Restoring grasslands in Kenya’s Rift Valley

Grasslands are a prerequisite for rearing livestock, and livestock is the mainstay of people’s existence in drylands. As one Kenyan woman put it, “without grass there is no livestock, without livestock there is no life.” Based in the lowlands of Baringo County in Kenya’s Rift Valley, RAE (Rehabilitating Arid Environments) Ltd. has worked for 38 years to develop a successful socio-ecological model that benefits people and dryland environments. RAE adapts its rain-fed land restoration techniques to each site, while continually revising its activities and strategies to the changing environmental and social dynamics of different areas and communities.
Today, RAE’s tried and tested methods are being widely replicated by government and non-government organizations, and most importantly, by agropastoralists and pastoralists, who profit directly from their restored and well-managed pastures. RAE’s long term efforts demonstrate that sustainable pasture restoration is not only possible, but that it improves the environment, livelihoods and food security and reduces conflicts.