Who we are

Approximately 85% of Kenya’s land mass is categorized as arid and semi-arid (ASAL) which fits into the generic term of drylands. Due to harsh climatic conditions in the ASALs, very few economic activities take place. Pastoralism is the main source of livelihood for the people, but it is not a sustainable revenue stream due to its vulnerability to extreme weather events that are thrust by climate change. Long, frequent, and extreme droughts are prevalent in Kenya’s drylands resulting in water scarcity, famine, lack of pasture, and the death of large numbers of livestock – the mainstay of the local economy. On the flip side, these ASALs are known to receive abnormally high levels of precipitation leading to floods that result in deaths, infrastructure destruction, and yet again, the loss of livestock that form the jugular vein of the pastoralist communities’ sustenance. These events’ latest episode was just experienced in Kenya in 2023. Having come out of the worst drought in five decades that was also experienced in the greater Horn of Africa region, Kenya finds itself drowned by floods resulting from relentless rain caused by the El Niño weather phenomenon.

The challenge for Save the Drylands is how to ensure that Kenya’s ASALs are not unduly affected by variations in weather patterns. Is it possible for the country to benefit from, rather than be a perennial victim of shifting climatic patterns? Are there lessons we can draw from our past experiences and those from beyond Kenya’s borders?

Taking cognizant of the fact that climate change is an existential threat, we intend to deploy a hybrid approach as our strategic intervention trajectory in our vision of bringing about a paradigm shift in the lives and livelihoods of pastoral communities in the ASALs. This will entail the utilization of tested-and-proven indigenous wisdom, as well as scientifically authenticated nature-based methodologies in environmental sustainability.

Policy Pronouncements

Our aspirations blend seamlessly with those at county, national, regional and international level. The County Integrated Development Plans under the devolved system of government in Kenya, the country’s Vision 2030 and the Big 4 Agenda, the East African Community’s Vision 2050, the African Union’s Agenda 2063 as well as the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are all policy pronouncements whose ultimate goal is enhancement of human welfare.