Keekenyokie: adding value to Maasai beef

Pastoralism in Kenya is suited for arid and semiarid environments and has a vital role to play in the sustainability of these dryland ecosystems. This is argued in the case study “Keekenyokie: adding value to Maasai beef” about the Keekonyokie slaughterhouse and meat conservation enterprise of the Maasai pastoralists in Kajiado in the Rift Valley Province of Kenya. This pastoralist owned and managed business established in 1981 without external funding tries to link rangeland conservation to livestock markets. It operates a biogas plant to convert the slaughterhouse waste into bio-fertilizer and energy (the latter for the slaughterhouse). It was involved in setting up a Pastoralist Field School (PFS) to serve as a local training facility. The author Michael Kibue presents the case study to show that it is possible to achieve development that integrates economic, social and environmental sustainability, with all being mutually supportive. He calls for policy to enhance the dual roles of pastoralism as a conservation and economic activity for sustainable dryland livelihoods. The chapter can be found on pp 80–94 in the FAO publication Organic agriculture: African experiences in resilience and sustainability(2013).

Posted on 18 July 2013 in Pastoralism & Marketing, Pastoralism & Natural Resources, Pastoralism, Policy & Power, Value of Pastoralism