• In Laikipia North, the Maiyanat community has been struggling to eliminate the invasive plant. It has affected more than 60 per cent of their grazing land.
• However, all is not lost as women in the community have been making money by uprooting the invasive species.
Image: KNA
Cactus is an invasive thorny plant that grows well in dry and rocky areas.
It is, however, a menace for pastoralists as it invades their grazing areas.
Prickly pear cactus, also called opuntia, has not only overtaken the landscape and reduced the forage space for livestock in parts of Kenya, but it also produces purple-reddish fruits that are highly toxic to animals.
It is one of the most widespread and naturalised plant in arid and semi-arid areas of Kenya.
In Laikipia North, the Maiyanat community has been struggling to eliminate the invasive plant. It has affected more than 60 per cent of their grazing land.
However, all is not lost as women in the community have been making money by uprooting the invasive species.
“We have been using natural control measures as well as using biological methods to fight the weed through the support from development partners like the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations,” said Kashara Kitonga, the Maiyanat Community Land vice chairperson.
The natural way, he explained, includes uprooting the weed manually while the biological way is introducing a sap-sucking insect, which feeds on the cactus but it is expensive.
“The approach of employing women and the youth to uproot the cactus weed at a fee of Sh500 per day has been done through the support of partners like the FAO in a move to empower the women and provide them with a source of income,” he said.
The women, Kitonga said, also dig semicircular bunds and swells to reduce soil erosion and help in water retention. They then plant grass for their animals.
He said restoration of the land has reduced conflicts between the community and private ranch owners.
Nkuyai Lemale, one of the women who helps uproot cactus, said they make money as they rehabilitate their land.
“Women are paid Sh500 per day to uproot the weeds, destroy them and plant grass. This has empowered many of us and we are able to pay school fees for our children and buy food for our families,” she said.
Lemale said the uprooting of the cactus comes with its share of challenges and the biggest is the thorns that prick their hands.
“We do not have protective gear and we use our bare hands to uproot the plant. The thorns hurt our hands and we are not sure if they are poisonous, hence risking our health,” she said
Lemale said the cactus hurts their animals, especially the goats, as the sharp thorns pierce their eyes and destroy their teeth.
“Most of our goats are blind,” she said.
Maiyanat Community Land manager Yoakim Kuraru said due to cactus, more than half of their 16,000 acres remains unutilised.
“The invasive species has forced some people to move out of their homes. The cactus is harmful to the animals and the goats go blind and those that consume the plant’s fruit are likely to suffer from digestive problems,” he said.
Kuraru said for the community to conserve and protect their land, they have an ‘Opuntia Day’ once a month in which members voluntarily uproot cactus within their homesteads.
He said despite the efforts being made, the invasive cactus is still spreading due to wildlife like elephants and monkeys.
The fruits from the cactus are edible and sweet and preferred by monkeys, camels and even human beings.
The manager said they want a tractor to dig pits to bury the cactus deep so it does not multiply.
Husna Mbarak from the FAO Land Governance, Environment and Natural Resources said one of the biggest problem in most of the rangelands and community land is the invasive species.
“The opuntia is one of the invasive species, which has pros and cons. The cactus has benefits such as production of wine, marmalade, jam and in some instances it is medicinal,” she said.
She said FAO has introduced a process of breaking down the opuntia and mix with the other fodder for their livestock.
“There is a tool we are using to shred the opuntia and then let it get dried and then mixed up with other fodder, including the types of grasses the community has. Once the weed has dried up, it can be used to make manure,” Mbarak said.
“We should also look at the beneficial side of this invasive species and make use of it and earn a livelihood.”
The Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD) has developed the Invasive Species Mapper – a smartphone application that facilitates the collection of data on the current distribution of prickly pear and other invasive species in Kenya.
Using satellite data and geospatial technologies, the app was designed to accurately map invasive species hotspots where particular plants are concentrated, which is important in prioritising and planning both financial and human resources to eradicate invasive plant species.