• The pastoralists depend on livestock and a bit of substance agriculture depending on the environment in which they live.
Image: Abdikadir Chari
Pastoralism is a socio-cultural and economic ways of living that is reliant on the rearing of livestock and it's the main source of livelihood for pastoralist community living in Northern part of Kenya for a decade.
The pastoralists depend on livestock and a bit of substance agriculture depending on the environment in which they live.
More often pastoralists community turn their livestock to economic advantage as there is an increase demand for meat and other animal products across the countries.
Majority of the residents living in the county believed that livestock keeping is a valued and profitable way of life with a rational explanation behind each action and they valued it as expression of wealth and objects of social prestige or status and those with heard of animals were praised in every traditional songs.
Livestock keeping according to them is an insurance as it provides social links through bride price.The raising and herding of livestock is a matter of life and death.
Pastoralists have perfected the art of survival raising their livestock in some of the hash and unforgivable environment. However rampant conflicts over grazing land ,water and animal diseases have become a challenge to them. The scarce natural resources and unpredictable weather patterns with rains that come critically after long intervals and prolonged drought are increasingly becoming the norm.
At least 124 households from Walda location in Marsabit county were transmitting from pastoralism to farming courtesy of Walda irrigation project. The project has not only change their style of lives but that of the community residing in the county.64 ha piece of land under irrigation have produce variety of vegetables which includes water melons,kales, spinach and were currently harvesting and make county food secure.
Explaining on the benefits of the project, Kenya red cross liaison officer Samuel Sambat is optimistic that supporting pastoralists community with more climate smart policies, reducing vulnerability to drought and raising healthy livestock through timely vaccines are all necessary to adapt to the ecological harshness of the area.He said bringing more water into the land will not only improve food production but allow farmers to move from substance farming in to growing and selling greater quality of food crops. He revealed that the irrigation project was supported by four boreholes.
He cautioned that any attempt to additional food secure require a keen consideration on the nature of the community and confirmed that the project has enabled community to grow a fast maturity vegetables like water melons and spinach and this has greatly improve food security.
He urged both county and national government to interplay food production problem, social and climate difficulties resulting in recurring famine.
Farmers who spoke on the benefits of the project explained that their lives has changed for better and that they were feeding the rest of the county residents and the prices of the vegetables has also gone down.Mr Wario Abdi said farming has changed his lives for better. " previously i depend on pastoralism but over time the rains becoming less and less and am unable to find pasture and water for my livestock. " he said
The Kenya red cross and county Government of Marsabit gives their support in terms of seeds,fertilizer, agro chemist ,fencing of boreholes and taught community on how to improve their resilience to cope with the negative impacts of climate change.