received the honor of the Elder of the Order of the Burning Spear (EBS) from President Mwai Kibaki of Kenya in recognition of "his achievements and distinguished service to the nation". He was cited as a respected "international diplomat who has assisted governments to solve diplomatic problems".
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
and technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
to sustainable development
Sustainable development
Sustainable development is a pattern of resource use, that aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but also for generations to come...
worldwide. He is Professor of the Practice of International Development and Director of the Science, Technology and Globalization Projecthttp://bcsia.ksg.harvard.edu/global at Harvard Kennedy School. He also directs the School's Agricultural Innovation in Africa Project funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. His latest book, The New Harvest: Agricultural Innovation in Africa was published by Oxford University Press in 2011. http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/publication/20504/new_harvest.html
In recognition of his work, Juma has been elected to the Royal Society of London, the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
, the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World (TWAS), the Royal Academy of Engineering
Royal Academy of Engineering
-Overview: is the UK’s national academy of engineering. The Academy brings together the most successful and talented engineers from across the engineering sectors for a shared purpose: to advance and promote excellence in engineering....
, the African Academy of Sciences
African Academy of Sciences
The African Academy of Sciences is an Africa-wide scientists organisation. It serves firstly to honour African scientists who have become internationally renowned through their efforts in their respective fields, and secondly to encourage the development of the research and technology base...
and the New York Academy of Sciences
New York Academy of Sciences
The New York Academy of Sciences is the third oldest scientific society in the United States. An independent, non-profit organization with more than members in 140 countries, the Academy’s mission is to advance understanding of science and technology...
. He is a member of the Kenya National Academy of Sciences. In 2007 he was listed by Kenya's Standard newspaper http://www.standardmedia.co.ke as one of Kenya's 100 most influential people.
Juma grew up on the Kenyan shores of Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria is one of the African Great Lakes. The lake was named for Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, by John Hanning Speke, the first European to discover this lake....
where he obtained early education. He first worked as an elementary school teacher before becoming Africa's first science and environment journalist at Kenya's Daily Nation
Daily Nation
The Daily Nation is a Kenyan independent newspaper. It is the most influential newspaper in Kenya with a daily circulation of about 205,000 copies. The total readership is likely to be higher as each copy is read by a large number of people...
newspaper. Juma later joined the Nairobi-based Environment Liaison Centre International (ELCI) as a founder and editor of trilingual quarterly magazine, Ecoforum. He later received an MSc in Science, Technology and Industrialization and a DPhil in Science and Technology Policy from the Science Policy Research Unit at the University of Sussex. He has written widely on science, technology and sustainable development and contributes to a weekly column in the Nairobi-based Business Daily.http://bdafrica.com/
Leadership
In 1988, Professor Juma founded the African Centre for Technology Studieshttp://www.acts.or.ke/ (ACTS), AfricaAfrica
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
’s first independent policy research institution designed to advance research on technology in development. In 1989 ACTS released a path-breaking study, Innovation and Sovereignty that led to the adoption of the Industrial Property Act in Kenya and the creation of the Kenya Industrial Property Office.
Policy research
His continuing original work focuses on analyzing the dynamics of evolutionary technological change and applying the results in advancing science and technology policy research; providing high-level science and technology advice; and promoting biodiversity conservation.Technological innovation
Juma has made significant contributions to understanding the dynamic role of technological innovation in economic transformation in developing countries. He developed the concept of “evolutionary technological change” to explain how socio-economic environments shape the adoption and diffusion of new technologies. This approach was elaborated in his early works such as Long-Run Economics (Pinter, 1987) and The Gene Hunters (Princeton and Zed, 1989) and remains central to theoretical and practical work. Juma’s contributions to science and technology policy have focused on the role of technological innovation in sustainable developmentSustainable development
Sustainable development is a pattern of resource use, that aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but also for generations to come...
.
Biotechnology
He has established himself as a world leader in policy research on biotechnologyBiotechnology
Biotechnology is a field of applied biology that involves the use of living organisms and bioprocesses in engineering, technology, medicine and other fields requiring bioproducts. Biotechnology also utilizes these products for manufacturing purpose...
and directed the International Diffusion of Biotechnology Programme of the International Federation of Institutes of Advanced Studies. He continues to provide international leadership in research, training and outreach through Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. He is also advancing scholarship in this field as editor of the peer-reviewed International Journal of Technology and Globalisationhttp://www.inderscience.com/sample.php?id=104 and the International Journal of Biotechnology.http://www.inderscience.com/browse/index.php?journalID=4&year=2006&vol=8&issue=1/2
Biological diversity
Juma has contributed to biodiversity conservation in two ways. First, he has helped to shape global conservation programmes during his tenure as the first permanent Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological DiversityConvention on Biological Diversity
The Convention on Biological Diversity , known informally as the Biodiversity Convention, is an international legally binding treaty...
in Geneva and Montreal. Second, his research has inspired the field of biodiplomacyhttp://www.ias.unu.edu/research/biodiplomacy.cfm that focuses on interactions between biosciences and international relations.
Property rights
Juma’s research has helped to improve understanding on the role of property rights in conservation under the rubric of “ecological jurisprudence” as outlined in the volume, In Land We Trust (Zed, 1996). His work guided international negotiations on the United Nations Convention on Biological DiversityConvention on Biological Diversity
The Convention on Biological Diversity , known informally as the Biodiversity Convention, is an international legally binding treaty...
(CBD) as documented in Biodiplomacy (ACTS, 1994). He later became Executive Secretary of the CBD where he advanced the use of scientific knowledge in conservation policy and practice.
Teaching
Juma teaches graduate courses on the role of science, technology and innovation in development policy.http://www.ksg.harvard.edu/programs/mpaid/ The first course focuses on the role of technological innovation in economic growth with emphasis on emerging regions of the world.http://ksgaccman.harvard.edu/courses/course.aspx?number=PED-153 The second course examines the policy implications of the introduction of new biotechnology products in the global economy (covering health, agriculture, industry and environment).http://ksgaccman.harvard.edu/courses/course.aspx?number=PED-118 He also teaches an executive course for senior policy makers and practitioners.The Science, Technology and Innovation Policy (STIP) program runs annually to provide high-level leaders from government, academia, industry, and civil society with an opportunity to learn how to integrate science and technology into a national development policy.http://ksgexecprogram.harvard.edu/program/sti/overview.aspxPolicy advice
Juma continues to provide high-level policy advice to governments, the United NationsUnited Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
and other international organizations on science, technology and innovation. He chairs the Global Challenges and Biotechnology of the US National Academy of Sciences and serves as co-chair of the African High-Level Panel on Modern Biotechnologyhttp://www.nepadst.org/biopanel/index.shtml of the African Union
African Union
The African Union is a union consisting of 54 African states. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established on 9 July 2002, the AU was formed as a successor to the Organisation of African Unity...
(AU) and the New Partnership for Africa's Development
New Partnership for Africa's Development
The New Partnership for Africa's Development is an economic development program of the African Union. NEPAD was adopted at the 37th session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government in July 2001 in Lusaka, Zambia...
(NEPAD).
Juma led international experts in outlining ways to apply science and technology to the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals
Millennium Development Goals
The Millennium Development Goals are eight international development goals that all 193 United Nations member states and at least 23 international organizations have agreed to achieve by the year 2015...
arising from the UN Millennium Summit in the year 2000. Innovation: Applying Knowledge in Developmenthttp://www.ksg.harvard.edu/virtualbooktour/juma_05.htm (Earthscan, 2005), the report of the Task Force on Science, Technology and Innovation of the UN Millennium Projecthttp://www.unmillenniumproject.org/, was released in early 2005 and its recommendations have been adopted by development agencies and governments around the world. The report has become a standard reference against which governments assess their policies and programmes on the role of technological innovation in development.
In a successor study, Going for Growthhttp://bcsia.ksg.harvard.edu/publication.cfm?program=CORE&ctype=book&item_id=456, Professor Juma proposes that international development policy should be directed at building technical competence in developing countries rather than conventional relief activities. He argues that institutions of higher learning, especially universities, should be have a direct role in helping to solve development challenges.http://www.scidev.net/content/opinions/eng/we-need-to-reinvent-the-african-university.cfm
Boards and committees
Juma is member of the Kenyan President's National Economic and Social Council. He has served or serves on the boards and committees of numerous organizations including the U.S. National Academy of SciencesUnited States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
, the US National Academy of Engineering
National Academy of Engineering
The National Academy of Engineering is a government-created non-profit institution in the United States, that was founded in 1964 under the same congressional act that led to the founding of the National Academy of Sciences...
, the United Nations University Institute for New Technologies in Maastricht
Maastricht
Maastricht is situated on both sides of the Meuse river in the south-eastern part of the Netherlands, on the Belgian border and near the German border...
(The Netherlands), the World Resources Institute
World Resources Institute
The World Resources Institute is an environmental think tank founded in 1982 based in Washington, D.C. in the United States.WRI is an independent, non-partisan and nonprofit organization with a staff of more than 100 scientists, economists, policy experts, business analysts, statistical analysts,...
in Washington, DC, the EARTH University
EARTH University
EARTH University, located in Guácimo, Limón & EARTH University – La Flor, located in Guanacaste, Costa Rica is a private, international, non-profit university which offers an undergraduate program leading to a licenciatura degree in agricultural sciences and the rational use of natural...
in Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
, the Dickey Centerhttp://www.dartmouth.edu/~dickey/ at Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
, the Thailand National Science and Technology Development Agency http://www.nstda.or.th/index.php?lang=en and the Public Library of Science
Public Library of Science
The Public Library of Science is a nonprofit open-access scientific publishing project aimed at creating a library of open access journals and other scientific literature under an open content license...
in San Francisco. He is also a member of the editorial boards of several leading peer-reviewed journals on science, technology and innovation. He has held numerous honorary positions including the Chancellorship of the University of Guyana
University of Guyana
The University of Guyana, in Georgetown, Guyana is a public university established in 1963 by the Guyanese government.-History:Cheddi Jagan, then Premier of British Guiana considered that the University of the West Indies, to which his government had contributed since 1948, was not meeting the...
.
Honors and awards
Juma received the 1991 Pew Scholars Awardhttp://www.pewmarine.org/index.php in Conservation and the Environment for dedication in preserving global biodiversity; the 1992 Rweyemamu Prize for broadening AfricaAfrica
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
’s knowledge base for development; the 1993 UN Global 500 Roll of Honour for Environmental Achievementhttp://www.global500.org/ for important contributions to Africa’s quest for solutions to the complex issues of biotechnology
Biotechnology
Biotechnology is a field of applied biology that involves the use of living organisms and bioprocesses in engineering, technology, medicine and other fields requiring bioproducts. Biotechnology also utilizes these products for manufacturing purpose...
, biodiversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
and the transfer of technology; and the 2001 Henry Shaw Medal for significant contribution to botanical research, horticulture
Horticulture
Horticulture is the industry and science of plant cultivation including the process of preparing soil for the planting of seeds, tubers, or cuttings. Horticulturists work and conduct research in the disciplines of plant propagation and cultivation, crop production, plant breeding and genetic...
, conservation or the museum community.
In 2006 he delivered the Iowa State University's 6th John Pesek Colloquium on Sustainable Agriculturehttp://bcsia.ksg.harvard.edu/publication.cfm?program=CORE&ctype=paper&item_id=534 and the 2006 Hinton Lecturehttp://www.raeng.org.uk/news/publications/list/lectures/Hinton_Lecture_06.pdf of the Royal Academy of Engineering in London. In the same year he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree from the University of Sussex for outstanding contributions to the promotion of science and technology for development. He also received the honor of the Elder of the Order of the Burning Spear (EBS) from President Mwai Kibaki of Kenya in recognition of "his achievements and distinguished service to the nation". He was cited as a respected "international diplomat who has assisted governments to solve diplomatic problems".
Selected publications
- 2011. The New Harvest: Agricultural Innovation in Africa. Oxford University Press, New York. http://www.oup.com/us/catalog/general/subject/Politics/AmericanPolitics/ScienceTechnologyEnvironmentalPo/?view=usa&ci=9780199783199
- 2007. Freedom to Innovate: Biotechnology in Africa’s Development. Report of the High-Level African Panel on Modern Biotechnology. African Union, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (with Ismail Serageldin) http://www.belfercenter.org/publication/17382/freedom_to_innovate.html
- 2007. Science and Innovation in Africa: New Strategies for Economic Growth. Special Issue of the International Journal of Technology and Globalisation, Vol. 2, No. 3/4. http://www.inderscience.com/browse/index.php?journalID=104&year=2006&vol=2&issue=3/4
- 2006. Redesigning African Economies: The Role of Engineering in International Development. 2006 Hinton Lecture, Royal Academy of Engineering, London.http://bcsia.ksg.harvard.edu/publication.cfm?program=STPP&ctype=paper&item_id=548&gma=27
- 2006. Lost Crops of Africa: Volume II, Vegetables. National Academy Press, Washington, DC (Contributor to a Study of the National Research Council as committee member).http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11763.html
- 2006. Reinventing African Economies: Technological Innovation and the Sustainability Transition. 6th John Pesek Colloquium on Sustainable Agriculture, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA.http://bcsia.ksg.harvard.edu/publication.cfm?program=STPP&ctype=paper&item_id=534&gma=27
- 2005. Going for Growth: Science, Technology and Innovation in Africa. The Smith Institute, London.http://bcsia.ksg.harvard.edu/publication.cfm?program=STPP&ctype=book&item_id=456&gma=27
- 2005. Innovation: Applying Knowledge in Development. United Nations Millennium Project. Earthscan Publications (with Lee Yee-Cheong).http://www.ksg.harvard.edu/virtualbooktour/juma_05.htm
- 2002. Knowledge and Diplomacy: Science Advice in the United Nations System. National Academy Press, Washington, DC (Contributor to a Study of the National Research Council as committee member).http://www.nationalacademies.org/gateway/pga/2836.html
- 2002. Down to Earth: Geographical Information for Sustainable Development in Africa. National Academy Press, Washington, DC (Contributor to a Study of the National Research Council as committee member).http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10455.html
- 1996. In Land We Trust: Environment, Private Property and Constitutional Change. Zed Books, London and Initiatives Publishers, Nairobi (with J.B. Ojwang).
- 1995. Economic Policy Reforms and the Environment: African Experiences. United Nations Environment Programme, Geneva (with Hugh Monteith, Hartmut Krugmann, Tobias Angura, Herbert Acquay, Akino Anthony E., Philip Wandera and John Mugabe).
- 1994. Coming to Life: Biotechnology in African Economic Recovery. Acts Press Nairobi and Zed Books, London (with John Mugabe and Patricia Kameri-Mbote).
- 1994. Biodiplomacy: Genetic Resources and International Relations. Acts Press, Nairobi (with Vicente Sánchez).
- 1993. The Adaptive Economy: Economic Crisis and Technological Change. Acts Press, Nairobi (with C. Torori and C.C.M. Kirima).
- 1991. Biotechnology and Sustainable Development: Policy Options for Developing Countries. Acts Press, Nairobi (with Norman Clark).
- 1991. A Change in the Weather: African Perspectives on Climatic Change. Acts Press, Nairobi (with S.H. Ominde).
- 1989. The Gene Hunters: Biotechnology and the Scramble for Seeds. Zed Press, London and Princeton University Press.
- 1989. Innovation and Sovereignty: The Patent Debate in African Development. African Centre for Technology Studies, Nairobi (with J.B. Ojwang).
- 1989. Gaining Ground: Institutional Innovations in Land-use Management in Kenya. Acts Press, Nairobi (with Amos Kiriro).
- 1989. Biotechnological Diversity and Innovation: Conserving and Utilizing Genetic Resources in Kenya. Acts Press, Nairobi.
- 1987. Long-Run Economics: An Evolutionary Approach to Economic Growth. Pinter Publishers, London (with Norman Clark).