Community-Driven Restoration: How the LISTEN Project is Greening Kenya’s Rangelands.

In Kenya’s arid and semi-arid lands, specifically Laikipia, Isiolo, and Samburu counties, the four-year Laikipia Isiolo Samburu Strengthening Environment through Nexus (LISTEN) Project is making significant strides in enhancing resilience to climate change. This initiative focuses on improving food, nutrition, and water security while promoting sustainable rangeland management.

Implemented by AGRA in partnership with SNV and the Frontier Counties Development Council (FCDC), the LISTEN Project employs a nexus approach. This strategy involves integrating and leveraging the complementary activities of various agencies across different sectors, engaging community support, and involving the private sector where possible.

A notable achievement of the LISTEN Project, funded by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Kenya, is its sustainable rangeland restoration efforts. The project has embraced a participatory approach, involving communities in every stage of intervention. This includes reseeding, eradicating invasive species like Opuntia, participatory resource mapping, and developing grazing management and business plans.

The project is grounded in county government ownership, aiming to scale impact by working at county, landscape, community, and farmer levels. It has supported the three county governments in crafting rangeland management frameworks, including the creation of policies and legislative structures to manage rangelands effectively. Each county now has a Rangelands Policy that calls for institutional structures, legislative drafts, and regulations for implementation. The validation of these policies through County Technical Working Groups (TWG) has further strengthened governance and policy direction.

Through these efforts, the LISTEN Project has rehabilitated 470 acres of rangeland. This has been achieved through grass reseeding and the establishment of seasonal grazing areas across community lands. Community members have been trained to develop grazing plans and practice regenerative land management through controlled grazing.

The project aims to support institutional capacities for climate change adaptation at the county level and enhance smallholder farmers’ knowledge and adoption of climate-smart irrigation technologies and practices. By involving communities in rangeland restoration, the project has improved pasture rejuvenation and increased availability, benefiting community members with better access to pasture for their herds and young livestock. This, in turn, has enhanced manure application and seed dispersal, leading to healthier rangelands.

The LISTEN Project has also provided valuable lessons for AGRA and its partners. One key insight is that introducing new knowledge requires ongoing capacity building rather than a single training session, as continuous education is essential for long-term impact. Community engagement is crucial for sustainability, as local knowledge and active participation are key to effective land management. Additionally, successful rangeland restoration hinges on strong partnerships, given the vastness of the arid and semi-arid lands (ASAL) rangelands.

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