This archive report was first published on 9 August 2019.
Kenya: Dried-Up Pastures Push Kenya's Maasai to Mix Cattle With Crops ¶
Published on August 9, 2019
As worsening drought linked to climate change destroys the pastures they depend on to feed their cattle, a growing number of Maasai herders in Kenya's Kajiado County are turning to agriculture for extra income.
James Shakita, a 43-year-old Maasai herder, is one of them. He had raised cattle for more than 30 years but decided to break with tradition and swap some of his cows for crops after a severe drought hit the county last year.
Shakita used to keep about 180 animals but was left with fewer than 80 after the drought. He sold a few of his cows and used the money to sink a borehole for irrigation and devote a third of his 30-acre farm to planting kale, onions, and tomatoes.
His first harvest made him more than 2 million Kenyan shillings ($19,333), which allowed him to support his family and gave him the flexibility to better manage the size of his herd.
"Pastoralism is not treating me well at all. Losing animals year after year has weighed me down over time," Shakita said. "I feel crop farming is my salvation."
According to government data, more than 232,000 livestock died in Kajiado County during the 2017-2018 drought, most while in search of pasture. The number of Maasai herders taking up crop farming has grown by 40% over the past decade, said current county committee member for agriculture Jackline Koin.
"The frequent droughts have seen an unprecedented rise in the number of farmers in Kajiado. More crop farms are sprouting all over the county," she said.
Down the road from Shakita's farm, another herder, Brian Kikon, 30, also grows onions and tomatoes on a small piece of his family's 45-acre farm.
"I saw some of my neighbours practicing agriculture and I thought to myself, 'Why not?' It was new, but with a little help from my neighbours, I got the hang of it," Kikon said.
Professor Wilfred Subbo, a development anthropology expert at the University of Nairobi, said all Maasai herders should be shrinking their herds if they are to survive Kenya's frequent droughts.
"Pastoralism is becoming unsustainable in this day and age," he said. More Maasai should also consider rearing hybrid cattle, such as the Holstein-Friesian dairy cow, he added.
Harry Kimutai, principal secretary for livestock in Kenya's agriculture ministry, believes the effects of climate change will eventually force all Maasai to change their ways.
"Among the Maasai community, without cattle you are literally a nobody," he said. In Maasai culture, a community member's wealth and social standing is measured by how many heads of cattle they own.
Shakita believes the answer lies in a government-run abattoir, which could help stabilise the market and allow herders to sell their cattle at the going rate.
"I will not stop rearing livestock, I love my cattle," he said. "But I will integrate (herding) with crop farming. I need a livelihood - I have mouths to feed."
