Rural livelihoods in the arid and semi-arid environments of Kenya: Sustainable alternatives and challenges Robinson K. Ngugi and Dickson M. Nyariki Department of Range Management, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya Accepted in revised form September 11, 2003 Abstract. The improvement of the welfare of inhabitants of arid and semi-arid lands, either through the enhance- ment of existing livelihoods or the promotion of alternative ones, and their potential constraints are discussed. Alternative livelihoods are discussed under regenerative and extractive themes with respect to environmental stabil- ity. Regenerative (i.e., non-extractive) livelihoods include activities like apiculture, poultry keeping, pisciculture, silkworm production, drought tolerant cash cropping, horticulture, community wildlife tourism, processing of live- stock and crop products, agro-forestry for tree products, and micro-enterprises in the informal sector. Examples of livelihoods that are extractive or potentially so include timber production, woodcarving, basketry, brick making, sand scooping, and charcoal making. Suggestions to improve these livelihoods in a sustainable manner are offered. Key words: Arid and semi-arid lands, Environmental stability, Kenya, Poverty reduction, Sustainable livelihoods Robinson K. Ngugi, PhD, is a Senior Lecturer in Biosystems Analysis whose specialty is animal resources in the rangelands. He has taught at the University of Nairobi, Department of Range Management for about 15 years and is widely published on various aspects of animal resources in arid and semi-arid lands. Dickson M. Nyariki, PhD, is an Associate Professor in Agricultural Economics whose specialty is Range Resource Economics. He has taught at the University of Nairobi, Department of Range Management for about 15 years and is widely published on various aspects of range resource use and development. Currently, he heads the University of Nairobi’s Department of Range Management. Introduction Despite their relative aridity, Kenya’s arid and semi-arid lands (ASAL) support about 25% of Kenya’s human population, 60% of the livestock population and the largest proportion of wildlife (GoK, 1994). Besides livestock and livestock products, the ASAL yield a wide variety of useful products such as timber, fuel- wood, charcoal, fruits, gums, resins, honey, and tradi- tional herbal medicines. Revenues collected from the sale of rangeland products and services contribute significantly to both local and national economies. By means of strategies such as herd mobility, herd splitting, and selection of drought-tolerant livestock species, the survival of pastoralists is enhanced (Herlocker, 1999). Because of low human and livestock populations, the pastoralists and their livestock have been, for a long time, in a dynamic equilibrium with their environment, and rangeland degradation has been, for the most part, non-existent (Herlocker, 1999). Much has changed over the last few decades, however. Human and livestock populations within and outside the rangelands have greatly increased and many of the most productive rangelands have been converted into agricultural lands (GoK, 1996). Land privatization, which restricts pastoral mobility, has become a feature that is common to many countries with rangelands. Pressure from these factors is causing a serious reduc- tion in the capacity of rangeland resources to meet the current societal needs. Thus, it is becoming increas- ingly difficult for the rangelands to support the rapidly growing and more sedentary population. Consequently, the ecological integrity of most rangelands has deterio- rated due to increased cultivation, overstocking, felling of trees for fuel, and other resource utilization methods, which are predominantly ‘‘extractive’’ in nature. Clearly, the current livelihoods and resource use pat- terns in the dry lands are insecure and cannot maintain, let alone improve, the living standards of the inhabit- ants. Poverty is evident. Strategies, therefore, must be urgently sought to reduce the number of people directly dependent upon the primary resources of the ASAL or to improve the productivity of these resources. One of the strategies is the development or initiation of alterna- Agriculture and Human Values (2005) 22: 65–71 DOI 10.1007/s10460-004-7231-2 Ó Springer 2005