Reducing land-use conflict: impacts of leasing arrangements on livestock and rangelands in Laikipia, Kenya

Abstract

Millions of people, many of whom live in poverty, depend on savannas for livestock production. However, the privatization of land following colonization in Kenya has reduced pastoralists’ access to rangelands, resulting in overgrazing and land degradation. This degradation threatens the livelihoods of pastoralists and negatively impacts wildlife that depend on these ecosystems. Furthermore, insecurity related to grazing rights and droughts has led to violent conflicts between pastoralists and private ranchers in recent years. There is a lack of research regarding the ecological viability of leasing arrangements that could reduce the potential for violence, where marginalized communities are given temporary access to healthy pastures on private properties. I studied the grazing patterns of two herds of cattle managed by pastoralists and two herds managed by private herdsmen in a leasing scheme in Laikipia, Kenya, and assessed their impacts on vegetation attributes and livestock performance. Compared to privately-managed cattle, herds guided by pastoralists covered longer distances at faster speeds while they were out grazing, and they gained less weight. The difference in weight gain was most likely because the energy output from walking in pastoralist herds was higher than in private herds, suggesting that energy expenditure is an important component to be considered in livestock management. Additionally, I found that there were no significant differences between the vegetation in areas grazed by private and community cattle. The results of this study demonstrate for the first time that leasers do not lead livestock to impact the landscape differently from private herdsmen, which supports leasing arrangements as a promising avenue for conflict reduction in semi-arid rangelands.