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This study explores the reasons behind agro-pastoralists in Baringo County, Kenya, adopting pasture development as an alternative livelihood. The research analyzes the climatic and human context, incentives, and challenges that explain the local uptake of private grass fields in the semi-arid area of Baringo. The results highlight the benefits, uses, and viability of pasture development as a sustainable livelihood option.
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Pasture development in Kenya’s dryland: An alternative livelihood among agro-pastoralists in Baringo County Sol Moure
Context More extreme dryland conditions Insecure traditional livelihoods Coping mechanisms: diversification of livelihood sources Pasture development
Pasture development • Rehabilitation of Arid Environments Trust (RAE) • Community fields (CF) & Private fields (PF) • Cost-sharing basis • Communal land • Land reclamation process: Fencing, assessment, ploughing, seeding and monitoring.
Objective ResearchQuestion Why are agro-pastoralist individuals in the Baringo basin taking on pasture development as a livelihood alternative? To analyze the climatic and human context, incentives and challenges that explain the local up-take of Private Grass Fields in the semi-arid area of Baringo, Kenya, as an alternative livelihood source.
Methodology Field research in Baringo, Kenya (May-July 2015) Quantitative data: -RAE’sPrivate Fields Monitor Reports (PFMR) from 2007 to 2010 and 2012-2013. - Data base: 38 PF owners that were monitored 93 times - Info collated, coded and transformed into Excel- sheets. Qualitative data: - 12 semi-structured interviews to PF owners & 1 interview to RAE directors. - Analysed using thematic clusters
Results & Discussion Uses, benefits and incentives Main reason to plan grass: Benefits, livestock survival, economic independence, environmental improvement Most beneficial activities: Livestock-fattening, grass seed harvesting, dry-season grazing, milk-selling Average profit per person per year: $120,917 KSh ($349,512 KSh for men and $34,045 KSh for women) Pasture development up-take +30 years +800 Privatefields + 2,000 hectaresrehabilitatedwith pasture and drought-resistanttrees 10 tonnes of indigenous dryland perennial grass seed distributed and seeded annually
Results & Discussion Challenges, pressures and livelihood viability Fences PF management Extreme climatic events & drought conditions Conflict Market unreliability
Conclusions Substantial community up-take of pasture development in Baringo Biggest incentive are the “benefits” Sustainable alternative livelihood source if managed correctly Positive and negative spillovers to consider Up-scaling an replicability