Pastoralist Strategies to Address Adverse Effects of Climate Change in West Pokot County, Kenya

Abstract

In Kenya, arid and semi-arid land (ASAL) counties such as West Pokot are adversely affected by climate extremes, given that large sections of the population practice pastoralism. The study's main objective was to examine the pastoral community-based adaptation strategies to climate change. Data were collected from 384 respondents obtained from households identified through stratified random sampling. Other information was from key informants and focus group discussions, and relevant institutions such as livestock, agriculture, water and environment. The data were analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25 (IBM Company). The results showed that drought, diseases, limited pasture and water shortage negatively affected livestock. The pastoralists adopted pasture establishment, conservation of livestock feeds and designation of seasonal grazing areas to overcome the adverse effects of climate change. In livestock disease control, 45% of the respondents preferred livestock vaccination as a strategy, while 35% migrated to cope with drought. Most indicators revealed (P<0.05) that there was sensitivity of pastoral livelihood systems to negative climate change incidences, while the adaptive capacity to climate change was not significant. Pastoralists need sensitisation on tick control as the primary remedy for livestock diseases and skills enhancement, plus knowledge on participatory disease surveillance for early vaccination of anticipated livestock diseases and treatment of identified livestock diseases. Focusing on climate change adaptation strategies is vital in addressing climate change effects among pastoralists in West Pokot