By Benson Rioba
James Shakita had raised cattle for more than 30 years when he decided the only way to save his livelihood was to break with generations of tradition and swap some of his cows for crops.
The Maasai herder, 43, used to keep about 180 animals until a severe drought hit southern Kenya’s Kajiado County last year and decimated his herd, leaving him with fewer than 80.
“I just gave up,” he sighed, directing his remaining cows into a field for grazing.
In the past, the nomadic Maasai tribespeople shunned crop farming for livestock-keeping.
But as worsening drought linked to climate change destroys the pastures they depend on to feed their cattle, a growing number are turning to agriculture for extra income.
Shakita, realizing he could no longer rely on cattle for a living, sold a few of his cows last year and used the money to sink a borehole for irrigation. Then he devoted a third of his 30-acre (12-hectare) farm to planting kale, onions and tomatoes.
His first harvest made him more than 2 million Kenyan shillings ($19,333).
That allowed him to support his family and gave him the flexibility to better manage the size of his herd by buying and selling cows in line with Kenya’s increasingly erratic weather. “Pastoralism is not treating me well at all. Losing animals year after year has weighed me down over time,” Shakita said with a weary smile. “I feel crop farming is my salvation.”…Read more>>
