Drought forces Kenya's Maasai and other herders to look beyond cattle — even to fish

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Drought forces Kenya's Maasai and other herders to look beyond cattle — even to fish
KenyaDroughtsGeneral News
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The blood, milk and meat of cattle have long been the staple foods for Maasai pastoralists in Kenya, perhaps the country's most recognizable community. But climate change is forcing the Maasai to contemplate a very different dish: fish. A recent yearslong drought in Kenya killed millions of livestock.

Kenya n farmers are being forced to adopt drought-resistant alternatives to the cattle they traditionally rear, as climate change complicates the old pastoralist way of life. , perhaps the country’s most recognizable community. But climate change is forcing the Maasai to contemplate a very different dish: fish.killed millions of livestock.

Among the Maasai and other pastoralists in Kenya and wider East Africa — like the Samburu, Somali and Borana — cattle are also a status symbol, a source of wealth and part of key cultural events like marriages as part of dowries.of emaciated cattle strewn across vast dry lands. In early 2023, the Kenya National Drought Management Authority said 2.6 million livestock had died, with an estimated value of 226 billion Kenya shillings .

“The lands were left bare, with nothing for the cows to graze on,” Oltinki said. “So I decided to set aside a piece of land to rear fish and monitor how they would perform.” Another member of the Maasai community in Kajiado, Philipa Leiyan, started farming fish in addition to keeping livestock. “The program has seen some importance,” said Benson Siangot, director of fisheries in Kajiado county, adding that it also addresses issues of food insecurity and malnutrition.

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