Restoring Kenya's South Rift Valley Through Community-Led Land Regeneration

Introduction: Who We Are

South Rift Association of Land Owners (SORALO) is a community-based land trust established in the year 2007. It comprises 25 Maasai communities living between the Greater Maasai Mara and the Greater Amboseli ecosystems (approximately 15,000 square kilometers). The community-based land trust was founded with a vision of maintaining a healthy, intact, and connected landscape in the south rift that sustains both the pastoralist communities and wildlife.

SORALO is dedicated to fostering harmony between wildlife and communities across Kenya’s South Rift. We believe that people and nature can coexist and thrive together. By empowering local communities and using sustainable land restoration techniques, we aim to preserve the rich biodiversity of our landscapes while enhancing the livelihoods of those who depend on them.

Problem Statement

Habitat loss, land fragmentation, and land degradation are the most immediate threats facing the South Rift Valley landscape. Over the last 30 years, transitions in land tenure from communal to individual ownership have led to the subdivision of communal rangelands, which are subsequently sold off and fenced. This process disrupts migratory corridors and limits mobility, a key survival mechanism for both pastoralists and wildlife in the landscape (Mwangi & Ostrom, 2009). As a result, traditional grazing lands have become increasingly restricted, heightening pressure on the remaining rangeland, water, and forest resources.

Rapid population growth (5.3% per annum) and a youthful population eager to secure rights to resources fuel the demand for individual land parcels (Bedelian et al., 2019; Western et al., 2020). While communal grazing systems are still prevalent, the shift to individual land titles reduces the space available for communal livestock rearing. The cumulative effect of these changes has resulted in a reduction of land for both pastoralists and wildlife, while intensifying the strain on the region’s natural resources.

Compounding these challenges, changing rainfall patterns, rising temperatures, and more intense grazing are accelerating land degradation across the region. Droughts are becoming more frequent, further exacerbating the degradation of rangelands and increasing water scarcity. Projections suggest that over the next decade, these combined factors will result in a 12-14% loss of suitable cattle grazing land (Bedelian et al., 2019).

In addition to ecological threats, the slow erosion of Maasai cultural practices and governance institutions is undermining effective natural resource management. Traditional communal governance systems are struggling to adapt to modern demands, weakening the checks and balances that have historically protected biodiversity and natural resources.

Solutions

1. FMNR/PMNR

A targeted training program and awareness campaign will be implemented to activate smallholder farmers to adopt Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) and activating herder communities to adopt Pastoralist Managed Natural Regeneration (PMNR), regenerating and protecting trees from stumps or seeds.

The program will engage 12 Champions (2 or 3 per community sublocation) in four community locations. They will be trained on F/PMNR, monitoring, leadership, and climate change mitigation. The Champions will receive three 4-day trainings. Champions will aim to reach 1,747 households and regenerate over 26,000 trees annually. Monitoring will be done via smartphones and booklets.

2. Grass Seed Bank Development

We will collaborate with local communities to establish a 20-acre grass seedbank, owned and managed by a group of women from the surrounding households. This initiative aims to empower women while enhancing ecological restoration and improving livelihoods.

The seedbank will be stocked with seeds purchased from existing women’s groups, and the reseeding will be done by 10 women over 4 days. This initiative will ensure a steady supply of locally adapted grass species for ongoing restoration efforts.

3. Pasture Regeneration through Earth Smiles

To restore degraded rangelands, we will engage local community members in constructing 1,600 earth smiles (small, curved embankments) to capture water and prevent soil erosion. These will cover 40 acres and be reseeded using grass from the seedbanks. Community members will be compensated for their labor, fostering local ownership and long-term ecological resilience. https://postimg.cc/gallery/w7bJfQ9 Grass seedbanks after harrow tilling https://postimg.cc/gallery/cdgv2Rb Earth Smiles https://postimg.cc/gallery/gwj5hWG Harvesting of Grass seeds from seed banks https://postimg.cc/gallery/LXTqxM2 Grass seedbanks

Funding Plan

1. FMNR/PMNR Initiative

• Objective: Train 12 community Champions to engage 1,747 households in regenerating 26,000+ trees annually.
• Key Activities and Costs:
  • Champions Training Program:
    • Venue: Kshs 5,000 per session
    • Facilitator costs: Kshs 30,000 per session
    • Meals & refreshments: Kshs 500 per person/day for 4 days per session for 12 Champions
    • Total: Kshs 900,000
  • Monitoring and Reporting:
    • 12 Smartphones: Kshs 180,000
    • Booklets and data entry: Kshs 60,000
  • Total FMNR/PMNR cost: Kshs 1,140,000 (Approx. USD 7,600)

2. Grass Seedbank Development

• Objective: Establish a 20-acre grass seedbank.
• Key Activities and Costs:
  • Seed procurement (40 kg per acre @ Kshs 1,100/kg): Kshs 880,000
  • Harrow tilling for 20 acres: Kshs 80,000
  • Meals for reseeding team (10 women, 4 days): Kshs 28,000
  • Total cost: Kshs 988,000 (Approx. USD 6,600)

3. Pasture Regeneration through Earth Smiles

• Objective: Construct 1,600 earth smiles covering 40 acres.
• Key Activities and Costs:
  • Labor for 1,600 smiles @ Kshs 190/bund: Kshs 304,000
  • Grass reseeding (20 kg/acre @ Kshs 1,100/kg): Kshs 880,000
  • Total cost: Kshs 1,184,000 (Approx. USD 7,900)

Grand Total for the Project

• FMNR/PMNR Training and Awareness Campaign: Kshs 1,140,000
• Grass Seedbank Development: Kshs 988,000
• Pasture Regeneration (Earth Smiles): Kshs 1,184,000
• Grand Total: Kshs 3,312,000 (Approx. USD 22,100)