Climate change adaptation and land tenure: exploring pastoral adaptation strategies under communal and private land ownership in Kenya

Climate change adaptation is critically important for communities in the Global South, especially for those depending on climate-sensitive resources for their livelihoods, such as pastoralist communities. Land is a key asset for the ability of such communities to adapt. However, our understanding of the ways in which pastoral adaptation strategies develop under different land tenure systems–and how such strategies shape local land tenure systems–remains limited. This article conceptualises the relationship between local climate change adaptation strategies and land tenure and examines how adaptation strategies develop under communal and private tenure systems in southern Kenya. The article draws on primary data from a household survey (n = 160) and in-depth qualitative interviews in Kajiado County, Kenya, where Maasai pastoralists are adapting under both communal and private land tenure systems. We find that adaptation strategies vary with the different land tenure systems and we show how the tenure systems shape and are shaped by local adaptation strategies. We further find that wealth and social status influence the ability of households to benefit from and influence land tenure systems. The article contributes to our knowledge on autonomous local climate change adaption by adding insights on the role of land tenure as an important contextual factor. It further highlights the role of pastoralists’ agency as they develop their adaptation strategies and adjust livelihoods beyond livestock and mobility, and how this interacts with communal and private land tenure.