Community Rangeland Management in Mandera

 

Natural Resource Management (NRM) clearing weeds on a field enclosed for future grazing. CARE/David Mutua

On the border between Kenya and Ethiopia, in Eymolo location, Banisa sub-county of Mandera, Aden Ibrahim and members of the Natural Resource Management (NRM) - group he chairs - go about clearing weeds on one of the group’s two enclosures. As a predominantly pastoralist society, the community in Banisa heavily relies on available pasture for the survival of their livestock. “Management of land and pasture through the establishment of such enclosures is key. We live in a semi-arid region, and we experience frequent droughts and little rainfall, and this causes animals to die due to lack of pasture,” Aden says.

Camels searching for food in Eymolo, Banisa sub-county of Mandera County. CARE/David Mutua

Rangeland management is critical in ensuring that pasture in the pasture lands are not degraded due to overgrazing. It is the practice of preserving sections of pasture to regenerate so that they can be accessed later when pasture in other areas is depleted. This is an essential practice because it allows for communities to always have a backup for their cattle. This was something that Aden’s community had not been practicing until the Building Opportunities for Resilience in the Horn of Africa (BORESHA) Program came into the picture.

BORESHA Program, a project that brings together CARE International in Kenya, DRC, and World Vision, has a component that looks at Natural resource management where Rangeland conservation and management is a key part. “Through BORESHA, we have trained 210 community members from 21 villages on rangeland management to enable them to know how to control grazing especially during the rainy season so that they can have pasture and fodder during the dry season,” says Salim Abdullahi, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer for CARE International for the BORESHA Program. The training takes the committees through ways they can be able to preserve pasture as well as care for the enclosures including the importance of fencing, weed clearing, as well as how to rejuvenate unproductive land by planting grass and trees to restore pasture and prevent soil erosion.

Aden Ibrahim chairing a meeting with the members of the Natural Resource Management (NRM) . CARE/David Mutua

BORESHA program went a step further in working with the community members as Aden explains, “After the training, 100 people were hired to work on the establishment of the enclosures. After 30 days, we received Kes. 21,500 ($192.57) and this really improved our living standards. Personally, my cattle have also benefitted from having these enclosures as they can get the pasture from these enclosures” Beyond rangeland management, the community also received training on beekeeping and harvesting and have since established several beehives that have been colonized by several swarms of bees.

Aden Ibrahim climbing a tree to monitoring his beehive. CARE/David Mutua

As the NRM groups have continued to apply their knowledge, they have also faced some challenges. “Some members of the community have not been respecting the enclosures and they would graze their cattle when they are not supposed to. As a result, we have to continually inspect and fill holes in the fence to ensure there is only one way in and out,” Aden says. Lack of rain has also been a huge challenge which has led to shrubs and trees drying out, but this has not deterred the community from ensuring the enclosures continue to thrive.

To ensure the sustainability of the project, the BORESHA program has collaborated with the County Government so that gains achieved are not only be maintained but can also be replicated in other areas. “Mandera county government trained the community together with the BORESHA program staff on rangeland management. The County staff were also trained on the same as well as the development of rangeland plans. This will ensure the continuity of the program once it ends,” says Abdi Khadir Abdullahi, Mandera East Sub-County Livestock Production Officer.

As the NRM committee in Eymole continues setting up and maintaining their enclosures they have passed on what they have learned to others, “We have shared the knowledge on enclosures and rangeland management to others so that they too can establish what we have here in their communities and villages,” says Aden.

NRM committee members setting up enclosures as part of the rangeland management. CARE/David Mutua

Rangeland Management training has been shared with 375 community members in Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia where the BORESHA program is implemented. At the same time, 233 County and National Government staff have received teachings on the same as well as rangeland planning. Across the three countries, the NRM committees have established 10 enclosures covering a total of 1,238.8 hectares. As the countries share close borders and the communities have close relations, it is envisioned that there will be equitable cross-border rangeland supervision leading to an increase in the quality of the community.

 

Funded by the European Union Trust Fund for Africa (EUTF), the Building Opportunities for Resilience in the Horn of Africa (BORESHA) project is a 3-year 9 Months cross-border project (December 2017- November 2020) and March-November 2021. Whose overall objective is to promote economic development and greater resilience, particularly among vulnerable groups in the Mandera Triangle (area between Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia). The project adopts a community-driven approach to address the shared nature of the risks and opportunities in this border area. It is part of the EU's Programme for Collaboration in the Cross-Border areas of the Horn of Africa, providing over 60 million euros of investment to prevent and mitigate the impact of local conflict and to promote economic development and greater resilience in the different cross-border regions. The consortium is led by Danish Refugee Council in partnership with World Vision and CARE International.