Job creation in Makurian means putting a stop to invasive plants
In December 2020, a survey was done of the population of Makurian, the neighbouring group ranch to Lolldaiga Hills (on our northern border), to find out which issues were causing the community the most anguish. The answers were wide-ranging; lack of employment, deforestation, overgrazing, irregular rains causing drought, lack of education opportunities…. But one answer stood out again and again; Opuntia.
A picture of a small Opuntia stricta plant that has grown in an arid and overgrazed part of community land
For The Safari Series, this was our first introduction to the word; Opuntia. We had never heard of it before, even though we had likely driven past it several times a week for the whole year. Opuntia stricta (commonly known as Prickly Pear), is a cactus-like plant that originates in South America and was brought over to Kenya in the colonial times (the plant was brought over as a fodder crop/ornamental by the District Commissioner of DolDol).
Opuntia has, over the last couple of decades, spread quickly and effectively through the dry lands of northern Kenya - with the community lands around Makurian taking the biggest hit. The plant works especially well in dry, arid and exposed areas - put simply; areas that have been over-grazed by goats and cattle. Maasai communities, like the ones that call Makurian home are famous for their large herds which strip grass from every patch. A recent study by the Lolldaiga Hills Research Programme found that ‘by remote sensing derived predictive maps showed that Makurian has the highest mean Opuntia stricta occurrence probability of all communally managed properties in Laikipia.’
Some may be asking why this plant is so bad - in fact, it is a good question. They look quite pretty (with a bright yellow flower) and have a fruit that can be eaten (at the camp we make it into ice cream and our yummy Makrurian Shaker cocktail!). Unfortunately, the cons of the cactus severely outweigh the pros. Their sharp spikes mean that no animals eat them (apart from camels, of which are there not many in the area), they are also not from the area (and have become invasive) and their quick growing nature means they throttle all land for plants that should be growing in the area.
Opuntia has caused issues across many other places in Africa, including South Africa, where studies and research into how to stop their spread have taken place - but still not much is known about how to stop them once and for all. Lolldaiga Hills Research Programme has been working with Youth Leader, Elijah (also The Safari Series guide - a multi-skilled man!) to create action plans, based on research work from South Africa, to work to stop the spread of Opuntia while also creating employment in the area. The Safari Series came on board as a partner to fund two segments of the project.
Elijah in his The Safari Series t-shirt eats one of the Opuntia fruits. Elijah is a well respected member of the Makurian community and has been the ‘feet on the ground’ during the organisation of the workers for the manual labour.
The first part of the project is the uprooting and then piling of Opuntia plants. Local members of Makurian are paid a daily wage to uproot the Opuntia plant and then add them to a high (some more than 6 foot) pile where they cannot re-root, with the eventual hope that the ones in the middle of the pile will shrivel up and die over a number of months.
One of the Opuntia piles that was created in January 2020 as a test run to see if the piling method would success in killing the hardy Opuntia plants. As you can see the Opuntia in the middle of the pile has not had enough sunlight to remain alive, not have the roots been able to re-root into the soil. The Opuntia in the middle has died, however the ones at the top (with access to sunlight) and the ones at the bottom (access to soil for re-rooting) have survived and regrown. Both of these will need to be re-dug in order to make sure they do not survive and spread (one of the jobs that The Safari Series was involved with this time around).
The second phase of the project is the use of a research-led initiative using a tiny insect called ‘cochineal’. Cochineal also originates from South America and lives, feeds and breeds off the Opuntia. The cochineal slowly kills the Opuntia plant while they eat them. There are pros and cons to the spreading by hand of the cochineal insect as although they are a natural predator of the Opuntia, they are also slow, easily wash off the plants in the rain and move very slowly between the plants. The Safari Series is working to see if it will be possible to get local community members (women and girls mostly) to grow their own cochineal colonies in a bucket and then distribute the insects around Opuntia plants local to their manyatta (locally made home). This is a new method and, as with everything, we look forward to trying new ways and learning from the results.
The white furry blobs are the outer casing (a bit like a spider web) of the cochineal that eat and kill the Opuntia. As you can see they are small and their work is slow, but effective.
This project is on-going throughout the rest of the year and we look forward to seeing what results we get. The end goal is to create a simple, easy to copy and cheap method of halting the spread of the Opuntia throughout the community lands that can be replicated by the local government, whilst also creating employment in the area.
Cochineal insects have been farmed since the second century in South America for their natural bright red/purple colour when they are crushed. These insects produce such a vivid colour they became highly prized for their dying properties for art, clothes dye and the pigments produced from the cochineal insect gave Catholic cardinals their vibrant robes and the English "Redcoats" their distinctive uniforms. The true source of the pigment—an insect—was kept secret until the 18th century, when biologists discovered the source.
The Opuntia project is funded in the name of The Conscious Travel Foundation - a global community, uniting members of the travel industry to reshape the impact of tourism on the world. We believe in the power of education and collaboration to fuel a shift in industry practice, igniting change and safeguarding the planet for future generations - that The Safari Series is a founding member of.
The Conscious Travel Foundation member fee of $1000 was put into a charity or organisation of our choice within our country of work. We chose the Opuntia clearing project to support.
Learn more about The Safari Series’ Elijah - part-time Opuntia killer, part-time Guide.
Introduction to yourself to everyone, Elijah:
I am a 27-year-old man, my ethnicity is Maasai, and am a member of Makurian Group Ranch. I hold a diploma in Tourism Management from Maasai Mara University and am currently pursuing a degree in Tourism Management at Kenyatta University. I was a youth representative – an elected individual who represents the interests of community members under 35 in group ranch meetings. Current members of the group ranch committee have encouraged me to run for secretary of the 15-member committee. I perceive myself as a humble person who acts with integrity and I like to work with people with mutual respect. I love my community and strive to secure the rights of its members and further its development. I am willing to help where I can when people are in need or are experiencing difficulties. I like to see community members coming up with ideas to improve their lives of that of their families.
Am enjoying working at The Safari Series since I join in also, I have seen wonderful ideas towards to community by helping them well to clear of Opuntia.
What is your home in like and what are the bits you miss when you are away?
As a Maasai we do have small hurt which are not permanent because always we are migrants looking for pastures to livestock, I went through many problems to get my education because we do not have means to study my habits are mostly I enjoy walking in nature while looking after livestock, fetching water or looking for honey with friends in the forest.
What does culture mean to you? why is Maasai culture so strong and important?
Culture means a lot to me because being a Maasai I really like its something unique when we put on all our shukas [traditional Maasai clothing] its like everyone wants to be a Maasai. Maasai culture is strong because the Maasai people have a patriarchal social structure, with elder men making most of the decision for each group and the number of cattle and children a man has determining his wealth. Men often have several wives each with her own house but the women must build their own house (fashioned from sticks, cow dung and thatched roof) every five years due to termites.
What does it mean to you that people all over the world have heard of Maasai tribe? why do you think that is? The Maasai are semi-nomadic and pastoral, they live by herding cattle and goats. The herding is still the main activity of Maasai people and cattle is central to their lifestyle. Traditionally, the Maasai diet consists mainly of raw meat, raw blood, and milk in Maasai society any any arguments that happen in my community are usually settled with cattle.
When people visit Makurian, what do you hope they will learn or gain from their visit?
First, people will learn that Makurian is a traditional area for Maasai without any other tribe in it, we all speak of Maa. Makurian still a community own land not yet divided into individuals lead by 15 members of the group ranch.
Tell us more about being a boy growing up in a Maasai village?
I was born in 1992 in Olkinyei area I found Makurian to be wonderful place before Opuntia colonised the whole of Makurian. Now the plant is now making livelihoods hard for humans because its now affecting their livestock cattle, goats and sheep which we use as our income, so day by day life is changing. People are moving now from one place to another not be cause of their will to do so, but because they do not have area to graze on for their animals to survive.
The Safari Series spoke to Moreen (chief) about being a woman in a Maasai culture, how is it different than being a man and are different good/bad/changing /staying the same?
In Maasai traditional, its hard for a woman to lead, according to our laws, because they are not allowed to stand in front of men. The Chief [Moreen] did not grow up in Makurian but only married a man from the community. It’s hard for them community, me included, to understand her position of power since the government gave her the leadership without involving the community in this decision.
[To read about Moreen and what it is like being the first female leader of a traditionally male-led community, read a previous blog post here.]
What do you hope for you future?
I am hoping to be good person in the future. After studies, I hope to get a nice job, good family and keep an eye for politics in the next ten year to come if all goes well.