Manual Local Innovations

7/28/2019 Manual Local Innovations

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/manual-local-innovations 1/36

German Instute for Tropical and Subtropical Agriculture (DITSL) at the Faculty of Organic Agricultural Sciences of the University of Kassel

Idenfying local innovaons in pastoral areas

in Marsabit County, Kenya

by Brigie Kaufmann, William Nelson, Raphael Gudere, Vince Canger, David Golicha,

Markus Frank, Hassan Roba, Okeyo Mwai and Chrisan Hülsebusch

funded by GIZ on behalf of the German Federal Ministry

for Economic Cooperaon and Development (BMZ)



Kaufmann, B., Nelson, W., Gudere, R., Canger, V., Golicha, D., Frank, M., Roba, H., Mwai, O. and

Hülsebusch, C.: Idenfying local innovaons in pastoral areas in Marsabit County, Kenya.

German Instute for Tropical and Subtropical Agriculture (DITSL), Witzenhausen, Germany, 2012

ISBN: 978-3-9801686-9-4

Published by

German Instute for Tropical and Subtropical Agriculture

DITSL GmbH, Witzenhausen, 2012

Steinstrasse 19 | 37213 Witzenhausen | Germany

Phone: +49 5542 607 29 | Fax: +49 5542 607 39

email: [email protected] | Internet: www.ditsl.org

Printed by: Print Tex online UG, 37215 Witzenhausen

Layout: Asja Ebinghaus

Cover picture: Chrisan Hülsebusch



Contents

List o Acronyms .............................................................................................................1

Foreword .........................................................................................................................2

1 Introduction ................................................................................................................32 Background Inormation ...........................................................................................4

2.1 Pastoral production in Marsabit County ...........................................................4

2.2 Current challenges to pastoralist households ...................................................5

2.3 Identifcation and documentation o local innovations ...................................6

3 Methods used in identiying local innovations in Marsabit County ......................8

3.1 Project location ...................................................................................................8

3.2 Methods used to identiy innovations ..............................................................94 Refections on the methods used to identiy innovations ..................................12

5 Knowledge Exchange Sessions ..............................................................................13

6 Local innovations used or KnowlEX-Sessions ......................................................15

6.1 DHEDA Resource Management CBO ...............................................................15

6.2 Farakoren Ramati Livestock Marketing CBO...................................................18

6.3 Chain-link Boma Fence .....................................................................................22

6.4 Namarai Partitioned Cordia Boma ...................................................................25

6.5 Ngurunit Grass Garden .....................................................................................28

7 Bibliography .............................................................................................................31



1

BMZ BundesministeriumfürwirtschalicheZusammenarbeitundEntwicklung/Federal

MinistryforEconomicCooperaonandDevelopment

CBO CommunityBasedOrganisaon

DITSL GermanInstuteforTropicalandSubtropicalAgriculture

EMC EnvironmentalManagementCommiee

ILRI InternaonalLivestockResearchInstute

KARI KenyaAgriculturalResearchInstute

KBC KenyaBroadcasngCorporaon

WHH Welthungerhilfe(NGO,GermanAgroAcon)

List of Acronyms



2

Foreword

The research was conducted under the project “Mutual learning of livestock keepers and sciensts for ad -

aptaon to climate change in pastoral areas” funded by GIZ on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic

Cooperaon and Development (BMZ), whose support is gratefully acknowledged. It was carried out by the

German Instute for Tropical and Subtropical Agriculture (DITSL) in collaboraon with the Internaonal Livestock Research Instute (ILRI), and the Kenya Agricultural Research Instute (KARI). Lead sciensts

were: Brigie Kaufmann and Chrisan Hülsebusch (DITSL), Mwai Okeyo (ILRI) and Simon Kuria (KARI).

Field work was conducted by William Nelson (DITSL), Raphael Gudere (consultant, Ngurunit), Vince Canger

(DITSL), David Golicha (KARI) and Michael Ngutu (KARI).

The informaon provided in this manual could not have been compiled without the dedicaon and collabo-

raon of the Rendille, Gabra and Borana people, who contributed to the study. Our special thanks go to the

innovators, whose innovaons are presented in the manual, for their willingness to share their knowledge,

for their me, and for the eort they have taken to do so.

Comments made by Saverio Krätli on the dra are highly appreciated. All photographs are taken by William Nelson.



3

1 Introducon

Thismanualprovidesinsightintothe methodsusedandthe experiencesgainedwhileidenfyinglocal

innovaonsinpastoralareasinnorthernKenya.Ittargetsawideraudience,rangingfrommulplierswor-

kingwithpastoral communies,developmentprofessionals,and decisionmakerstostudentsand aca-

demicscholarsfocusingontheeldofinnovaonsandtheirgeneraonanddiusion.Itisintendedasasourcebookforboth,peopleinterestedinthetopicof“localinnovaonsinpastoralareasandtheiriden -

caonanddocumentaon”andforthoseinterestedinthespeciclocalinnovaonsthatwereidened

inMarsabitCountyassuch.

Wewouldliketopromotetheidencaonoflocalinnovaonsasone possibleboom-upstrategyto

learnaboutandtospreadinnovaonsinpastoralareas.Manytop-downapproachesthataimedatintro-

ducinginnovaonsfromoutsidehavefailed,becausetheyhaveunderesmatedthecontext-specicityof

pastoralproducon.Westartoutfromthepointofviewthatanyinnovaonneedstotintotherespec -

velocalproduconprocesses,whichareconstrainedbyacombinaonofparcularandspecicenviron-

mental,socio-culturalandeconomiccondions.

Localinnovaons–i.e. innovaonsdeveloped bylocalfarmers orpastoraliststhemselvesof theirown

accord-respondtoaproblemsituaonexperiencedbytherespecveinnovators.Spreadinglocalinno -

vaonswithinthesengofpastoralist-to-pastoralistexchangemeengsgreatlyfacilitateslearningabout

whyandhowinnovaonsweredeveloped,howtheytintotherespecveproduconsystemandwhat

thespeciccharacteriscsofinnovaonsarethatrenderthemeitherbenecialornot.Theseexchange

meengshaveovertherecentdecadesprovenapromisingapproachtofacilitatethelearningoffarmers

toimprovetheirproduconandlivelihoodsystems(VanVeldhuizenetal1997).

ThismanualisbasedoneldworkcarriedoutamongtheRendille,GabraandBoranpastoralcommunies

inMarsabitCountyinnorthernKenya.Asinnovaonsarespecictotherespecveproduconsystem,the

innovaonspresentedherearespecictocertainareasinMarsabitCounty,hencenotevenKenyaasastate.Thereforegeneralisaonscanonlybemadeasfarastheprocessoftheidencaonandspreadof

localinnovaonsisconcernedbutnotforthespecicinnovaonsandtheirsuitabilityassuch.

Thismanualisstructuredasfollows:InthechapterBackgroundInformaon,wegiveanintroduconto

pastoralproduconinMarsabitCountyandwesummarisethemajorchallengespresentedbythepasto-

ralistsastheinnovaondrivers.Thisseconiskeptrathershort,onlyemphasisingtheaspectsrelevant

forunderstanding theinnovaonsdescribedlater. Somebackgroundinformaon onthemethodology

ofidencaonanddocumentaonoflocalinnovaonsisalsogiveninthischapter.Inthenextchapter

wedescribeinmoredetailthemethodsusedinthisprojecttoidenfyinnovaonsandwereectonthe

methodologyandtheexperiencesmade.Inthesecondpartofthemanualwepresentthevelocalin-

novaonsthatweresharedinpastoralist-to-pastoralistexchangemeengs.Weconsideritimportantthat

theinnovaonsarepresentedfromtheinnovator’spointofview.

Introduction



4Background Inormation

2 Background Informaon

2.1 Pastoral producon in Marsabit County

Dierentdenionsofpastoralismexistandsoguresonthenumberofpeopleengagedinpastoralism

varywidelyfrom20millionpastoralhouseholdsworldwide(Blench2001)to268millionpastoralpeople

forAfricaalone(AfricanUnionPolicyFrameworkforPastoralisminAfrica2010).Thisdependslargely

onhowpastoralismisdened.Pastoralsystemsaregrasslandbasedproduconsystems.Thelaerare

denedasproduconsystems,inwhichmorethan90%ofthehouseholdincomeresultsfromlivestock

produconandmorethan90%ofthefodderforthelivestockcomesfromnaturalrangelandvegetaon

(SeréandSteinfeld,1996).Swietal.(1981)classiedpastoralismasproduconsysteminwhichmore

than50%ofgrossrevenue(thevalueofsubsistenceplusmarketedproducon)wasdirectlyderivedfrom

livestockorlivestock-relatedacvies.Thesamedegreeofdependenceonlivestockproduconisused

byRass(2006),whoregardspastoralistsasmobilelivestockherdersoperangindrylandsoncommunal

landwithalargerthan50%shareofagriculturalincomefromlivestock.Livestocknotonlycontributes

toincomethroughthesaleofliveanimals,carcasses,meat,hides,skins,andmilk,butlivestockproducts

contributedirectlytohouseholdnutrion,suchasmilk,meatandinthecaseofnorthernKenyaalsoblood

thatisregularlydrainedfromtheanimalsforhumanconsumpon.

Pastoralistsuserangelandresourcesincludingvegetaon,water,andminerals,whoseavailabilityishighly

variablebothinspaceandme.Throughthefollowing,ashortoverviewisgivenontherangelandcondi-

onsofMarsabitCounty.Adetailedaccountonclimate,vegetaonandresourceavailabilityforMarsabit

County is providedby theRange Management HandbookforMarsabitDistrict(Schwartz et al.,1991)

andtheTechnicalReportsproducedbytheIntegratedProjectonAridLandsIPALduringthe1980ies.The

rangelandsinMarsabitCountyfallwithinthearidandsemi-aridclimatezone.Theaverageannualrainfall

is200–300mminthelowlandsandupto700mmonthemountainslopes.Rainfallisseasonalandisbi-

modallydistributedwith(theorecally)tworainyseasonsperyear.However,frequentfailuresoccurpar -cularlyinthelowlandswherethereliabilityofrainfall(bothintermsofamountandlengthofrainyseason)

islowandtheriskofprolongeddroughtsishigh.Itispartoftheclimacvariabilitythatcharacterizesthe

system.InnorthernKenya,droughtsusedtooccuronaverageeveryveyears.Schwartzetal.(1991)have

publisheddetailedmapsonrainfallreliabilityforthelongandtheshortrainyseasoninMarsabit.

Mostofthelandisnotsuitableforcroppingmainlyduetothelowrainfall,butalsobecauseofedaphic

reasons.Soilsinthelowlandsandtheuplandplateausarepredominantlydeepandsandywithgravel

areaswithmoderateinltraoncapacityandlowtoveryloworganicmaerinthetopsoil.Onslopesand

mountainssoilsarerockierandhaveamoderatelyhigherclaycontent.Thelandscapeis coveredbyfo-

restandwoodlandonthemountain-tops,perennialgrasslandanddeciduousbushandshrub-landinthe

higherelevaonsandbushedgrasslandanddwarfshrub-landwithsparseperennialshrubsandmostly

annualsgrassesandherbsinthelowlands.Considerablepartsofthelowlandsarebarren.Therangeland

isnotuniformbutconsistsofdierentrangelandpatches.Duetohighaveragetemperatures,theevapo-

transpiraoncanreach3000mmperyear,therebycausinganoverallmoisturedecitforthebeerpart

oftheyear.Schwartzetal.(1991)calculatedveryshort(<34days)andepisodic(lessthan50%ofallrainy

seasonspermitgrowth)growingperiodsforthelowlands,andgrowingperiodsofupto114daysonlyin

thehigherelevaons.Sll,longergrowingperiodsoccuronlyontheverytopsofthemountains.Based

onthisclimacinformaontogetherwithavegetaonassessment,theyhaveclassied23dierentrange

unitsaccordingtobiomassproduconofdierentvegetaonlayersinresponsetothelongandtheshort

rainyseason.

Maritz(2004)andGolicha(2011)foundthatpastoraliststhemselvesdierenaterangelandpatchesac -

cordingtoanumberofcriteriathatconcerntypesofsoilandvegetaonbutalsotheirsuitabilityforgra-



5 Background Inormation

zingofacertainlivestockspeciesatagivenpointinme.Thelocaonofthedierentunitsiscommon

knowledgewithinthecommunityso theunitscanbedelineateona geographicalmapforoutsidersto

learnabouttheirlocaon.Herdersfollowacertaingrazinginerarydependingonthecharacteriscsof

theunitsandthecurrentrainfallsituaon.Thustheymakeuseofthehightemporalandspaalhetero -

geneityinquantyandqualityofthevegetaongrowingonthedierentunitsthroughoutthecourseof

theyear.Toexploitthisheterogeneityinfodderresourceavailabilityandquality,livestockherdsaremobi -

le,i.e.theyaretakenbytheherderstothedierentrangelandpatchesinorder“tofollowtheforage”on

ayearroundbasis,whilethecorehouseholdsarenowadaysmostlysedentary.

Mobilepastoralproduconsystemsarecharacterizedbyseveralstrategiesthatallowthesystemstomain -

tainitsfuncon(i.e.providelivelihoodtothepastoralhouseholdthroughincomeandanimalproducts),

despitetheunevenforagedistribuonanduncertaintyofrainfall.Theprincipalstrategyistomatchforage

requirementsofthedierenthouseholdherdlivestockspecieswiththeforageonoerinthedierent

grazingunits.Thisisdoneduringthecourseofayearthroughanextendedgrazinginerary.Heterogeneity

andmobilityarethusthetwoparamountcharacteriscsofpastoralsystemswiththelaerbeingemplo-

yedtoexploretheformer(seealsoKrätlietal.2013foramoredetaileddescriponofthesystem’sme -

chanisms).Therearehoweverincreasinglimitaonstoherdmobility,andthereforetheabilitytoproduceunderhighclimatevariability.

Theanimalsbelongingtoonehouseholdareusuallykeptintwodierentherds,thesocalledsatellite

herd,whichcomprisesthemajorityofanimals,andthesocalledhome-basedherd,thatconsistsoflacta-

nganimalsandtheircalvestoprovidemilktothehouseholdeitherforconsumponorsale.Thesatellite

herdspendsmostoftheyearinfar-awaygrazingareasinordertomakeuseoftheheterogeneouspasture

vegetaon.Thehouseholddoesusuallynothaveaccesstothisherdotherthanduringceremonieswhen

thesatelliteherdscomehome.Atthisme,animalscanbeswappedbetweenthesatelliteandthehome-

basedherd,forinstance,whenlactaonceasesorthecondionoftheanimalsdeteriorates.Themilk

producedinthesatelliteherdishenceusuallynotavailabletothemainhouseholdbutprovidesforthe

herdersmovingwiththeherdsandforraisingtheyoungstock.

2.2 Current challenges to pastoralist households

PastoralcommunieslivingwithinthestudyareaareRendille,GabraandBorana.Previouslylivestock

keeperswerehighlymobilemovingwiththeirlivestockandtheenrehouseholdintheendeavourto

drivetheirlivestocktopastures.Householdsofthedierentcommunieshavenowbecomesedentaryto

varyingdegreesoverthepastdecades(sincethe1960s).Selementshavesprunguparoundwaterpoints

andinfrastructure(schools,missionstaons,churches,dispensaries,hospitals/medicalstaons,shops),

whichwasdevelopedmostlybyoutsiders.Thepastoralhouseholds,sllearningtheirlivelihoodsfroma

livestock-basedeconomy,haveseled.However,theirmainlivestockresources,i.e.thoseanimalskeptin

thesatelliteherd,aresllmobile.

Themainhouseholdsliveintradional“manyaaselements”dispersedwithinapprox.1-15kmradius

aroundtheselements(smalltowns).Amanyaaconsistsofseveralhouseholdsusuallybelongingtothe

sameclan.Thesizeofthemanayaasvariesdependingonthepastoralcommunityfromafewhouseholds

only(ascanbethecasewithGabra)upto100households(ascanbethecasewithRendille).Today,most

manyaasaresituatedaroundtheselements.

ThemajorchallengesexpressedbypastoraliststakingpartinthecurrentstudyinMarsabitCountywere:

a) thechangeinrainfallpaernandtheincreasedfrequencyandseverityofdroughtsinthepastdeca-

de,and

b) theincreasedsedentarisaonofthehouseholdsthathasledtotheconcentraonofhumanand

livestockpopulaonsaroundselementareas.Thishasaectedtheavailabilityofpastureresources,

especiallyofthosethatareaccessibleforthehome-basedherds.



6Background Inormation

Withtheincreasingconcentraonofhumanpopulaonaroundtheseledareasthecondionsforkee -

pinghome-basedherdshavefurtherdeteriorated.Thishasanegaveimpactonthehouseholds’ability

toproducemilkbothforself-consumponandforsale.Thishoweverincreasestheirhouseholdexpenses

forpurchasingfood-stufromtheshopsandatthesamemereducestheirdailycashincomefrommilk

sales.Foddersupplyandsupplementaonforthehome-basedherdsduringdroughtsisthereforecrucial

formanyhouseholds.Insomeclimacallyfavouredareas,suchasNgurunittownattheedgeoftheNdoto

Mountains,grass,treeleavesandwildtubersarecollectedinthemountainstosustainthehome-based

animals.Howeverthisisverylabourintensive.Inotherselements-parcularlyontheplainswhere

rainfallisconsiderablylower,themajorityofthehouseholdsnolongerkeephome-basedherdsduringthe

dryseasons.

Anotherconsequenceofthesedentarisaonofthepastoralhouseholdsandtheirconcentraonaround

afewselementsisthedepleonoftreevegetaoncover.Thornybranchesfromacaciatreesareused

forfencingthenightenclosures(kraals,bomas)forthehome-basedherds.Thefencingmaterialdegrades

fastduetohightemperaturesandtermitedamage.Asnightenclosuresareshiedfrommetomefor

sanitaryreasons,fencesneedtoberebuiltabouteverytwomonths.Thehighdemandforfencingmaterial

hasledtothedepleonoftreevegetaonaroundselements.Environmentalmanagementcommiees(EMC)have,in recentyears,enforcedby-lawsaimingto protecttreesaround theselements.Fencing

materialneedsthereforetobetransportedfromfurtheraway.Thiscanbeverylabourintensive.

Decreasingfodderavailability–parcularlyduringdryseasons–anddecreasingtreevegetaonaround

theselementsarethusbothconsequencesoftheincreasingdegreeofsedentarisaonofthehouseholds

inthelivestockbasedpastoraleconomyinMarsabit.Atthesameme,theylimitthenumberofanimals

thatthesedentarypartofthehouseholdcankeepclose-by.Poorerhouseholdsthatonlyhaveafewani-

mals(e.g.lessthan50small-stock)cannotlivefromtheirlivestockproduconaloneandtendtokeeptheir

animalsneartheselements,mostlyduetolabouravailability.Hencetheiranimalscannotprotfrom

goodpasturevegetaoninthefarawaygrazingareas.Thiseectstheirproduconandreproduconand

trapsthe alreadypoorlivestockkeepersin.Such householdsaredriventocreatenon-livestockrelatedincomeortoseekemploymentelsewhere.

2.3 Idencaon and documentaon of local innovaons

AccordingtoWeasinhaetal. (2008)theterm“localinnovaonreferstotheprocessby whichpeople

inagivenlocalitydiscoverordevelopnewandbeerwaysofdoingthings–usingthelocallyavailable

resourcesandontheirowniniave,withoutpressureordirectsupportfromformalresearchordeve -

lopmentagents”.Edquist(2001)disnguishestwodierenttypesoflocalinnovaon:processandproduct

innovaon.Thetermprocessinnovaonreferstotechnologicalinnovaonsuchasanewfarmingpracce

oranimprovementinpost-harveststorage,ortoorganizaonalinnovaonssuchascooperaonbetween

neighbouringfarmersortheorganizaonoflabour.Productinnovaonsarerelatedtonewgoodssuchas

theintegraonofnewmarketcropsoranimalproducts,andtonewservicessuchaschangesinproduct

markeng.

Learningaboutlocalinnovaonsin marginalareasisoenconstrainedbyverylimitedavailabilityofor

accesstoinformaonabouttheirexistence.Somemes,evenfarmerswithinthesamevillagedonotknow

abouttheinnovaonstheirneighboursaremakingorexperimenngwith(Gupta,2000).Onereasonfor

thisisthatfarmersarenotalwaysawarethattheyareactuallyinnovang,sinceexperimentaonispart

oftheirdailyon-farmacviesandisoennotrecognizedorseenasaconsseparatefromrounefarm

work(Richards,1989;denBiggelaar&Hart,1996).

Giventhissituaon,acoupleofprocedurestoidenfyinnovatorsandinnovaonsareproposed.Ame -

thodologypublishedbyHaileetal.(2001)proposesfourapproaches.Therstapproachisobservaonin

theeld,andparcularlypaysaenonto“everythingthatappearsunusual”.Thisalsoincludesconver-



7

saonsanddiscussionswiththefarmers,whichcangiveindicaonsofanyinnovaonthatisunderway.

Thesecondapproachistocontactkeyinformantswhomaybelocalleadersorolderinhabitantsandask

themforthenamesoffarmersinthecommunitywhoareknownaspeoplewhotryoutthings,whichhave

notbeentriedbefore,or whopraccedierenttechniques.Thethirdapproachisto“tracethehistory

ofagiveninnovaon”.Thatmeanstoaskforolder/exisnginnovaonsthathadbeenestablishedandto

idenfytheperson(s)orthegroupsofpersonsinvolvedindevelopingthem.Thefourthapproachisnally

to“idenfyfarmerswhodidnotacceptextensionpackagesasgiven”,butratherusethenewknowledge

andintegrateitintotheirownideasandfarmingpracces.

Oncelocalinnovatorsandinnovaonshavebeenidened,thenextstepistodocumentthem.Itiscom-

monlyarguedthatthemainpurposefordocumennglocalinnovaonsisthatthisenablesinformaon

sharingandexperiencesamongawiderangeofstakeholders(farmers,extensionagents,researchersand

policymakers).

Whereasthedocumentaonwasoenpreviously donebyoutsiders,of late,parcipatoryapproaches

forfarmer-leddocumentaonarebecomingmorepopular(Rüter-NoordzijandPiepenstock,2006).The

newprocessesinvolvefarmerstakingtheleadingrolesindocumenngtheirinnovaons.Dierentdocu-

mentaontoolsandarrangementsareused,dependingonthereadership/audienceofthedocumentedmaterial,theculturalcontextandonskills,fundsandequipmentavailable(Weasinhaetal.,2008).

Documennglocalinnovaonsbyandforilliteratefarmerscanrequiretheuseofvisualtoolscombined

withoralexplanaons.Thevisualandoralinformaoncanbesharedduringexchangemeengs.Forlocal

innovaonsinsmallholderagriculturalsystems,farmer-to-farmerlearningacviesandon-farmdemons -

traonshaveprovedtobesuccessfuldiusionmethods.Onecornerstoneoffarmer-to-farmerlearningis

thepossibilityofvisualsuccess.Thisismoreobviousforcropfarmersthanforlivestockkeepers,because

thevisualappearanceofplantsoreldsismoreindicaveoftheproduconsuccessthanisthecasewith

animalsorherdsinpastoralsystems.

Background Inormation



8

3.1 Project locaon

The feld-work upon which this manual is based was conducted in Marsabit County and to

some extent also in Isiolo County in Northern Kenya. The areas included are inhabited by

Rendille, Gabra and Borana pastoral groups (Figure 1).

3 Methods used in idenfying local innovaons in Marsabit County

Figure 1: Marsabit County Map adopted from OCHA (2012). Marked areas

inhabited by Rendille (red), Gabra (blue), and Boran (green) pastoral communies.

Methods used in identiying local innovations in Marsabit County



9

Attheonsetoftheeldwork,wevisitedseveralNGOocesbasedinMarsabittowninordertoexplore

whethertheyhaveknowledgeoflivestockkeeperswhohavedevelopedinnovaons.Theorganisaons

visitedincludedlocalorganisaonssuchasCommunityIniaveFacilitaonandAssistance(CIFA),aKe -

nyanNGO,andeldocesoflarger,internaonalorganisaons,suchasWorldVisionandVeterinaires

sansFroneres.Astheywerenotawareoflocalinnovaonsthevisitsmostlyledtolearningabouttheir

ownacvies.

TheareasincludedinthisstudyarelocatedinthelowlandssurroundingMarsabitMountain.Field-work

wascarriedoutintwoperiods–oneinNovemberandDecember2011andoneinMayandJune2012.The

areasandvillagesvisitedarelistedinbox1.

Pastoral

Community

Time of visits Duraon of

visit (days)

Selements visited

Rendille Nov/Dec2011 8 Kargi,Korr,Namarei,Ngurunit

Rendille May/Jun2012 7 Kargi,Korr,Logologo,Merille,Namarei,Ngurunit,

SouthHorr

Gabra Nov/Dec2011 6 Kalacha,Maikona

Gabra May/Jun2012 7 HurriHills,Kalacha,Maikona

Borana Nov/Dec2011 4 Moyale,Sololo,Turbi

Borana May/Jun2012 6 Moyale,Sololo,Turbi

Borana May/Jun2012 7 GarbaTula,Kinna,KulaMawe(allIsioloCounty)

Box 1: Pastoral communies and selements visited during two eldwork periods

3.2 Methods used to idenfy innovaons

Inordertoidenfypeoplewhohavedevelopedinnovaonsthemselves,orwhoarekeenonexperimen-

ng,weusedtwodierentmethods:“InnovaonIdencaonTour”and“CallforInnovaonsthrough

RadioBroadcast”.

3.2.1 Idencaon of innovators through “Innovaon Idencaon Tours”

Theprocessof idenfyinginnovatorsthroughthe “InnovaonIdencaonTour” consistedofthe fol-

lowingsteps:

1. Onarrivalinaselement,thelocalchief(i.e.theadministratoroftherespecveadministraveloca-

on)wasvisited • Theresearchteamintroducedthemselvesandtheproject’sobjecves

• Oncetheaimsoftheprojectwereunderstood,thechiefwasaskedwhethers/hewasawareof

anyonewhomightbeofinteresttotheproject

• Thechiefthenguidedtheresearchteamtothemanyaawhereaninnovatorcouldpotenallybe

found

2. Inthemanyaatheresearchteammetwithagroupofelders

• Theresearchteamintroducedthemselvesandtheproject’sobjecves

• Theelderswereaskedwhethertheywereawareofanyonewhomightbeofinteresttotheproject

• Elderswouldthenguidetheresearchteamtoapotenallyinnovavepastoralist




10

3. Thepotenalinnovatorwasvisited

• Theresearchteamintroducedthemselvesandtheproject’sobjecves

• Uponabriefdiscussionwiththeinnovatorabouttheinnovaoninquesonandupontheinnova-

torsconsenttoparcipateinthestudy,amoredetailedinterviewwasscheduled

• Inordertolearnabouttheinnovaonasemi-structuredinformalinterviewwasconductedand

recorded(see3.2.3) • Contactdetailsoftheinnovatorweretaken

• Theinnovatorwasthenaskedwhethers/hewasawareofanyoneelsewhomightbeofinterestto

theproject

Ifpotenalinnovaonswereidenedthroughinterviewees,thesewerefollowedup;ifnot,otherleads

fromtheareachiefwerefollowedup.SamplingthusfollowedtheSnowballMethodinallareasvisited.

Interviewedpersonswereaskedtorecommendotherswhomightbeofinteresttotheteam.Thosere -

commendedwerethencontactedandtheprocessconnued.Onaverage2-3potenalinnovatorswere

contactedaday.Ifinavisitedselementlocaontherewerenofurtherleadsavailabletofollow,the

researchteammovedontothenextlocaon,andtheprocessstartedagain.

TheresearchteamwasfortunatetohaveMrRaphaelGudereasateammember,whoformorethan10

yearshasworkedinlivestockrelatedresearchprojects,whileatsamemeremainingalivestockkeeper

intheRendillearea.MrGuderehascontactstootherlivestockkeepersinRendilleselementareasand

couldlinkupwithindividualsthatknowtheareawellorareknowntobekeenonexperimenng.This

greatlyfacilitatedtheaccessoftheresearchteamto pastoralcommunies.Tohavea livestockkeeper

fromtheareaintheteamprovedalsoessenal,because,beingfamiliarwithlivestockmanagementprac-

ses,MrGuderecouldadviseonwhetheran“innovaveprocess”wasindeednewandofinterest.

3.2.2 Call for innovaons through radio broadcasts

InordertoreachmorepeoplethanthosecontactedthroughtheSnowballMethod,theteamalsoused

radiobroadcaststospreadtheinformaonabouttheprojectacvies.Theradiobroadcastswereusedto

informthelocalcommuniesaboutthesearchforinnovatorsandonhowtogetincontactwiththepro-

jectteamincasetheyknewofaninnovator.Themessageswerebroadcastedduringthevernacularradio

programmes(intherespecvelanguage)transmiedbytheKenyaBroadcastCorporaon(KBC),Nairobi.

Anexampleofoneofthebroadcastmessageisgivenbelow:

“ResidentsofKorr,LaisamisDistrict,KARIwantstolearnaboutanyinteresngideasthatyouusetocope

withdroughtandtoimprovelivestockproducon.Ifyouthinkyouhaveaninnovaveidea,jointheKARI

teamtomorrowatAcaciaShadeLodge,Thursdaythe1stofDecember,orinformyourlocalchiefofwho

andwhereyouareandwhatyoudo”.

Thesemessages wereusually transmied two mes over a 2 - 4 day period before the project team

reachedthelocaontargetedforavisit.Theorganisaonofbroadcasngthemessagestookthefollowing

steps:

1. AmeengwasarrangedatKBCHeadquartersNairobi,withthepersonresponsibleforthemanage-

mentofthevernacularbroadcastsinMarsabitCounty.Theprojectwasexplainedindetailandthe

costsandpaymentmethodsfortheserviceclaried.

2. 3-5dayspriortoplannedradiobroadcast,themessagewasemailedtothecontactpersoninKBC

followedbyaphonecalltoconrmthemessagehadbeenreceived:Eachmessagewasformulated

totthespeciclocaon,givinglocaonname,meengdate,place,andme.Inthefollowingloca-

onsmessageswerebroadcastedto:Korr,Kargi,NamareiandIlautintheRendillearea,andMaikona

andKalachaintheGabraarea.






12

4 Reecons on the methods used to idenfy innovaons

Intotal,23innovaonswereidenedinapproximately12weeksofeldwork.Allthedocumentedinno-

vaonswereidenedusingthe“InnovaonIdencaonTours”.The“CallforInnovaonsthroughRadio

Broadcasts”didnotyieldtheexpectedoutcome,as noinnovaoncouldbeidenedthroughthisme-

thod.Furthermoreitincurredrelavelyhighcosts.ItwasthereforeonlypracsedduringthersteldtripfromNovembertoDecember2011.However,inMaikona,theonlyareawherethemobilephonenetwork

wasfunconalattheme,sixlivestockkeeperswereresponsivetotheradioannouncementandshowed

theirinterestintheproject.Theyrstcalledthephonenumbergiventolearnmoreabouttheproject

andthencametotheadversedmeengpoint.Withthecurrentlyincreasingmobilephonecoveragein

thearea,radiobroadcasngissllseenasbenecialforcontacngotherwiseisolatedcommuniesand

weconsider afollow-upworthwhile withmodied messagesanda highertransmissionfrequency.For

instance,largereventscouldbepromotedthroughradiobroadcastsifmessagesweretransmiedearlier

andovermoredays.Thiscouldraisetheproleofsuchmeengsandaractmorepeopleandpotenal

sourcesofinnovaons.

Adicultyencounteredduringthisstudyresultedfromdierentinterpretaonsoftheterm“innovaon”

andthemisunderstandingthatcanarisefromit.Inially,theterminnovaontendedtobeunderstood

asadrascchangeintheproduconsystem,beyondthescopeofanordinarylivestockproducer.Itwas

ratherusedforexternalintervenonscarriedintothesystembyexternalactors.Soitturnedoutthat

pastoralistswouldnotclassifythechangestheyintroducedintheirproduconpraccesasinnovaons.In

thecourseoftheproject,however,themeaningoftheterminnovaonwasexplainedbytheexamplesof

innovaonsthatwerealreadylocallyidened.

Consequenally,whenbroadcasngmessagestheproblemwiththeterminnovaonbecomesmoreob-

vious,sinceitsmeaningcannotbeclariedaswellasitcanbethroughpersonalinteracon,giventhe

limitedmeallocatedforradiobroadcasts.However,withtheresultsfromthisstudyexamplesoflocalin -novaonsidenedsofarcouldbepresentedinradioprogrammesandusedtosmulateotherlivestock

keeperstosharetheirowninnovaons,experiencesorthoughts.

Idenfyinginnovaonsrequiresa verygoodunderstandingoftheprocessesinthepastoralproducon

systems(i.e.tohavein-depthknowledgeonpastandcurrentproduconpracces)inordertoiniallyas-

sesssuitabilityorpotenalprospectsoftheinnovaonidened(“isitreallynew?”and“isitpotenally

useful?”).Sincescienstsandextensionworkersusuallylacksuchinsightstwooponsareproposed:a)to

includelivestockkeepersintheresearchteam,whowouldplayakeyroleofguidingandlinkingtheteam

tohispeers;b)ateammembertoundergopraccaltraining,throughaformofinternship,inwhichs/he

gainsexperienceintheproduconpracces.Thelaeralsohelpstogainanin-depthunderstandingof

pastoralproduconsystemsandpreparestheresearcherforcloserinteraconswithpastoralistsdirectly

onthetopicofinterest.

Innovaonsinmobilelivestockproduconsystemsaremorediculttoidenfythaninsedentarycrop

producon.Inthelaer,theinnovaoncanlieinnewtoolsusedandtheeectcanbeseenwhencom -

paringdierenteldsforinstance.Theeectoftheinnovaononamobileherdmightnotbeeasilyob -

servedbyoutsidersasitcanonlybeseenwhenmonitoringtheherdsorindividualanimalsoveralonger

meperiod.Further,inlowexternalinputsystems,theseinnovaonsareoenprocessinnovaons,i.e.

achangeinthewaythepraccesareconducted.Hencetheinnovaonassuchwillnotbevisible,itisnot

tangibleforinstancewhenitconsistsofanewformoforganisaon.

Refections on the methods used to identiy innovations



13

5 Knowledge Exchange Sessions

Ofthe23innovaonsidened,vewereselectedtobesharedinpastoralist-to-pastoralistlearningwork -

shops–whichwetermedKnowledgeexchangesessions(KnowlEX-Sessions).Theseleconwasbasedon:

• Isthepracceinquesonsignicantlydierentfromthenormalpracce,soitissomethingunusual,

thatothersdonotdo?

• Istheinnovaonrelatedtolivestockproduconandmanagementandhenceofinteresttoother

livestockkeepers?Couldtheypotenallybenetfromit?

• Istheinnovaonreplicablebyotherlivestockkeepers?

• Howbigistheobservedorexpectedimpactoftheinnovaoncomparedtotheotherinnovaons?

Innovaonsidenedthatwerenotconsideredfortheexchangesessionsbecausetheyarealreadyprac-

sedbymanywereforexample“Useofmaizeporridgeassupplementduringdrought”,“Useofacacia

podsassupplementduringdrought”.Otherswerenotrelevantforlivestockkeepers,suchasthe“Well

basedvegetableproducon”inKalacha.Somewereonlyapplicableincertainareassuchas“HurriHills

watercatchmentsystem”.Andothersrequiredsophiscatedlogiscs,whichisnotyetwidelyavailableasinthecaseof“SaleofcamelsattheMoyalecamelmarket”.

Thefollowinginnovaonswereselected:

• Chain-linkBomaFence

• NamaraiParonedCordiaBoma

• NgurunitGrassGarden

• FarakorenRamaLivestockMarkengCBO

• DHEDAResourceManagementCBO

KnowlEX-sessionswereeitherdonethrough“InnovatorTours”,wheretheinnovatorvisitsotherinterestedpeerstopresenther/hisinnovaon,oras“InnovaonFieldDays”,whereagroupofinterestedpastora -

listswouldvisitaninnovatortolearnabouttheinnovaon.BothtypesofKnowlEX-sessionsaredescribed

below.

Innovator Tours

FortheInnovatorToursaninnovatorwasbroughtto3dierentlocaliesoverthecourseofapproximately

oneweek.Ateachlocality,upto10parcipantswereselectedtoaendtheKnowlEX-sessionthefollowing

morning/aernoon.Sessionslastedonaverageapproximately75-120minuteswiththecoresession

beingulizedfortheexplanaonoftheinnovaonfollowedbyparcipants’quesons.Weorganisedato -

talof9InnovatorTourKnowlEX-sessionsintheareasofMerille,Kargi,Ngurunit,Korr,andMaikona.Mostsessionswereheldin Kargiand Korr,as these lieen-routetoother desnaons.Innovaonson which

InnovatorToursKnowlEX-sessionswereheldwere:Chain-linkBomaFence,FarakorenRamaMarkeng

GroupCBO,andNgurunitGrassGarden.TheInnovatorTourapproachis–obviously–moretheorecalas

theinnovaonhastobeexplainedverballyandcanonlybemademoretangiblethroughpicturesorgra-

phicrepresentaons.Ontheotherhand,theInnovatorTourapproachislessdemandingintermsofcost,

organisaonaleortsandme.However,duringtheInnovatorTourstheparcipantsoenexpressedthe

desiretowitness/observetheinnovaonrsthandandon-site,ratherthanthroughpictures.

Innovaon Field Day

TheInnovaonFieldDayKnowlEX-sessionsentailedselecngoneparcipantperlocalityfromarangeof

dierentlocaliesinMarsabitCountyandtakingthemtoseetheinnovaonon-siteinthestyleofaeld

day,allowingtherespecveinnovatorstospeakoftheirworkinthesenginwhichtheycreatedthe

innovaon.Thisapproachreacheslesspeople.Thismeansthedemandedonme,organizaonaleort

Knowledge Exchange Sessions



14

andmoneyperpersonishigher.However,itmettheparcipantswishtoseetheinnovaonandpossibly

itseectsinrealityratherthanthroughpictures.ParcipantswerebroughtfromareassuchasMerille,

Kargi,Ilaut,Ngurunit,Namarei,Korr,Maikona,andKulaMawe(IsioloCounty).TwoInnovaonFieldDay

KnowlEX-sessionswereheld:oneontheDHEDAResourceManagementCBOandoneontheNamarai

ParonedCordiaBoma.

TheseleconofparcipantsfortheKnowlEX-sessionsmostlyfollowedasnowballapproachsimilarto

theprocedureusedinidenfyinginnovators.Inaddion,parcipantswereoenindividualswhothere-

searchteamwerereferredtoorhadmetduringthesearchforinnovaons,butwhowerenotnecessarily

praccinginnovavetechniquesoradaptaons.Duringtheseleconprocess,aenonwaspaidtothe

distribuonofage,gender,wealthandcommunity“role”amongtheparcipantsinordertobringto-

getheradynamicgroup.Mostimportantly,itwassoughtaerthattheinnovaonswereapplicabletothe

pastoralistsselectedandthesefactorscombinedwereulizedtoincreasetheirparcipaonandpossible

adoponoftheinnovaonspresented.

Beforethe KnowlEX-sessions, innovatorsreceived a small trainingon presenng their innovaons toa

group.Inordertodothiswithoutinicngagreatdealof“outsider”bias,asemi-structuredinterviewwas

madewiththeinnovatorpriortopresenng.Thisconsistedessenallyofasetofquesonsconcerningthecorecomponentsandtheeectsoftheinnovaon.Thesequesonswereputtotheinnovatorinorderto

sensizeher/himtothepossibleexpectaonthatanaudiencemighthavetowardstheirpresentaon.The

setofquesonscouldthenbeusedasapossiblestructureforthepresentaon.Therespecvequesons

arecompiledinbox3below:

Box 3: Guiding quesons for presenters of local innovaons

Core Components of Innovaon Eects and Impact of Innovaon

Whatwastheproblemyouwantedtoovercome? Whatarethebenets/posiveaspectsofthis

innovaon?

Whatdidthesystemlooklikebeforethe

innovaon?

Whataretheconstraints/negaveaspectsofthis

innovaon?

Howdoestheinnovaonwork?“Break-Down”of

materialsusedandtechniquesemployed

Whatdierences/impactsdoesitmakeonyour

livelihood?

Step-wisedescriponofinnovaon(i.e.“recipe”) Whowasiniallyinvolvedintryingouttheidea?

Whenandwhydidyoumakethischange? Whatdoothers(i.e.community)thinkaboutthe

innovaon?

Whatwastheoriginoftheidea,howdidyou

developtheideaforthischange?

Didanyoneelsestartusingoradapngthisidea?

Followingthesemi-structuredinterview,theinnovatorsweretoldthattheinformaontheyhadjustpro-

videdtotheresearchteamwouldbethenecessaryinformaontodiscussagainduringtheKnowlEX-

sessions.Thisappearedtobeaneecvetechniqueand,ingeneral,innovatorspresentedwellinagroup

oftheirpeers.

TheKnowlEX-sessionswereunderthefullcontrolofthepastoralists.Onlytheintroducon,laptopassis-

tanceforshowingpictures,andsomeconcludingstatementsweremadebytheoutsideresearchteam.

Whentranslaonwasnecessary,MrRaphaelGudere(Rendille)andMrDavidDubaGolicha(Gabra/Boran)

ulizedtheirlanguageskillstotranslatetheinformaon.

Innovatorsandparcipantsalikereactedposivelytotheeaseofdiscussionsaswellastheirrelaonand

knowledgetothetopicsbeingdiscussed.Theyposedmanyquesonsandalsocricallyassessedthefeasi -

bilityoftheinnovaonundertheirowncircumstances.Theparcipants’feedbackledustoconcludethat

usinglocalinnovaonsisapromisingstarngpointfordevelopmentiniaves.

Knowledge Exchange Sessions



15

6 Local innovaons used for KnowlEX-Sessions

Inthischapter,thevelocalinnovaonsselectedforpastoralist-to-pastoralistexchangesessionsarepre-

sented.TheyrelatetospecicproblemsthatarepresentinMarsabitCounty.Thismeansthattheydonot

constuteinnovaonsforpastoralproduconpersebutforthosethatliveinsimilarcondionsandface

similarproblems. Thersttwo innovaons relateto problemsthatarecommontopastoralproducersthroughoutMarsabitCounty,oneisthelackofmarketaccesstheotheristheweakenedcommunalma -

nagementofpastureandwaterresources.

Theotherthreeinnovaonspresentedrelatetotheproblemofhighhumanconcentraonaroundsele-

mentareas,whichisanissuemainlyamongtheRendillepastoralists.InsomeRendilleareastheconcen-

traonofhumanshasalsoledtoaconcentraonoflivestock.Thisisthecaseattheedgesofmountains,

such asthe NdotoMountains, where due tohigher rainfall animals can bekept inthe vicinityof the

homesteadforlongerperiodsofme.Hencetheirmobilityislargelyreduced.Thismeansthatthethree

innovaonsrelatetoproblemscreatedbytheoverallconstraintstomakeuseofstrategicmobility.They

aresoluonstocopewithinducedsedentarisaon.Hencethese‚innovaons‘areratherdamagecontain-

mentsoluonsandarenotapathtomodernpastoralism,asthenoonofinnovaonsomehowsuggests.

However,thesesoluonsalsoshowwhichaspectsof theproblemareunderthe managerialcontrolof

individuals,andpointtothefactthatinnovaonsthatwouldallowpastoraliststoenhancelivestockmo-

bilitywouldrequirecommunal,governmentalandinfrastructuraleorts,suchase.g.forprovidingmobile

services.Thelastthree‘innovaons’presentedherecanhencealsoberegardedasshorttermsoluons

thathelptosustainacondionthatisulmatelyunsustainable.

In the following secons the innovaons are presented using the following structure: Problem to be

tackledbytheinnovaon,Descriponoftheinnovaon,Achievements,ChallengesandFutureplans,if

appropriate.Thetextis basedontheexplanaonsgivenbythe innovators,duringthesemi-structured

interviewsandexchangesessions.

6.1 DHEDA Resource Management CBO

Innovators:BoranpastoralistsofKinnaLocaon,GarbaTulaDistrict.

InnovaonpresentedbyMr.MohamedDiqaSamaandMr.MaderaBonaya

Problem tackled

Kinnaissituatedabout75kmnortheastofIsioloandinhabitedbyBoranpastoralpeople.Theycameup

withtheinnovaonbecauseofthreemainreasons.TherstisthatBoranlivestockkeepersfromthearea

realisedthattheadvicetheygetfromextensionocersonhowtodealwiththeproblemsofthepastoral

communitywasnotapplicableandpraccalinsolvingtheirproblems.Theyaributedthistothecircum-stancesthattheextensionstadoesnothaveagoodunderstandingoftheirproduconandlivelihood

system,theydonotunderstandtheirlanguageanddonotknowtheareawell.Theway“theyareseeing

[thechallenge]andthewayweareseeingthemdonotgotogether”.Thisresultedinsomeconictwith

theextensionservicesandnallymovatedtheeldersofKinnatodeveloptheirownideasonhowto

improvethesituaon.

Thesecondreasonwasthatduringthepastdecadespastureresourcesdegradedduetoa lackofregu-

laon. Tradionally,Boranregulatedaccessoftheir livestocktopasture andpermanentwatersources

throughasystemcalledDheda.However,aerKenya’sindependencetheauthoritytoregulatewasta -

kenoverbythegovernment.ThelandtradionallymanagedandusedbyBorancouldnowbeusedby

neighbouringcommuniessuchastheSomalisandMeru.AsSomalisenteredtheareawithhighanimal

numbersandusedthewateringwellsattheirownwish,tribalconictsdeveloped.TheBorancouldnot

implementtheirregulaonmechanismanymoreandthesystemwasabandoned.

Local innovations used or KnowIEX-Sessions



16

Thethirdreasonisthatduetotherecentincreaseinfrequencyandseverityofdroughtandthefactthat

peopledonotmovebuttendtosele,pasturearoundselementareasisunderincreasingpressure.This

leadstoalackoffodderduringthedryseasonforthemilkherdsthatarekeptneartheselements.

Duetothesereasons,eldersfromtheKinnaregionfounditimportanttorevivethetradionalmanage -

mentsysteminawaythatisalsorecognisedbythegovernment.Astherewerealreadyanumberof

groupsdealingwith resourcemanagement,such asthe EnvironmentalManagementcommiee(EMC)

andtheNaturalResourceManagementCBO–althoughthesehavenotbeenveryeecve–theyincorpo -

ratedthemunderanumbrellaorganisaoncalledDHEDACBO.ItisregisteredwiththeMinistryofSocial

Servicesanditsby-lawsarethereforeociallyrecognised.

Descripon of the innovaon

TheDHEDACBOwasregisteredin2005andonlylocalpeoplearemembers,bothmenandwomen.Itin-

volvesalltheresidentsofKinna,regardlessofwhethertheycomefromoutsidevillagesorfromwithinthe

town,alleldersbelongtotheDEDHA.EveryvillagesendsrepresentavestobepartoftheDHEDAcommit -

tee.TheDHEDACBOcontrolsgrazingduringwetanddryseasons.Duringthewetseason,livestockdoes

notrequirewaterfromthewellbecausetheycandrinkrain-water.Animalsaresenttotheareaswhere

thereisnopermanentwatersourcebutwheretheycandrinkfromdams.Whenthesehavedriedupthey

aresenttothoseareaswheretheycandrinkfromshallowwells.Inthisway,theareaswithdeepwellsare

reservedforthedryseason.Inthedryseasontheaccesstowellsisregulated,asdescribedbelow.Fur -

thermore,theCBOhaveinstalledazoneof15kmradiusaroundtheKinnaareawherenosatelliteherdis

allowedtoenter.Thisreservesthepastureforthemilkherdskeptathome,thusprovidingmilkforhome

consumponandsale.

Duringthedryseasonthegroupmanagetheaccesstothepermanentwellsintheenregrazingareathat

belongstoKinna.Whenthenon-permanentwatersourcesaredry,theDHEDAcommieecallsameeng.

Theycounttheherdsintheareaanddistributetheherdsevenlyoverthewellsintheareas,sothatnowell

isovercrowded.Thismeanseachherdisallocatedtoaparcularwellandtheirwateringdaysarexed.Usuallycowsarewateredevery2ndday.Thewellsareindividuallysupervisedbytheirownersandthey

havetoapplyasetofrulesonhowthewateringisdone.

Theperson,whodugthewell,isrecognisedasthewellowner.However,itissllacommunitywell,so

theowneristheonewhoneedstocareforthewell.Oneresponsibilityistomakesurethereisafence

aroundthewellsothatanimalscannotentertheconstrucon.Theownermustprotectthewellagainst

wildanimalssuchasmonkeysthattendtoenterandeitherdamagethestructureorpollutethewater.He

alsoneedstoprovidealargetroughsothatupto20calecanbewateredatame(Plate1andPlate2).

Thesetroughsaremadefromlongpalmtreelogsthataresplit,hollowedandsupportedbymudonthe

outside.Thetroughsneedtobeplacedataslightdistancefromthewell.Iftroughsaretooclosetothe

wellanimalsmaypusheachotherintoit.DHEDAregularlychecksthewells.Iftheaboverequirementsare

notmettheownermustactontheCBOsrecommendaons.

AccordingtotherulesofDHEDAtheownerhastowaterhisherdlast.Thisistoensuretheyarepresent

attheirwellandmakesurethereisnoconictamongtheotherherderswhoarewateringtheiranimals

atthatday.Ifthewellsupervisorisnotpresentatallmesduringwateringandaconictariseshecanbe

nedbytheCBO.

Ifanindividualaemptstowaterhis/herherdbeforetheirallocatedme,theywillbereportedtothe

CBOcommiee,whichcouldpotenallyneorbanthatindividualfromreceivingwaterfromanyofthe

wells.Thiswouldforcethatpersontomovetoanareainwhichs/heisnotrecognisedandworkstoensure

thatpeoplefollowtheorderofwateringdecidedbythecommiee.

TheDHEDAorganisaonalsoimprovescommunicaonandinformaonaboutthestateofresourcesin




17

theirarea.EveryoneintheCBOknowswherecommieemembersliveandarethereforeabletoreport

maersofinterestifnecessary.Throughthis,waterresourcesarewellmonitoredandmanaged.

Theassessmentoftheregion’snaturalresourcesismadethroughwellsupervisorsandvillagerepresenta -

vesconstantlyinteracngwithherderstogetinformaonaboutwhatishappeninginthegrazingareas.

Somemes,thecommieesendspeopletovisitdierentgrazingareastoassessresourcesandenforce

regulaons.

DHEDA also controls the access of animals topasturefrom outside communies. Outsiders of Kinna

wishingtouliseKinna’spastureorwaterbasemustrstreporttoDHEDAcommieemembersbefore

doingso.UsuallyoutsidersrstmeetthechiefwholinksthemtoDHEDA.Commieememberswillthen

goandseehowmanyanimalsthepersonwantstobringandcheckwhethertheyhavediseases.Theywill

alsoassessthepasturetoseewhetheritisenoughtosupportotherherds.Thentheycangrantaccessto

thepasture,orifthesituaonisbadtheycanalsoexplainthattheycannotgrantaccess.Inthiswaythe

CBOhasarecordofresourceusageandisabletoplanaccordingly.Thisalsohelpstoreducethespreadof

animaldiseasesbymonitoringandrestricngthefree-owofoutsideherdsthroughareasofhighanimal

density,suchasthewateringpoints.Furthermore,iflivestocktraderswanttomovethroughKinna,CBO

membersmustcheckfordiseases.SincetheKinnaareaispassedbymanytraderscomingfromMoyaleontheirwaytoNairobi,spreadofanimaldiseaseswasabigproblembeforethesystemexisted.Nowifthe

trader’sanimalsaresick,theycanbepreventedfrompassingthrough,ormadetotransporttheiranimals

viatruckandnotbytrekking.

Achievements

ThemainachievementisthatnowadaysinKinnathereisplentyofmilk,becausepeoplecankeeptheir

milkherdandhaveenoughpasturefortheminthevicinityoftheselements.Thesystemhasreduced

conictsbothwithinandbetweenthecommunies.Duetostrongwateringregulaonsatthewells,there

arenoconictsatthewateringwellsbetweenindividualBoranherders.AlsotherelaontoSomalipeople

hasimproved.Thiscanbeseenfromthefactthatduringtheseveredroughtof2009/10thememberofparliamentoftheSomaliwasvisingthememberofparliamentoftheBoraninordertoagreeingonjoint

resourceuseduringthisperiodofresourcescarcity,whichwasabigachievementaertheincidencesof

tribalclashes.

Overallnatural resource managementhas improved.Thewellsarewell maintainedandnot overused.

DHEDAarealsoeecvelyreservingpastureareasfurtherawayasdryseasongrazingreservesforthe

satelliteherds.Throughthis,theymanagetocontrolanimaldiseasesbeerthanbefore.

TheDHEDACBOisusedbythegovernmentasacommunityentrypoint.Forinstanceduringthedrought

2009/10,thedestockingof800calefromtheareaswasdonewiththehelpofDHEDA,whoselectedthe

beneciariesinafairway,asthemaerwasdiscussedandagreedonbytherepresentavesofthewholearea.

Overall,theDHEDAsystemisseenasagoodmechanismtocombatdrought,sincetheconsequencesof

droughtsuchasseverelackoffodderforanimalsandmilkintheselementsareimprovedorevenover-

come.

Challenges

Currently,theproblemisthatsomeherdersfromoutsidedonotrespectDHEDAregulaons,whichcan

leadtoconictsbetweenthedierentcommunies.Ingeneral,howeverthesystemisregardedasone

thatimprovestheeciencyofnaturalresourceuse.MostoutsiderswhoarefamiliarwithDHEDAchoose

tocooperateandsendrepresentavestoexplaintheirsituaonandaskforpermissiontouseresources.Forexample,in2009theSomaliMemberofParliamentcametotalktotheDHEDAcommieetoaskif

SomaliherderscouldshareresourcesduetoseveredroughtintheSomaliregion.Inthiswaythetwocom -




18

munieswhoformerlysueredfromtribalclashescouldcometoanagreementonasharedresourceuse.

Achallengeinreplicangthisre-innovaonisthatitrequiresahighdegreeoforganisaonandcollecve

acontobeestablishedandrespected.However,mostcommuniesinnorthernKenyahavesomeform

ofinstuonthatregulatesaccesstonaturalresources.Theproblemisthattheyareweakenedandneed

toberevivedandre-organisedinlinewithnewchallenges.Themostimportantfactoristhateveryone

hastoknowhowthesystemworks,soclearandextensivecommunicaonisvital.Thedevelopmentof

theDHEDACBOprotedfromthefactthattheycouldbuildonregulaonsthatwereformerlyusedbythe

Borancommunies.

Future plans

TheDHEDACBOismovangmanythatknowof itsoperaonandsuccesstodevelopsimilarresource

managementsystems.NeighbouringareasthatoperatewiththeDHEDAsystem,whichareall situated

withinIsioloCounty,arethefollowing:KulaMawe,Bodji,GarbaTula.

FutureplansoftheCBOaretoincreasethepolicalandlegalweightofthesetradionalBoranregulaons

byhavingthemmadeanintegralpartoftheirlocallawsunderthenewprovisionsthatarecateredforin

thenewKenyanConstuon.Thiswouldsolidifyandproperlyenforcetheresourcemanagementstrate-giesofDHEDA.


Plate 1: DHEDA well Plate 2: Cale at the watering trough

6.2 Farakoren Rama Livestock Markeng CBO

Innovators:RendillepastoralistsfromFarakoren

InnovaonpresentedbyJosephW.Maseyo,CBOChairmanfromFarakoren

Problem tacked

Farakorenisanisolatedselementlocatedabout5 kmfromIlaut,asmalltownonthesouthernfringe

oftheRendilleareaontheroadfromSouthHorrtoNgurunit.Thereisverylileeconomicacvityinand

aroundFarakorenandevenfoodsuppliescanatmesbescarce,whichisnotthecaseinbiggerselement

areassuchasNgurunitandMerilletown.Withlowlevelsofeconomicacvityandtheareanotbeingsitu-

atednearamajortraderouteitwasspecicallydicultforpastoraliststomarkettheirlivestock.People

ofFarakorenreliedononlytwoSomalishopkeepersfromIlauttotradetheirsmall-stockwith.Thetwotra -

dersmanipulatedthemarketleadingtoverypoorpricesbeingoeredtothepastoralistsfortheiranimals.

Sincethelivestockkeepersdidnothavemuchchoicewhenitcomestowhotheytradewith,especiallyif

theyareinurgentneedofcash,theyarelikelytoacceptlowpricesfortheiranimals.Forinstance,agoat

worthKSh3,000(US$35)wouldbeboughtforonlyKShs800(US$9.30)bythetrader.Oenthetraderdidnotpayincashbutwouldinsteadoersomeshopitemsaspayment,evenwhenthegoodsbeingex-

changedfortheanimalswerenotneededbythepastoralist.



19

Duetothesechallenges,thepeopleofFarakorenstartedtothinkabouthowtheycouldimprovetheirsi-

tuaonandbargainingpowers.In2004,thecommunitycametogetherandaskedthefollowingquesons:

“Whyarewealwayssellingouranimalstotheseshops?Canwetakeouranimalstomarketswherewecan

getthecashandnottheitemsincompensaon?”


Thecommunitydecidedtopooltheiranimalstogetherandtakethemtobeermarkets.Agroupofcom-

munitylivestocktradersfromtheFarakorenwasformed.Thiswasoriginallycomprisedof10peopleand

thengrewto15.Eachgroupmemberpaidaone-omembershipfeeof1,500KShs(US$17.5)andthe

pooledfundswereusedtobuyanimalsandsellthematdistantmarketssuchasthoseofMerilleandIsiolo.

In2005,researchersfromKARIandtheUniversityofHohenheim(Germany)startedworkinginthearea

andapproachedthe Farakorencommunitysuggesngthatthey form a community-based organisaon

(CBO)thatwouldallowthemtoconductacviescollecvely.Theytrainedthegrouponhowtoopena

bankaccount,keeprecordbooksanddevelopaformalgroupstructure.Theynowhaveagroupconstu -

on,asecretary,treasurer,andelectedchairmanamongstotherocials.Thegroupisverygratefulforthis

training,asitmayhavebrokendownhaditnothavebeenforthisassistance.

TheCBOhas40members(15womenand25menofallages)thatcomefromFarakorenandthesurroun-

dingareaandmeetregularlyatcommonplacessuchasanimalwateringwellsandunderspecictrees

(treesofelders).Theinformaondiscussedisthensharedwithallvillagesthroughinformalchannels.

TheCBOwasgrantedaone-osumofKSh300,000(US$3,490)bytheresearchprojecttoconductthe

acviestheyhaddecideduponinordertoimprovetheirlivelihoods.Aspartoftheiraconplan,the

group decided touse the funds for livestock markeng and for providing members with small loans.

KSh150,000(US$1,744)wasputasideasarevolvingfundandusedtopurchaselivestock,whichwere

thensoldinfarawaymarkets.

Buyingofanimalswasdoneasfollows:

• WhenindividualswishtosellsomelivestocktheyspreadtheinformaonthroughoutFarakoren.

• TheCBOassignssomepeopletobuyinanimalsfromthewholecommunity.Theyobtainthefundsto

buyanimalsfromthecommunityaccountandcandirectlypayforthegoatswhenpurchasingthem.

Thegoatsareboughtatarealiscandfairprice.

• Oncethegrouphasboughtanimalstheyareconsideredcommunityanimalsandarebrandedwithan

‘x’attheneck.TheseanimalsaredividedamongtheCBOmembersforherdingunltheyaresold.

• About3groupmembersarechosentotracktheanimalstoafarawaymarkettotrade.Theyreceive

3,000KShsascompensaonfortheirmeandeort.TheCBOdecideswhichmarkettheanimalswill

betakentodependingoninformaonaboutthepricesofsmallstockatthegivenme.

• Duetobanditryinthearea,thenumberofanimalstrekkedtogetherislimitedtoabout100-150to

reducetheriskoflosingmanyanimalstobanditryaacks.

• Inthefarawaymarkets,therearenumeroustradersthereforecompeon.Thesellercansubse-

quentlychoosetotradewiththosethatoerfavourableprices.

• TheamountearnedfromsellingthegoatsisreturnedtothetreasureroftheCBO.

• Aer3–4monthstheprocessisrepeated.

Thecollecvemarkengofthesmallstockhasallowedthepastoraliststoselltheiranimalsatbeerpri-

ces.Inaddion,anyoneintheFarakorenareawhoisurgentlyinneedofmoney/cashcansellananimalat

fairpricestotheCBO.Theyreceivethepaymentdirectlyandtheanimalwillbepartofthenextcommunalsale.TheCBOthereforeactsasaplaormthroughwhichthecommunitycansupporttheirmembers.

ThesecondmainacvityoftheCBOwasgivingoutalimitednumberofloanstomembers.Loansarehan-




20

dedoutonthecondionthatthemoneyisusedforlivestockrelatedacviessuchastradinginlivestock

skinsorbuyingveterinaryproducts.Loansrangedfrom1,000-5,000KShsataninterestrateof10%.Both

theloanandinterestistobere-paidwithinsixmonths.

Loanapplicaonsanddisbursementsworkasfollows:

• AnapplicaonisformallymadetotheloanscommieeoftheCBO.

• Theloanscommieeassesseswhetherornotthegroup-memberiseligibleforaloan. • Thosewhoapplyforloansmustalsohavetwoguarantorswhoaregroupmembers.Theguarantors

areresponsibleforre-payingtheloanshouldtheborrowerfailtorepay.

• Guarantorsshouldbefreeofdebtandabletoguaranteetherepaymentoftheloanatthemeof

loanapproval.

• Consequently,allgroupmembersacvelytrytoshowtheircreditworthinessandtendonlytoapply

foraloanifitisreallynecessary.

• Guarantorsarenotabletoapplyforaloanthemselvesunltheloanforwhichtheyareguarantorsto

hasbeenrepaid.

• Moreover,loansaregrantedtotenmembersatame,andnofurtherloanscouldbeobtainedunltheprevioustenhadbeenrepaid.

Achievements of the CBO

ThroughtheCBO,theircollecveaconsoflivestockmarkengandloansadministraon,fourproblems

facedbymanyintheFarakorenareahavebeenreduced:

• Wheretoselltheanimals?

• Membersarenowabletoselltheiranimalstofarawaymarketswithouttheneedtotravelthereper-

sonally.Instead,somegroupmemberstakeitinturntotraveltodistantlivestockmarkets.

• Howtogetfairpricesforlivestocksales?

• Monopolisctradingpracceshavebeenovercome.

• Wheretosellotheranimalproductssuchasskins?

• Groupmemberswhoareoeredloansareablebuyanimalproductsfromthecommunity.

• Howtoaccessveterinarydrugs?

Loanholderswhopurchaseveterinaryproductsindirectlybringveterinaryservicestothecommunity.

However,abigchallengeremained,whichisthelongdistancestotracktheanimalstofarawaymarkets.

Thisexhaustsaccompanyinggroupmembersandisalsoastresstotheanimals.Thereisalsotheriskof

beingaackedbypredatorsandbandits.Whentheinformaononthemarketpricewasnotcorrect,

animalscouldnotbetakenbackbutneededtobesoldatthelowerpricesoered.Thesehardshipsledto

innovaveacon-thecreaonofanewmarketinthenearbysmalltownofIlaut.

In2010,thegroupgottogetherwithothersintheregionandapproachedthechiefsofIlautwhothen

approvedtheirrequestsandplans.InJuly2010,thegroupbegantospreadthenewsofdevelopinganew

marketinIlauttootherselementareaslikeKorr,Ngurunit,Namerai,andSouthHorrthroughleers

andbyword-of-mouth.TheyannouncedtherewouldbeamarketoneverysecondTuesdayofthemonth

(Plate3).Thesitechosenoerstreeshadeandwatersothatlivestockandtraderscanrestandrehydrate

(Plate4).InDecember2011,themarketopenedandmanyanimalsandtraderscamefromKorrandSouth

Horrespecially(Plate5).Themarketdoesnotchargeanyfeesandanyoneisallowedtosellanimalsor

otheritems.Howeversecurityisprovided(Plate6).Theynegoatedwiththecountycouncilsothatthey

didnotbuildstandsandfences.Throughthis,thechargesthatcomewithusingsuchfaciliesareavoided.Thosewhoaendthemarketareallowedtodevelopstandsandoertheservicestheybelievearerequi-

red.TheIlautmarkethasbeennicknamed‘Nairobione-day’inreferencetothemassofpeoplethatgather




21

intheareaonmarketdayandthediversegoodsbeingsoldandtransaconbeingmade.Themarketoers

refreshmentsandfoodstusaswellashouseholditemssuchasclothingandelectricalequipment(Plate

7andPlate8).

Thefollowingpointsturnedouttobeessenalforthefunconingofthemarket:

• Itwasimportanttospreadtheinformaonaboutthedevelopmentofthemarketinadvancesothat

peoplehavemetoprepareandaend. • Itisimportantnottohavemarketdaystoofrequently,astheremaynotbeenoughanimalsinthe

regiontotradeeveryweek.Ifthemarketaractsonlyafewanimals,thisinformaonwouldspread

anditmaygivethemarketabadreputaonandleadtoitsfailure.

• Marketdayshavetobeaendedbythechiefsoftheparcipangcommunies,thepoliceandthe

selectedmarketcommiee.Thishelpsensuresecurityandpreventsconicts.Theabsenceofcon-

ictsisessenalforthefunconingofthemarket.

Plate 3: Ilaut market from afar Plate 4: Goats in a “boma“ at the market

Plate 5: Buyer inspecng a sheep Plate 6: Market security

Plate 7: Radio in soup kitchen stall Plate 8: Household goods trader




22Local innovations used or KnowIEX-Sessions

Achievements of the Ilaut market

ThedevelopmentoftheIlautmarketandthegroup-tradingschemehasbeneedthepeopleofFarako-

reninmanyways:

• Thegrouptradersonlyhavetotravel5kmtoselltheiranimalseverytwoweeks.Thisalsomeansthat

ifpricesarenotfavourableanimalscanbereturnedhome.

• Themarketfeeaskedforatdistantmarketscanbeavoided. • Thetravelfeepaidtothegrouptradersthattookthegroup’slivestocktomarketof3,000KShsisno

longerrequired,hencesavingsofequivalentamountsarebeingmade.

Ingeneral,theformaonofthegroup,theloanscheme,andthebi-weeklymarkethashelpedthecommu -

niesaroundIlauttofocusonlivestockacviesanddevelopedeconomicacvityintheregion.

6.3 Chain-link Boma Fence

NameofInnovator:MrsMatasianfromMerille

Problem tackled

Predators,suchashyenaandleopardsthathuntatnightaroundtheselementareasareachallengefor

manyoflivestockkeepersinMarsabitCounty.Suchanimalstrytoenterthelivestockenclosure (boma)

andkillmainlysmallstock.Thismeanslivestockkeepersneedtoguardtheiranimalsovernightiftheywant

topreventpredatoraack.

WithinMarsabitcountylivestock bomasaretypicallyconstructedwithacaciabranches(Plate9).These

bomasarenotcompletelyhyenaproof.Thereasonisthatwithinarelavelyshortme(about2months)

acaciabranchesbecomebrileandweakthroughweathering,allowingeasyaccessforlivestockpreda -

tors.Duetotheconcentraonofpeoplearoundtheselementareas,acaciatreesarenolongerabundant

(Plate10).Thecungofacaciabrancheshasthereforebeenbannedaroundmanyselementareasby

Environmental management commiees (EMC). Whenbuildingbomas,branchesneedtobecollectedfromareasthattendtobefaraway.Thisincreasesthemeandeortneededandhencethecostsofthe

bomasmadefromacaciabranches.

MrsMatasianisawidowandhastakenoverallfamilytasksandresponsibilies,assheisthesoleheadof

herhousehold(Plate11).Inotherhouseholdsitisthemen’stasktoguardthelivestockatnight.Guarding

livestockatnightontopofhereverydayworktoearnalivingforherselfandherchildrenwasaburdento

MrsMatasian,whichiswhyshelookedforasoluon.Shesearchedforahyena-proofboma fence so that

shedoesnotneedtoguardhersmallstockthroughoutthenight.


Thechain-linkbomafence(Plate12)consistsofapproximately2meterhighwoodenpostsfromSalvadora

persicatreesandchain-linkfencerollboughtfromalocalmarketinIsiolotown.

• MrsMatasianneededabout100poststofenceaherdofabout100goatsandittookhertwoweeks

togatherthem.TheSalvadoratreeisfavouredasitishard,strongandabundantintheMerillearea

andveryimportantlyrelavelytermiteresistant.

• Theholesforthepostsaredugasdeepasthelengthofanadult’sforearmanddugtwohandsapart

(Plate13).MrsMatasianusesamachetetodigtheholes.

• Thepostsarethenputintotheholesandsoilisgraduallyadded.Aereveryfewinchesofsoilalarge

stoneisusedtocompactthesoil.Smallstonesarealsousedwiththesoilmixturetoensuretheposts

arermlyintheground.

• Thetwo-metrehighchain-linkfencematerialcanbeboughtfromMangazaTraders,Isiolo(Plate

14).TofenceMrsMatasian’sbomasheneededonerollthatcost3,600KShs(aboutthepriceoftwo



23

goats).Thechain-linkfencematerialisnotbarbedandiscoatedwithplasc–thisislongerlasng

thanchain-linkfencewithoutaplasccoang.Itissoldintheformofacoiledrollandisverysand

diculttobend.

• Oncethepostshavebeenputintotheholesandaresecurelyinplace,thechain-linkwireiswrapped

around the bomastructure,ensuringthechain-linkmaterialreachesthepeakoftheposts.

• ThefencematerialisghtlyedthreemestoeachSalvadorapostwiththreelongpiecesofwire:

onceatthetop,themiddle,andattheboomofthepost.Nonailsareusedtoconstructtheboma,

meaningtheconstruconcanalsobemovedifnecessary.Itisimportanttoxthefencematerial

ghtlytothepostsandmakesurethattheknotsareght.

• Thechain-linkmaterialisnotdugintotheground,butsoilisheapeduponeithersideoftheboom

ofthefencetoensuretherearenogapsforpredatorstogainaccesstothelivestockwithinthefence.

• Adoorisalsomadefromthechain-linkmaterial,withalargepieceofwoodxedtothegroundun-

derthedoor.Thedoorisfastenedshutwithtworopes,oneatthetop,andoneattheboomofthe

door.Thedoorisforedbyaframewithwoodenslats(Plate15).

• Onerowofacaciabranchesisplacedaroundthefenceforextrasecurity(Plate16).

• Timetaken:twoweeksformaterialcollecon,twoweeksforconstrucon.

ApproximatelyoneyearagoMrsMatasiancameupwiththisideabecauseashyenaswouldenterthe

bomaandkillheranimals.AslivestockisMrsMatasian’smainlivelihoodsource,sheviewsanythreatto

themasathreattoherandherfamily’slivelihood.MrsMatasian’schildrenaresmallandasawidowshe

hasnoonetoprotectherlivestockatnight.Althoughthechain-linkwirecostssomemoney,MrsMatasian

believesitisbeertosellanimalsandinvestinthefencingmaterialandensurethesafetyofherlivestock.

Achievements

Sinceconstrucngthischain-linkfencebomanoneofMrsMatasian’sanimalshavebeenkilledbyhyenas,

andshehasnoworriesatnight.ItisduetothisinnovaonthatMrsMatasiannowalsofeelscomfortable

travellingthroughMarsabitCountytoshareherknowledge,asopposedtobeingconcernedoverthesa-

fetyofherlivestockovernightandhavingtoremainatthehomestead.

Adisadvantageofthecommonlyusedacaciabranch bomaisthatlivestockcaninjurethemselveswiththe

acaciathornsastheybrushupagainstthemwhileplayingandmang.Theseinjurescanbeavoidedwith

thenewfence.

EnvironmentalManagementCommiee(s)EMC)inMarsabitCountyhavesetuprulestoprotecttheen-

vironmentaroundtheselements.For thecommonacaciafencesahighamountofacaciabranchesis

neededthroughouttheyear.Suchbranchesdonotlastaslongasfencingmaterialdoesbecausethey

quicklywearoutandcanbeeatenbytermites.Salvadorapersicaismoreresistanttotermites.Whenthe

postsarelongtheycanalsobere-usedaertheboomparthasbeendestroyedorroed.Upunlnow,

the bomafromMrsMatasianhaslastedforoneyearwithoutrepairs.Oncetheeorttobuildthe boma

ismade,itsupkeepclearlysavesmeandresources.OnenegaveaspectisthatSalvadoratreesarenot

foundeverywherein MarsabitCounty inhigh numbers,sosuitabletreealternaveswouldneedto be

idenedtoenablemorelivestockkeeperstobenetfromthisinnovaon.

Constraints

Arestriconisthatthisinnovaonisonlyusefulforlivestockkeeperswhohavepermanentlyseledina

specicplaceanddonotmoveatall.Thisisnotverycommon.Evenmovingthemanyaa some hundred

meterswouldbeaproblem,becausethe bomacannotbeeasilyshied.However,theorecallytheconst -

ruconcanbedismantledandmoved,althoughthismustbedonewithateamofpeopleduetotheheavy

weightofthefencematerials.




24

Inareaswherethereisahighincidenceofleopards,thelivestockkeeperswillsllhavetoguardtheirani-

malsatnight.Thistypeoffencedoesnotprotecttheanimalsfromsuchpredators,astheycanjumpover

itandsllaackthelivestock.


Plate 11: Mrs Matasian Plate 12: Chain-link boma fence

Plate 13: Salvadora posts Plate 14: Chain-link fence material

Plate 15: Secure boma door Plate 16: Surrounding acacia branches

Plate 9: Tradional acacia branch boma

Plate 10: Damages to acacia tree from branch

collecons



25

Future improvements

Duringtheexchangesessions,addionalimprovementstothecurrentsystemweresuggested.Onewas

thatthedoormightbeclosedwithapadlocktostoppeoplefromenteringthebomatosteallivestock.To

protectfencedlivestockagainstleopards,parcipantsproposedtheuseofaddionalchain-linkfencing

materialxedasaroofovertheconstruconsothatleopardscannotenter.

6.4 Namarai Paroned Cordia Boma

NameofInnovator:MrNayapaCharkolefromNamarai

Problem tackled

MrCharkoleisalivestocktraderandshopkeeperwhohaslivedinNameraifortwentyyears.Helivesaway

from the manyaasonaseparatepieceoflandonthewayfromNamaraitoNgurunit.BecauseMrChar-

koleisalivestockkeeperandtraderhehasalargeherdthatrequiresalotoffencingmaterialtohelpkeep

theanimalsnearhishomestead.

InthisareaacaciatreesarerareandareprotectedbytheEMCs.Sinceacaciafencesneedtoberedone

regularly,MrCharkolefounditcostlytohirepeopleortakemetodotheworkhimself.Instead,hecameupwiththefollowinginnovaon.


MrCharkoleusespostsfromtheCordia sinensistree(localname:gayeer)tobuildafence(Plate17).He

wasinspiredtodosothroughseeinganotherpastoralistusingthistechniquewhiletravellingfromNa-

mareitoalivestockmarketnearIsiolo.Oncethepostshavebeenplacedrmlyinthegroundtheyare

edcloselytogetherwithrubberropeandsurroundedbypiledacaciabranchesasanaddionalsecurity

measure.

Thestepstocreatecordiapostfencedbomasare:

• Cordiaposts(branches,stems)areoenfoundalongrivers.Itisimportanttochoosethelongestand

thickestcordiapostspossible.Ifalongpostbecomesdamageditcanberemovedandthedamaged

partthrownaway.Thehealthypartofthepostcansllbeused.Ifshortcordiapostsaredamaged,

theyarethrownawayandreplacedindividually

• Cordiamaterialiscollectedunlthereisenoughtobuildtheboma–theamountrequireddepends

onthesizeofthebomatobebuilt.Onecanaccuratelyesmatehowmuchmaterialisneeded

throughrstdiggingtheholesthepostswillbeputin.Thecolleconofenoughcordiapostsmaytake

severaldaysandnecessitatethehelpoffamilymembers

• Holesaredugwithaspearheadorknifetwo-handsdeepinacirclelargeenoughtofencethedesired

numberofanimals.Oneholeisrequiredperpostandshouldbeclosetooneanother(around5-10cmapart)sothecordiapostsareghtlyplacednexttooneanother,‘likengers’(Plate18and19).

• Cordiapostsarethenputintotheholes.Earthispackedusingstonesaroundthepoststostabilise

them.

• Thinnerpostsareplacedhorizontallyonefootfromtheboomandtopofthefencearoundthe

enrestructure.Theseareboundtothevercalpostswithrubberropemadefromoldvehicletyres

(Plate20)

• Largerpostsareusedasagatefortheentrancetoeachboma.Iftheentrancegapisaround30cm,

3-4removablepostswithwidthsof5cmareputthroughthethinnerhorizontalpostsatthetopand

boomofthestructurewithinthespace(Plate21)

• Alayerofacaciabranchessurroundsthecordiapostbomasasadeterrentagainstpredators(Plate

22)




26

• Finally,bomasarecleanedonaweeklybasis,withthedungbeingdugoutwithashovel,sweptwitha

brush,andpiledawayfromtheplot.Bomasaredugunlfreshearthisreached(Plate23).Sandfrom

anearbyriverbedandsaltissomemesusedtotop-upthebedoftheboma.Thisissaidtocontrol

footrotandtheinfestaonofcksandlice.

Plate 19: Individual hole, two hand lengths deep Plate 20: Rubber binds cordia branches

Plate 21: Boma entrance Plate 22: Surrounding acacia branches

Plate 23: Cleaning of the boma Plate 24: Young animals are kept seperately

Plate 17: Cordia post boma Plate 18: Digging hole with spearhead




27

MrCharkoledivideshisherdintosevencompartmentedbomas,andinsodoing,hasdevelopedasystem

thatmakesiteasierforhimtomanagehislivestock.Fiveofthesebomasaredirectlynexttooneanother

anddierinsize.Fouroftheveneighbouringbomasaresmall(4-5metresindiameter)andareusedto

separatelyhouseyounganimals(Plate24).Lactanggoatsandthosewithsmallkidsarekeptinseparate

bomastosavemeinndingmotherandospring.Thelarger bomas(8-10metresindiameter)areused

forthemainherd.

Achievements

ThisinnovavewayoffencingandmanaginglivestockisaresponsetothediculesexperiencedbyMr

Charkole,suchasthepresenceofpredators(hyenasinparcular).Sincetheimplementaonofusingcor-

diapostbasedbomas,MrCharkolesayshehasnotlostasingleanimaltohyenas.

Otherbenetsofthebomaconstruconandparoningsystemare:

• Theconstruconissimilartothatofbuildingatradionalhome,soallpastoralistsarefamiliarwith

themethods.

• Itdoesnotrequirealotofmaintenance,asthematerialsarestrongandlesspronetodamageand

decay-MrCharkolestatesthatcordiapostscanlastformanyyears-someofhisbomas were madearound11yearsago.MrCharkolestatesthatthebomashaveneededminorrepairsduringtheir

lifeme.

• Bomasarestrongerandhigherthanthetradionalacaciabranchsystem,leadingMrCharkoletowor-

rylessaboutthesafetyofhislivestockconcerningpredatoraacks.

• Damagetotheenvironmentisreducedandallowstreespeciestogrowforlonger.

• Stocktaking(counngtheanimals)andexaminingaherdiseasierandquicker,aslivestockcanbe

separatedandre-groupedeasily.Milkingismadesimpler,aslactanganimalsareparonedsepara-

tely.Timeissaved,asonedoesnothavetosearchforanimalswithinalargerherd.

• Mangcanbecontrolled,ascertainmalesandfemalescanbebroughttogetherandseparatedfrom

theotheranimals.

• Diseasedanimalscanbekeptseparatefromthosenotinfected.Younganimalsmightalsobevulnera-

bletofootrotduringthewetseasonandparoningallowsextracaretobetakentoensurethatthe

bomafortheyoungisclean.Thiscanreducethepossibilityofinfecon.

• Aslessacaciabranchesareusedforfencing,therearefewerthornsthatcaninjurechildrenwhen

walkingbare-footnearthebomas

Themainreasonswhypeoplelikedthisinnovaonaerithadbeenpresentedtootherpastoralistsinthe

exchangemeengwere:

• Cordiapostbomaslastalongme,thussignicantlyreducingthefrequencyofcollecngacaciabran-

ches for bomaconstrucon.

• Theresulngfenceisstrongandeecvelykeepspredatorsatbay.

• Mang,contagiousdisease,andmilkraoningcanbemonitoredandinuenced,henceplanned

breedingcanbepraccedthroughtheuseofparons.

Challenges

• Plentyoftreesarerequiredtosucientlyprovidematerialforbomaconstrucon.

• Collecngenoughcordiapostsforbomaconstrucontakesseveraldays.

• Diggingtherequiredholesandinserngthepostscantakealongme,dependingonthesizeofthe

herdtobefenced.Oncematerialhasbeengathered,asmallbomaofaround4-5metresindiametermayneedaround16hours,or2daystobebuild.ToconstructMrCharkole’sparonedbomas,3-4

weeksmayberequired,meaninglabourcanbeabigconstraint.




28

• ThecostofbuyingtherubberropesandaccessingthemmightrequiretraveltoatownlikeMarsabit.

• Thesystemdoesnotoermuchmobilitytothosewhokeepmovingandisthereforeonlyreallya

managementoponforthosethatdonotshiwithamanyaa.

Future plans

Potenalimprovementssuggestedbytheparcipantsinclude:

• Theuseoflivingposts,althoughthespeciesusedmustnotbearacvetosmallstockasfodder,

otherwisetheymaybeeatenandcannotstay.

• Thebomadoorscouldbemademoresecurebyusingametaldoorinsteadofcordiaposts.Emptyoil

nscanbepannedouttogetherandusedasdoormaterial.Addionally,ifametaldoorisusedthen

itcouldbefurthersecuredusingapadlock,thusprotecnglivestockagainstthievesaswellaswild

predators.

• Althoughrubberropeworkswelltoethepoststogether,bindingmetalwiremayalsobeanopon.

MostpeopleinNamaraihavereplicatedtheuseofcordiapoststobuildtheseparatesmallbomaforyoung

shoats,butnotfortheenreherdaspracsedbyMrCharkole.Dividingaherdintoseveralparonsmay

onlybenecessaryforlargerherds/ocksthatarekeptnearthehomestead,asinthecaseofthelivestocktrader.

6.5 Ngurunit Grass Garden

NameofInnovator:MrsRasayonfromNgurunit

Problem tackled

Abigchallengeforseledpastoralistswhoseherdshavelimitedmobilityisthelackofanimalfeedduring

thedryseasons,especiallyinmesofdrought.Duringdryperiods,womenoftheNgurunitareaoengo

tothesurroundingmountainsinsearchoffoddertocutandbringhometotheiranimals.However,due

tothehighdemand,thisfodderisnowadaysonlyavailableinlocaonshigherupthemountains,which

arediculttoreach.Searchingforfodderinthemountainsismeconsuming,dicultandriskygiventhe

steepandslipperyslopesthathavetobenavigatedwhiletransporngfodder.Thishasapparentlyledto

manyaccidents.

MrsRasayonthoughtthatifanareaclosetoherhomesteadcanbefencedo,protectedandleundistur -

bedduringtherainyseasons,thenshewouldhaveeasyaccesstofodderinmesofneedwithouthaving

totakerisksandclimbthesteepmountainslopes.AsNgurunitissituatedatthebaseofmountainslopes

itreceiveshigherrainfallthanthelowlandsofMarsabitCounty.Condionsforgrowingfoddermaythere-

forebemorefavourable.


MrsRasayon’sgrassgardeniscircularandapproximately20mindiameter(Plate25).Theplotisdirectly

nexttoherhomestead.ThegrassseedsusedbyMrsRasayonwereoriginallysourcedfromthenaturally

growinggrassesintheareaaswellasfromaKARIworkshop.Someofthespeciespresentinhergarden

are Cenchrus ciliaris,Panicum coloratum,andChrysopogon plumulosus.

Thedevelopmentofthegardenisexplainedbelow:

• Firstthededicatedareahastobefencedotoavoidanimalsfromgrazing.Deadlogsfoundlying

alongtheriverNgurunitwereputintoholesdugforearmdeep,closetogethertoformthemain

barrierofthefencedarea.Addionally, Acacia recienstreebranchesaregatheredandputinacircle

aroundtheareaoflandtobeconservedasanaddionalbarriertothedeadlogposts.Thecombi-

naonoflogsandtreebranchesisusedtoreducetheamountofonetypeoffencingmaterial.Itis

importantthattherearenogapsinthefencetopreventanimalsfrominvadingthegrassinside.




29

• Soilpreparaoninvolvesremovingexisngvegetaonwithamachetetoreducethecompeon

betweenthegrassandherbagegrowth.Stonesarealsoremovedfromthesitetoreducebarriersto

plantgrowth.Indexngerdeeptrenchesareduginstraightlinesacrossthegardeninrowsabouta

footapart.

• Onthearrivalofrain,grassseedsaresprinkledinthetrenches.Thegrassgardenisnotirrigatedbut

sowingismedtocoincidewithrainfallonset.Aersowingthetrenchesarelightlycoveredwithsoil.

• MrsRasayonrecommendsweedingofthegardentoensurethatunwantedplantspeciesdonotgrow

tallerthantheplantedgrassesandout-competethem(Plate26).Thisisparcularlyimportantduring

theestablishmentstages.

• Some Acacia torlisplantsareletogrowinsidethegrassgardenfromwhichseedpodsareharves-

tedtoprovideaddionalsupplementalfeeds.

• Grassesmaybeharvestedwithamachete,eitheroncetheyhaveseededanddried,orwhenneeded.

Thegrassesarenottobede-rootedbutcutabovetherootstoallowthemtore-grow.Theharvested

materialisthenputintobagsandstoredinacool,dryplace.MrsRasayonhasbuiltaraisedstorage

houseespeciallyforthispurpose(Plate27andPlate28).Sheoenseeksthehelpofneighbours

whenharvesng.

• Seedsthatfallonthegroundduringharvesngareletogerminateinordertoreseedandinvigorate

thepasture.

• MrsRasayondoesnotallowanimalstoenterthegarden,asitisnottobeusedasagrazingarea.

Achievements

MrsRasayonbeganhergrassgardenveyearsagoandhasrealisedthatitworksverywell,withplentyof

pasturegrassspeciesgrowingwithinthefencedplot.Furthermore,asacaciatreesaregrowingaroundand

withintheplot,shecanalsocollectacaciapodsthatactasaddionalsupplementaryfeed.

Thegrassharvestedfromthegardenisonlyusedduringthepeakofthedryseasonandisalmostsolelyfor

lactang,home-basedanimals.Insuchmes,grassesandacaciapodsarefedtoanimalsintheevening.

Animalsarenotallowedtodirectlygrazethegrassgarden,astheymayovergrazeandtramplethevege-

taon.ThegrassgardenallowsMrsRasayontokeepasmallhome-basedlactangherd.Thissuppliesher

homewithmilkforconsumponandsale,thusprovidingherwithaddionalincome.

SomepeopleinNgurunitwhoknowofMrsRasayon’sgrassgardenplantoadoptthenewpracce.Inially,

manypeopledidnotbelieveintheinnovaon,buttheysawthebenetsespeciallyduringthe2009-2010

drought.DuringthisdroughtMrsRasayon’s8calvesand10femalegoatswiththeirkidssurvivedcomfor-

tablyontheproduceofthegrassgarden,whileotherpeople’sanimalsstarvedanddied.

Challenges

LandisinformallyacquiredintheNgurunitareaandcansimplybeclaimedbythearea’sinhabitants.Unl

nowtherehasbeenenoughlandforpeopletoclaimandestablishtheirhomesteadsevenwithinthetown.

Inordertoprotectthegardenfromgrazinganimalsitisimportantthatitisclosetothehomesteadsoit

canbeeasilyguarded.Thedevelopmentofsuchagardenmaythereforebedicultinmorebuiltupand

heavilypopulatedareas,wherethereislilespaceforsuchextendedgardens.

Aproblemwiththegrassgardensisthatthecungoftheappropriatefencingmaterialisveryme-

consumingandneedstoberegularlyrepairedandreplaced.Poorfencingcanincreasetheriskofanimals

enteringthegrassgarden,soitisimportanttocheckfencesregularlytoensuretherearenogaps.

Inaddion,thestorageofthedriedgrassmayalsoprovedicultbecausefodderstoredontheoorispronetotermitedamage.MrsRasayonhadtriedtostoreherhayharvestsintreestopreventanimalsfrom

accessingit,butthisdoesnotrestricttermiteaccess.Lackofstoragefaciliesmayalsoleadtoforcedhay




30

salesinanaempttoavoidspoilageandwastage.Tocombatthestorageproblem,tradionaldomesbuilt

onsltstoprotectagainsttermitescanbeused.

Future plans

Recently,GermanAgroAcon(Welthungerhilfe)cametoNgurunittopromotetheculvaonofvegetable

cropsinthisarea.Theysaidthatlivelihoodscouldbeimprovedthroughtheproduconofcropssuchas

spinachandtomato.MrsRasayontriedthisideabutfoundthewaterdemandtoohigh.MrsRasayonalrea -

dyhastocollectwaterforherfamilytodrinkandwashwithandforheranimalstodrinkanddoesnothave

enoughmetofetchwatertoirrigatevegetables.Thecontrastoflabourandwaterrequirementsbetween

grassandvegetableproduconledMrsRasayontoappreciatehergrassgardensystemevenmoreso,and

shenowplanstodedicateasmuchofherlandaspossibletograssproducon.

Plate 25: Acacia fenced grass garden Plate 26: Weeding grass garden

Plate 27: Slt storage Plate 28: Hay storage in bags




31

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