grazing a wide area of desert scrub

grazing a wide area of desert scrub, with each hamlet lying close to a well-based water source. In the 1960s–70s, huge irrigation channels were developed by the government, drawing water from the rivers to open up the land to agriculture. Grazing lands which had been a common property resource were taken and people were encouraged to grow wheat and grain: as the availability of grazing land diminished, there was little choice. Perceptions of climate change in this region are that rains are less regular, and that seasons are becoming harsher. However, it is hard to separate climatic impacts from those due to the ecosystem disruption caused by the transition to agriculture. While agriculture has brought increased wealth for some communities, rising input prices and increasingly erratic rainfall patterns are leading to high levels of indebtedness for many farmers. In the last ten years many community members have migrated to towns in search of employment, leading to the desertion of hamlets by all except the elderly. Traditionally, livelihoods were based around sound natural resource management and many customs and sayings linked to the weather were used to regulate behaviour. For example, in a study of local knowledge on climate, members of several villages talked about the emergence of the Sohal star as an indication that the severity of summer was coming to an end, and how sighting it would determine the change of seasons and a change of activities. This knowledge does not apply to a crop-based livelihood, and is no longer seen as relevant by younger generations, who prefer to listen to the radio for their weather forecasts. Although in some years agriculture yields a good income, it is becoming less viable. Alternative rural livelihood options are not obvious. Through a process of identifying cultural values, community-based adaptation has focused on raising awareness of traditional knowledge of sound environmental management . Changes in lifestyles and livelihoods have been brought about through a process of discussing the value of planting trees that were once employed for multiple uses: for fruit, fodder and fuel. Similarly, by reawakening an appreciation of the value of the camel in withstanding drought through the revival of traditional festivals of camel dancing, the status of the camel has been revived. In the process, those with land that has not yielded well have been encouraged to allow their land to revert to natural desert vegetation that is suitable for grazing. These adaptation strategies are predominantly circle 2 approaches (Figure 14.1), in which the focus is on extending the context of choice beyond existing options ( migration). By reviving traditional knowledge and the festivals that celebrate and communicate it, acceptable and appropriate alternative livelihood strategies have re-entered the communal consciousness and thus the context of choice. However, as in northern Kenya, climate change adaptation in this region will require government policies that support local culture and traditional land uses that are environmentally appropriate and work with the climate.