Ufugaji Hifadhi

Project background

Poor rangeland condition, together with insufficient livestock health management and excessive animal movement, leads to reduced quality and productivity of livestock within the Greater Mara ecosystem, reducing potential income for farmers. The presence of middlemen and brokers within the livestock value chain further reduces income from livestock sales. Importantly, degraded rangelands increase livelihood vulnerability to climate change and could lead — as seen elsewhere — to a proliferation of wildlife crime, a switch in land use, and unsustainable natural resource use.

To address some of these deep-rooted challenges, the Kenya Wildlife Trust and KWCA collaborated on 'Ufugaji Hifadhi', a venture to strengthen livelihoods for smallholder livestock farmers in Kenya's wildlife areas. The concept, piloted in the Greater Mara, is a virtual marketplace based on a smartphone application which offers farmers access to a new value chain, allowing them to maximise the income they receive from selling their livestock and livestock products, with direct access to a new market.

Problem statement

The Kenyan rangelands are under severe threat. Years of degradation due to multiple factors — climate change, unplanned grazing systems, changes in land use, low investment in infrastructure and rapid population growth, among others — have accelerated degradation. Livestock production is adversely affected by ecosystem degradation and faces increased competition for resources from other sectors.

Additionally, increasing temperatures and intense, short bursts of heavy rainfall reduce rangeland yields, leading to overgrazing, food insecurity and conflict over scarce resources. If biodiversity is to be protected for future generations, it is paramount that livestock economies work in harmony with ecosystem services and can be sustained across a market-driven value chain that produces accessible, affordable, quality local animal produce.

Project goal

To set up a digital marketplace connecting farmers to each other and to value chains, in order to give them a fair wage and sustainable income, whilst applying environmental protocols to change local behaviour and protect precious ecosystems.

Project objectives

• To improve household incomes from the livestock value chain within the Mara landscape.
• To improve livestock management practices through animal husbandry training.
• To restore landscapes and ecosystem services within the Mara landscape.
• To improve gender equality in the livestock value chain within the Mara landscape.

Project activities

• Development of the livestock marketing app.
• Recruitment and training of Conservation Agents in animal husbandry, financial literacy and environmental restoration.
• Training of community members in animal husbandry, financial literacy and environmental restoration.
• Environmental restoration of the project area.