Introduction
Land is an important resource in society. Land is the anchor to which productive activities such as agriculture, mining, construction, and entrepreneurship take place. Land utilization is mostly guided by its potential, which depends on existence of natural resources and climatic conditions. Historically, arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs) are characterized by water scarcity, extreme temperatures, and fragile ecosystems. However, in recent years, there has been growing recognition of the need to address the environmental, social, and economic challenges facing ASAL communities through the promotion of sustainable land-use practices.
Sustainable land-use in ASALs entails the careful management of natural resources such as water, soil, minerals, and vegetation to ensure their long-term viability while supporting the diverse needs of local communities. Recognizing and harnessing these opportunities is key for unlocking the socio-economic and environmental benefits that can positively impact local communities to realize the country’s development goals. The ASALs constitute over 80 per cent of the country’s landmass. It is home to approximately 18 million (36%) of Kenyan citizens. This blog aims to explore the pathways to achieving sustainable land-use in ASALs, considering the complex interplay of factors such as climate change, natural resources exploitation, demographic pressures, and socio-economic dynamics.
Status of Arid and Semi-Arid Lands
The ASALs in Kenya are currently characterized by different activities key to the nation’s social-economic development. Particularly, tourism plays a significant role, with ASALs hosting over 90 per cent of the country’s wildlife, contributing approximately 12 per cent to Gross Domestic Product (GDP). ASALs host vital renewable energy projects, such as the Lake Turkana Wind Power and Garissa Solar Plant, which are the largest grid-connected renewable power facilities in East and Central Africa. In the minerals sector, ASALs are endowed with diverse mineral resources such as gypsum, limestone, soda ash, and gemstones, presenting economic prospects for mining and extraction industries. For example, Devki steel factory in Kwale and Samburu counties has transformed the regions by creating social and economic opportunities. Additionally, ASALs in Kenya are rich in archaeological opportunities, offering a glance into the country’s historical past, as highlighted by Koobi Fora fossils in Turkana County, one of the world’s leading pre-historic sites for study of the evolution of humankind.
In the agricultural sector, the Galana Kulalu project, which aims to put one million acres of land under irrigation, is touted as a game changer in leading the way to sustainable farming in the ASALs. Additionally, the ASAL counties host over 70 per cent of the national livestock herd. Livestock value chain (e.g. meat, milk, eggs, livestock feed, leather, fiber, manure) contributes approximately 13 per cent of the country’s GDP.
Farmers in ASALs have increasingly turned to resilient varieties of crops such as drought-tolerant maize, green grams, sorghum, millet, and cowpeas. For example, in Taita Taveta and Kitui counties, the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics has supported small scale farmers to grow groundnuts and pigeon pea, with 25 per cent and 55 per cent average increase in earnings, respectively, compared to previous crops.
Opportunities for Sustainable use of Arid and Semi-Arid Lands
Agriculture
Food security is a growing concern for Kenya. ASALs currently contribute around 33 per cent of gross agricultural output. As the population approaches 60 million and the demand for food increases, ASALs agriculture is expected to play an even more significant role. This is particularly crucial considering that high rainfall areas, comprising only about 10 per cent of arable land, currently produce 60 per cent of the country’s national agricultural output. However, unsustainable land use practices in these areas, characterized by very small landholdings ranging from 0.3 to 3 hectares, have rendered them unable to fully support the nation’s food needs.
Of Kenya’s total ASALs, about 50 per cent of the area has potential to support irrigated agriculture, provided there is technological input. Presently, less than one percent of ASALs are under irrigation, with the majority of irrigated land falling under the Galana Kulalu project in Tana River County.
Drought-resistant crops such as green grams, cowpeas, groundnuts, millet, and sorghum thrive in ASAL climatic conditions and offer the potential to complement traditional staples such as maize, wheat, and rice, thus aiding in achieving food security. Maize, in particular, holds great importance as it accounts for roughly 85 per cent of total cereal production in Kenya. However, within ASALs, maize yields are significantly below their potential, with a mean yield of only 1.1 tons per hectare compared to a potential yield of 6 tons per hectare. By adopting farming technologies such as irrigation, there is immense potential to increase maize production in ASALs and enhance food security in the country.
Critical Minerals
Using data from the Kenya National Chambers of Commerce and Industry, the current contribution of the mining sector to Kenya’s GDP is less than one per cent. However, the sector has the potential to increase to 10 per cent. Geologists have confirmed the presence of rich deposits of critical minerals in different ASAL counties such as copper, graphite, manganese, nickel, iron ore, and nickel-cobalt, all of which are anticipated to experience increased demand amid the accelerating energy transition from fossil fuels. These mineral-rich ASALs include Kitui, Tana River, Kilifi, Isiolo, Makueni, Taita Taveta, Kwale, West Pokot, Turkana, Samburu, Elgeiyo Markwet, and Nandi.
In the Olkaria region of Nakuru County, KenGen has identified substantial amounts of silica and lithium in geothermal brine recovered from wells. The discovery of lithium is particularly significant as it is a vital component for the manufacture of batteries used in electric vehicles.
Solar and wind
Water aquifer
Many of the challenges facing ASALs can be attributed to low and unpredictable rainfall experienced in these regions, affecting water availability for agriculture, industry, and human consumption. In these areas, underground water aquifers are vital water sources. In 2013, UNESCO conducted a survey of groundwater resources in Turkana County, discovering the Lotikipi Aquifer, which is the largest aquifer discovered in Africa, holding an estimated 250 billion cubic metres of water. However, exploration of the aquifer was halted due to high salinity levels and the associated desalination costs. Desalination of groundwater from the Lotikipi Aquifer is a promising opportunity to alleviate water scarcity in ASALs.
Livestock industry
Beyond traditional meat and milk production, other opportunities lie in the other livestock byproducts. For example, animal hides can contribute to a thriving leather industry and provide a valuable revenue stream. Wool from sheep, goats and other fiber-producing animals presents opportunities for the textile and fashion industries. Additionally, other byproducts such as bones and horns can be used for different purposes, including pet food, pharmaceuticals and organic fertilizers. Developing value-added processing facilities within ASALs can enhance the economic potential of the livestock industry.
Tourism
ASALs hold a lot of potential for the tourism industry. ASALs present unique tourism opportunities. For example, the breathtaking landscapes characterized by expansive deserts, rugged terrains, and unique geological formations presents scenic views for eco-tourism, photography, and outdoor adventure activities such as hiking and nature walks. The scenic views are excellent filming location for documentaries and movies. The rich cultural heritage of ASALs, often influenced by indigenous communities, presents opportunities for cultural tourism. For example, tourists visiting the Maasai Mara National Reserve have the opportunity to engage with the Maasai culture by visiting the villages near the reserve, which provide insights into Maasai traditions, customs, and daily life.
Conclusion and Recommendations
To unlock the full potential of ASALs, it is important for ASAL county governments and other stakeholders to promote climate-smart agricultural techniques, water conservation, and drought-resistant crop varieties such as sorghum, pigeon pea and millet to enhance the resilience of ASALs to climate change impacts. In addition, promotion of ASALs as destinations for filming of documentaries and movies and promoting community-based tourism activities such as camel riding, home stays, handcrafting and storytelling to leverage on the rich cultural diversity in the ASALs can help generate alternative economic activities. To keep the pastoral livestock value chain stable and with sustained economic benefits, it is recommended that county governments consider promoting value addition activities beyond the traditional meat and milk production to capitalize on other opportunities that lie in the other livestock byproducts such as hide, wool, bones, horns and animal manure.
The government and development partners could go beyond basic electrification of the abundant solar and wind power and harness the opportunities in decentralized power to drive the adoption of innovative technologies such as solar-powered water pumping for irrigation, improving agricultural practices and solar stills for desalination of groundwater. Furthermore, decentralized renewable energy initiatives can enhance the resilience of the local communities by providing off-grid reliable power sources for lighting, refrigeration, and communication.
Authors: Frankline Mugambi and Naomi Mukami
