Knowledge sharing to strengthen community engagement and collaboration
[NANYUKI, Kenya] Here at the Wyss Academy, we often ask ourselves “who is this for?” concerning our work, and the answer is always an enthusiastic “for the benefit of Nature and PEOPLE”. But what does that actually mean?
It means collaboration and co-design. It means an exchange of, and respect for, traditional and scientific knowledge. Most of all, it means ownership. Nobody has a better understanding of the challenges in a landscape than the people who live in it. It is our duty to act on the needs of the people, not supersede them.
In the last few weeks, the WA Hub East Africa has ramped up its women and youth-led community engagement activities in Laikipia and Isiolo counties of northern Kenya, which were positively received by various community leaders, groups, and residents.
Meetings were held jointly with conservancy managers, representatives from county government and women’s groups, and members of Community Land Management Committees (CLMCs) and grazing committees, who met to agree on pilot sites for activities of the up-and-coming women-led Powering Local Prosperity through Green Growth project. The income generating activities are all closely tied to ecosystem health and include bee-keeping and bee related products, Aloe vera, grass seed and fodder production, and African leafy vegetables. The meetings—one in Lower Naibunga Community Conservancy (Laikipia county) and the other in Nannapa Community Conservancy in Oldonyiro (Isiolo county)—concluded with agreement on a pilot site at each location, and to begin the process of defining the specific contributions from all the stakeholders and outcomes for participating women’s groups. These resolutions demonstrate the communities’ commitment to, and support of, women championing activities related to people-nature co-existence.
Separately, and in collaboration with community-based group Green Earth Warriors (GEWs), sensitization meetings were held in relation to the over 30,000 semi-circular bunds currently regreening the Naibunga Community Conservancy. Topics covered included implementation, governance, and sustainability of the bunds. As for how residents and community groups can participate in bund-related monitoring and management, an overview of the function of soil sensors that were installed at selected bunds was shared. The sensors monitor temperature and levels of moisture in the soil, and this data is transmitted in real time to expert data analysts through the explorer.land platform, after which synthesized results will be shared with the communities. This cycle of knowledge generation and sharing further strengthens co-design of solutions. By the end of the sessions, community participants requested updates on results every four months.
On an even happier note, our journey to 100,000 bunds dug and seeded by the end of 2025 is well on its way! The residents and several women’s groups in Naibunga Community Conservancy, mobilized by the GEWs, are hard at work to realize 55,000 semi-circular bunds dug by end of December 2024, while groups in Oldonyiro have a target of 40,000 bunds dug and seeded within the same period. We are so proud of this progress and commitment to healthier landscapes, and can’t wait to see what 2025 brings.
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