DEMYSTIFYING AGRICULTURAL POPULISM IN MAASAI RANGELANDS IN THE SOUTHWESTERN KENYA

Agricultural expansion in Kenya’s Amboseli region has resulted in proven negative effects both on native megafauna that use the ecosystem as a dispersal area, as well as on grazing and water resources utilized by local livestock herds. While community conservancy programs supported by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) provide an ecologically sustainable alternative to farming’s increasing popularity, the claim that agriculture is the most profitable land-use option for the region remains dominant –– even as increasingly frequent droughts interrupt agricultural processes. This study presents a comparative analysis of the overall benefit of land-use– agriculture and conservancies– in the Amboseli region. We draw on fieldwork conducted between March - May 2023, in the former Kimana Group Ranch in the Amboseli region of southwestern Kenya. Data was collected through household surveys with 150 landowners, and key informant interviews with leaders and officers of various conservancies and NGOs in the area. We conducted approximate analyses of the annual cash flow reported by each household to compare the profitability of different land-use options. The results of the study show that, while agriculture is by far the most popular land-use option in Amboseli, the region’s traditional pastoralist practices remain the most financially stable and lucrative land-use option. Leasing land for conservation through community conservancies was the second most profitable. Irrigated agriculture, mostly practiced by non-Maasai people, showed relatively short-lived financial returns. We argue that increased farming in Maasai rangelands is fueled primarily by land privatization and the promise of immediate profits –– promises whose benefits are far outweighed by long-term economic and socio-ecological consequences. Considering that indigenous Maasai pastoralism is most sustainable for the semiarid rangeland and that our research indicated agriculture is practiced most by non-Maasai, we argue for an examination of how traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) competes with non-indigenous practices, especially considering that rangelands in East Africa are increasingly becoming fragile due to climate change.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/soc/0821/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>