The process involves tagging every animal with an electronic tag that is GPRS enabled. The tag also carries with it the farmer’s name, vaccination history, age, type, location and the colour of the animal.

“This will significantly improve the quality of animals and their prices in our County. With assurance of the animal’s vaccination history and ownership, market price will improve and so will farmer’s income,” James Mugere, CO, Department of Agriculture explained.

The success of these efforts is predicated on farmers owning these efforts, understanding the benefits of tagging and how that will impact on their economy and security of their animals.

To address this, veterinary officers have been trained about the system operations. In return, they have trained representatives from 13 Community ranches (in Doldol) about the Identification and traceability process – benefits of acquiring the identification and animal tags.

Speaking at the first tagging exercise in Segera last week on Friday, The Kenya Commercial Bank Foundation, Livestock Programme Manager, Mr. Bernard Barasa, said that farmers and ranchers can benefit with loans from the Foundation at zero interest among other benefits.

Laikipia is the pioneer of this exercise and while the target is 10,000 heads of cattle, the overall objective is every animal in Laikipia County to be tagged in the system.

This effort was pioneered by the Oramat Lenaboisho Cooperative Society some three years ago,  but was stopped when the GOK disallowed GPRS chipping in livestock as a health hazard.

The expectation is that tagging will add value to our livestock industry through traceability, and improve the security of livestock through the same system.

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In the Ewaso Basin, where its population depends on agriculture for their livelihoods, recurrent droughts and floods are increasingly creating poverty traps for many households.

Poverty and hunger alleviation is still the dominant issue among rural communities. Rain-fed agriculture provides food and livelihoods for both the rural and urban population. A shift from reliance on rain-fed agriculture in conventional smallholder farming systems can provide a win-win solution. A shift to greater water security can secure crop production, and enable other much-needed investments in nutrients, weeding, seed quality, and better management operations.

Agnes Wambui a farmer from Umande ward, practices rain-fed agriculture.  Being a riparian land owner, she also irrigates her crops from the Sirimon River. But there are times when she has lost her crops due to prolonged droughts. During such times the river dries up completely, often due to over- abstraction. Agnes narrated how she lost acres of onions and cabbages multiple times due to prolonged droughts.

Storing rain and flood water for dry season irrigation is not accessible to many farmers, as their rain-fed production history makes them unattractive to commercial banks.

Ewaso Maji Users Savings and Credit Sacco (EMU SACCO) was developed to expand financial access to small holder farmers specifically for water storage and irrigation infrastructure by expanding the ‘Maji Chap Chap’ credit product developed to provide small loans to farmers to transition to irrigated production from secure water storage on their farms.

The classic SACCO credit model uses member equity and member co-guarantees to provide loans to non-traditional borrowers, who lack bankable credit histories and collateral.

The EMU SACCO provides a credible vehicle for small holder farmers like Agnes to partner with private sector and donors to reduce financial barriers while using farming expertise to mitigate lending risks and linking farmers with suppliers offering preferential rates on irrigation and water storage supplies.

Private sector and donor support is combined with members’ contributions to capitalize the loan facility and to provide technical farming support services. EMU SACCO revenue is derived from interest on loans and capital. Maji Chap Chap is specifically targeted at competent small holder farmers with a rain fed production history who aspire to an irrigated production future.

Although demand driven, marketing of the credit products focuses on women and youth. Lending risks are mitigated through a rigorous appraisal process that assesses eligibility, character, farming competence and business risks and supports farmers along the pathway to become successful irrigation farmers. Gross margins are 300% higher from irrigated agriculture than from rain-fed small holder farming making loan repayments affordable over a 5-year return period at a competitive interest of 6% (business loans with commercial banks currently charge about 12% or more).

Agnes was the first beneficiary of the Maji Chap Chap loan and she is currently working with EMU SACCO’s technical department that came in handy to assist members with the technical expertise they need on the ground. Agnes will acquire a million liter water pan that will bring her woes of being rain- dependent farmer to an end.

The EMU Sacco operates independently but is supported by the Mt. Kenya Ewaso Water Partnership and the Laikipia Forum.

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Storm Water and Environment Management Forum (SWEMF) is a Community Based Organization, initiated by Francis Githui, and was registered in 2018. They have been at the forefront of efforts for environmental conservation and management along our local rivers. SWEMF aims to rehabilitate and conserve various riparian lands including those of Likii and  Nanyuki Rivers.

On 24th October 2020, SWEMF invited their partners for the official launch of the rehabilitation of 9.8 Kilometres of Nanyuki river and 8.5km of the Likii river.

The event brought together partners such as

• Hearts of Green
• Mount Kenya Ewaso Water Partnership
• Mount Kenya Trust
• Kenya Water Towers
• Nanyuki WRUA
• BATUK
• William Holden
• Youth Affairs department, NEMA
• Water Resources Authority (WRA)
• Laikipia County’s Ministry of Water Environment and Natural Resources as well as the National Government.

Pollution, deforestation and encroachment have riddled these river areas. During the campaign, people were encouraged to embrace sustainable building technologies and to avoid construction in riparian areas. People were also discouraged from carrying out their farming activities on riparian areas as this results in river pollution, especially for downstream water users.

Esther Mwamure, Deputy County Commissioner Laikipia, pointed out that the Kazi Mtaani youths involved in the initiative, had already removed more than 100 tonnes of garbage from the Nanyuki and Likii rivers and would continue with their clean-up efforts to ensure that we have clean and safe water for our use.

The importance of planting trees was reiterated throughout the event as trees would prevent erosion and help prevent pollution. Trees also bring about clean and fresh air and would help in stabilizing the river banks.

Many speakers also pointed to the importance of planting trees to help Laikipia and Kenya attain the required 10% tree cover commitment.

Chairman Githui, also mentioned that through their edible rivers initiative, many local community members would benefit. Francis believes that through this initiative many nutritional problems prevalent in the county can be avoided and that the project will also be beneficial to wildlife coexisting with people and will inevitably mitigate human-wildlife conflict.

To read more on SWEMF’s environmental initiatives, click on the link below.

https://laikipia.org/championing-practical-environmental-conservation/

All partners emphasized their willingness to collaborate on the restoration and rehabilitation of the rivers and their banks. Hearts of Green said that they would be willing to partner with other organizations to grow around 200,000 seedlings.

The launch was a successful event and is linked to the greening effort of conserving 100 acres of green spaces for Nanyuki@100. The event set a good precedent for river and environmental conservation in the County. Hopefully, everyone who planted a tree during the event can continue monitoring and nurture it.

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This is a fascinating report on the people behind the poaching in South Africa. It’s a comprehensive study of the “offenders” and offers some insights into the demographics of poaching and the motives.

When are we in Kenya going to undertake a more sophisticated understanding of the motives and demographics of our own illegal wildlife trade?

If anyone has such a report, please share it with us, so that we can share it with our membership!

Mr. John Letai, the Deputy Director for Environment and Natural Resources, Laikipia Count,y shares his views with stakeholders during an invasive species field monitoring visit.

The County Government of Laikipia and stakeholders continue to work on mitigation measures to curb the spread of the Opuntia Stricta and the Acacia Reficiens. They firmly believe that the development of an Invasive species management plan is the best action to take us forward in our efforts.

The exponential spread of these invasive species has for years now led to negative ecological, and socio-economic impacts in the region. Laikipia County has been on the forefront on engaging different stakeholders working on projects related to invasive species management. The County through the Department of Environment and Natural Resources leads a stakeholder forum which meets on quarterly basis for monitoring of different projects under implementation. The stakeholder forum is comprised of the following members Stakeholders from the local communities in 13 Group Ranches across Laikipia North, Laikipia County Government (LCG), Laikipia Wildlife Forum (LWF), Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT), World Vision International – Kenya (WV), ILMAMUSI Mukogodo Forest Association, Naibung’ a Conservancies, National Environment Management Authority – Laikipia County (NEMA), Loisaba Conservancy, Uaso Nyiro Baboon Project (UNBP) and Loldaiga Ranch have all been working to try and come up with management/control/eradication measures of Opuntia stricta through either mechanical removal or biological control, involved in sensitization of local communities on the effects of Opuntia, and mapping of the extent of the Invasive species.

Recently the stakeholder forum held a 2-day workshop sponsored by IMARA project which involved a field visit to the different sites undertaking biological and mechanical control and a brainstorming workshop to develop strategies on how to mobilize for additional funds towards invasive species management efforts. During the field visit at Ilpolei site in which Enduata group member, Magdalene Silam shared her views towards the management efforts being conducted …..“Opuntia has for a long time been a constant headache to me and my family. This species has led to the loss of most of our grazing land which consequently led to the death of most of our livestock. I am very happy with the current partnerships and I continue to see results from both mechanical and biological control methods. It would be nice to see if these methods can be integrated for best results,”.

The development of a County Invasive Species Management Plan and budget was agreed as one of the key strategies to be developed towards invasive species management efforts. During the discussions held on the 21^st and 22^nd of September 2020. The meeting revolved around 2 main areas: the cost of mechanical removal of opuntia and the sustainability of the opuntia management projects. There was a specific focus on.

1. How to prevent the spread of Opuntia in areas where it already exists.
2. How to prevent the spread of opuntia in uninfected areas
3. Management of areas which have Opuntia
4. Land restoration after the management efforts are complete.

The meeting concluded that a management plan for Opuntia stricta and other invasive species in Laikipia North be developed. It was also decided that capacity-building efforts towards ownership of the management efforts ongoing to be built in current and future projects.

The County Government continues to work on developing a County Environmental Action Plan (CEAP) and it was agreed that invasive species should be included as a major component with immediate priorities identified in the plan for budgeting and action.

Laikipia County is working towards the development of a county invasive species policy. The Forum is in the process of producing a documentary that will provide information on the efforts made in managing the invasive species. The documentary will as well be used as a tool to provide useful information during the policy development process and act as a fundraising tool for invasive species management.

A technical committee was formed to spearhead the proposed action plans. The committee is comprised of a membership derived from the thematic areas of focus in relation to the management of the invasive species.

Roles:

1. Lead in the development of draft management plan
2. Budgeting process, including fundraising
3. First meeting to be decided by NEMA with close collaboration with World Vision-IMARA Project

The committee is as listed below;

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The 1968 Act legalized the ownership and occupation of land by a group of people, and provided the legal basis for the establishment of group ranches.

These group ranches have now become somewhat famous in conservation areas around national parks and reserves, such as Amboseli, Southern Rift, Maasai Mara, Tsavo, and Laikipia.

In Laikipia, about 25% of the total area of Laikipia is community land, with most of the community land operating under the Land (Group Representative) Act of 1968!

 They are an essential element of the Laikipia landscape and its land use; we have 13 group ranches.

The Community Land Act was signed into law on 31st August 2016 and it commenced operation on 21st September 2016.  The Act specifically provides for the recognition, protection, and registration of community land rights; management and administration of community land; and the role of county governments in relation to unregistered community land. To date, most community land titling has been slow to happen.

In Laikipia, the process of community land titling is supported by FAO. Only one of our group ranches has received its community land title since 2016 – IL Ngwesi.

In addition, the Act gives communities the opportunity to use and manage collectively land that is communally owned, by forming Community Assemblies and Community Land Management Committees.

Communities can then freely enter into agreements with investors to maximize returns from their land, and to all benefit more directly and collectively from these agreements/contracts.

Below is a summary of the process and requirements for the registration of community land in Kenya:

• A community claiming an interest in or right over community land shall register its rights under the Land Registration Act. They must also have a plausible justification for why they are registering the community land as a collective, e.g. common ancestry, similar culture, etc.
• The community land in Kenya shall vest in the Community. All adult members of this community must be listed during the registration process. This includes women, a first for the community land registration.
• The community shall elect representatives to manage and administer the registered community land on behalf of the respective community.
• Before submission of the community formation and registration documents to the registrar of societies, the local chief must authenticate these documents by applying an official stamp to the application documents and letter.
• The elected community representatives must then present these authenticated documents at the Registrar of Societies. The Registrar of Societies then provides the community with a registration certificate after due diligence. This means the community is officially registered, but their interest in the land has not been documented.
• The registered community identifies a surveyor, who is duly licensed to practice as a land surveyor. The surveyor provides an index map of the country and dials down to the specific area of land of interest on the official map of the area. The surveyor gets a general map of the area from Survey of Kenya, Folio Register (FR) which is represented by the FR number.
• With the FR map, the Survey of Kenya indicates the reference points for the parcel, this guide the surveyor in placing new coordinates on the ground relative to the official control points. Once the points are marked, beacons are planted to mark the new points. A list of coordinates demarcating the boundaries is then established in relation to these points.
• There is an official template called the deed plan that shows the reference point, the new points, and the resultant maps. The deed plan is taken to the land control board for scrutiny and verification. The board may invite any other interested parties or neighbors to authenticate a claim to ensure no claimants are ignored in the process.

Want to learn more about Community Land Titling? Check out this Facilitators Guide to the Kenyan Community Land Act here.

Keep Informed! Stay Engaged!

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Between February 1^st and 12^th, 8 adventure clients from the USA joined the Adventure for Rhinos safari- a multi-sport adventure dedicated to rhino conservation in the Laikipia landscape. Starting at the Mount Kenya Safari Club, the adventurers biked through the mountain’s forest to Ol Pejeta Conservancy, where they met Fatu and Najin (the Northern White Rhinos) and Baraka (the blind black rhino).

They rode through Ol Pejeta with wildlife by their sides, but had to cut their bike ride short due to a huge herd of elephants. On Day 5, the adventurers biked rom Kicheche Camp to Jua Kali with Nanyuki’s local cycling team- Nanyuki Mambas and finally on to the Lolldaiga Hills. The last day of biking was an arduous one, with some serious elevation gain. The route went from Lolldaiga to Borana Conservancy, through Ole Naishu. After a “rest” day on Borana Conservancy, the adventurers climbed Mt. Kenya on the Timau route, all of them summiting Point Lenana.

Riding alongside giraffes on Lolldaiga was thrilling, walking through the savannah of Ol Pejeta listening to lions roar in the distance was gripping, having to pause mid bicycle ride to watch a herd of elephants was spellbinding and watching the sun set behind Batian and Nelion, Mt. Kenya’s tallest peaks held us all in awe.

The adventurers biked over 190km with over 2,900m of elevation in 5 days and then climbed Mt. Kenya, which was a hike of 46km with 2,545m of elevation. Congrats to all of them!

The ‘safari’ was an adventure, a journey and an opportunity to exhibit wildlife conservation in Laikipia, in particular rhino conservation. The safari took the adventurers through sanctuaries that host rhinos and conservancies that are hoping to host rhinos in the future. And to tie it all together, the guests climbed Mt. Kenya to get a bird’s eye perspective of the Laikipian landscape.

Adventure for Rhinos is connected with the Laikipia Forum’s efforts to raise funds and awareness for expanded rhino conservation in Laikipia. This effort is called the #RhinoRevivalFund. The Rhino Revival Fund was conceived more than four years ago to serve the conservation needs of our area. We continue to explore ways in which communities, government, and landowners can become more directly involved and successful with wildlife conservation. This fundraising trip has made almost $50,000!!

The Rhino Revival Fund is the foundation for a more ambitious grant funding mechanism for wildlife conservation in the greater Laikipia landscape. The Mazingira Conservation Fund will soon grow to USD$200,000 with a 4:1 match, and help support community-led efforts to engage in expanded conservation activities. You can learn more about the MCF here.

Adventure for Rhinos would like to acknowledge the following partners and sites for their contributions to this effort:

@africanascents @savagewilderness @tropicairkenya @onefortyeight_nairobi
@fairmontmtkenya @mkwc_ke @OlPejeta @kichechelaikipia @kicheche_safari_camps

@lolldaiga_hills @boranaconservancy @boranalodge @tonywild_ke

#AfricanAscents #KWS #Mt.KenyaNationalPark #NanyukiCyclingClub #adventure #adventuretourism #rhino #rhinoconservation #wildlifeconservation #mtnbiking #laikipia #kenya #magicalkenya #whyilovekenya

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adventureforrhinos.org
@adventureforrhinos

Alex Lekalaile the Rangeland Coordinator for Westgate in Samburu County collects data on Acacia reficiens

LWF is working with NRT and conservancies with support from the Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD), and the World Agroforestry Center to map the current extent of Opuntia stricta and Acacia reficiens in conservancies of Laikipia and Samburu Counties. Through project is funded by USAID through SERVIR.

In Laikipia County the focus is on Lekurruki, Ilngwesi, Makurian and Kurukuri, Borana and Ngare Ndare conservancies. In Samburu County, with NRT, the mapping focus is on Westgate, Sera, Namunyak, Meibae and Kalama conservancies.

The mapping exercise involves a mobile App – smart phone application called, “Invasive Species Mapper”, which was developed by RCMRD. Working with the conservancy managers and their rangeland coordinators, the data protocol involves random sampling of vegetation plots in the different conservancies using smart phones and the App.  Information collected through the software includes: date, latitude and longitude, altitude and accuracy, the species name, the area covered by the invasive species, canopy cover, habitat, species abundance (the density of the plants in the identified area), land ownership, whether the area is accessible or inaccessible, and settlement- whether the species are in homesteads or not.

The methodology guideline is attached here

Wilfred Meejoli and Nicholas Kodei collect Opuntia stricta data in Makurian Group Ranch

This information will inform management measures to be applied for invasive species, and will also be used to develop models for future monitoring of the management measures applied. This data collection takes a period of 2 months.

This information will be supplied on an open access data platform to County Governments for their use and to guide county-led invasive species control interventions. The tool and technique is another example of citizen science.

Invasive Species Mapper Application developed by RCMRD

Formation of the working groups was pegged to the different mechanisms that are currently being used as solutions to managing the species. This includes both biological and mechanical methods Research, policy and monitoring and evaluation groups were also included as these themes are a significant part in obtaining relevant data and analysis on the invasive species.

The groups have been tasked to work closely as one team, and to ensure that Laikipia County becomes free of the Opuntia stricta and essential ways of managing it.

The Laikipia invasive species symposium was organized by the County Government of Laikipia, in partnership with Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) on the 26^th of September 2019. 

Participants included NRT, the  Regional Centre for Mapping for Resources for Development, Kenya Forestry Research Institute, and Centre for Agriculture Biosciences International.

Mr. John Letai, Director for Environment, Laikipia County, highlighted the efforts that have been made by stakeholders from the County. Laikipia Forum, Northern Rangelands Trust, World Vision and the County are all using different mechanisms to achieve this. The Laikpia Forum is mapping the extent of the Opuntia and acacia reficiens in Laikipia North (including Makurian, Ilngwesi, Lekurruki and Kurukuri) and Samburu (select conservancies).This is being done in partnership with, County, NRT, and RCMRD under the SERVIR programme.

These invasive species are consuming almost 80% of grazing land. They displace and destroy the native grass species.

The Laikipia Chief Officer for Agriculture, Mr. Mungere, while appreciating the initiatives of everyone, added that as a County we must identify a permanent solution to the cactus invasion before it escalates further.

The most effective and cost-effective method, the use of biological control has worked successfully in several countries, including Kenya. The Centre for Agriculture Biosciences International (CABI) representative, Ms. Winnie Nunda, assured participants that biological control is the way to go.  She noted that while this method is perceived as slow, it eventually works. Biological control was introduced to Laikipia in 2013 after extensive tests and approvals. Ol Jogi Conservancy, NEMA, the Mpala Research Center, the LWF, and CABI, were all active in this most effective way to control the invasive cactus.

The meeting was attended by different Laikipia and national stakeholders including community members from the group ranches most severely impacted by the plant, the Laikipia Wildlife Forum, ICRAF, Mpala Research Centre, World Vision, Laikipia Perma-Culture Center, Laikipia County Government, the Northern Rangelands Trust, Naibunga Conservancy, ILMAMUSI CFA, and GSD Innovation. Also in attendance at the meeting was the MCA for Mukogodo East Ward, Hon. Daniel Nyausi, who is also the Deputy Speaker of the County Assembly of Laikipia. He assured full County support to the invasive species management efforts. He also requested for a briefing paper to be presented to the County Assembly for lobbying of a County Policy on invasive species, and for the allocation of more budget for interventions in the 2019/2020 financial year.

The major resolutions of the meeting included the combination of mechanical control, biological control, enterprise and policy formulation in the management of the invasive species. Laikipia County Government will continue to coordinate all the activities from the different stakeholders in the management of the invasive species. Stakeholders pledged to maintain frequent engagements and coordination in the management of the invasive species.

UPDATE!!

LWF is the recipient of a new grant through USAID and the Regional Center for Mapping Resources for Development (RCMRD). The grant will be administered by LWF and support the County’s efforts to monitor the Opuntia eradication efforts with the engagement of citizen science. The grant will commence in April 2019. Stand by for regular updates!