Nicholas M. Syano is a PhD candidate at University of Nairobi undertaking Dryland Resource
Management. He has a Master of Science (MSc) degree in Natural Resources Management from the
University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point (UWSP); U.S.A.
He is a certified Permaculture teacher and a
consultant and has been practising and teaching permaculture since 2011 across Kenya and Tanzania
where he taught the first ever Permaculture Design Course (PDC) in Kiswahili. Permaculture deals
with designing sustainable systems for human settlement.
After his graduate studies in the USA,
Nicholas went back to his community where he set up a local NGO (Drylands Natural Resources Centre)
to work with his people and currently is working with 450 families (approx. 2,700 people). Nicholas
is also one of the co-founders of permaculture Research Institute-Kenya and he is currently
part-timing with the institute to develop the research program. Nicholas has extensive experience of
project management from his time at Kenya Institute of Organic Farming as well as Nyumbani Village,
where he acted as Programme Manager for seven years.
He is the founder and executive director (CEO) Drylands natural Resources Centre (DNRC). Nicholas
has Msc in Natural Resources management from UWSP and finishing his PHD in Dryland Resource
management.