Small-scale herders in Kajiado County are moving away from traditional pastoralism and diversifying into crop and fruit farming.
Alex Ole Mula of Kisaju village is a prime example of this shift. He successfully cultivates mangoes and exports basil and tomatoes grown using solar-powered drip irrigation, finding mango farming to be a lucrative and low-maintenance alternative livelihood.
Similar efforts are underway in Narok County through the Agricultural Value Chain Development Project (NAVCDP), which is partnered with the World Bank.
Small scale herders in the vast Kajiado County are currently diversifying into crop farming away from the traditional pastoralism owing to adverse effects of climate change.
The 2020-2022 dire drought that resulted in mass animal deaths and left hundreds of households starving, according to the National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) data, exposed the herders' soft underbelly on food security, jolting herders into crop and fruit farming.
