Building Drought Resilience in Isiolo County through Sustainable Livelihoods

Background

Pastoralist and agro-pastoralists form the majority of lsiolo County inhabitants, and their livelihoods are constantly threatened by drought and unpredictable rainfall, leading to reduced crop yields, low livestock productivity, high livestock mortality, low income and food and nutrition insecurity. The DRIC project addresses this vulnerability through a multi-sector One Health approach which encompasses human health, animal health and environmental interventions, and the creation and facilitation of a common platform for coordinating at institutional level and sharing good practice. Recognizing that peace does not automatically spring from improved livelihoods, the action also features specialized components for working on conflict resolution, peace and stability. The action is aligned with the National Drought Management Authority’s (NDMA) Common Programme Framework (CPF) and Kenya’s Ending Drought Emergencies (EDE) strategy that focuses on the 23 most drought prone counties in Kenya.

Objectives and activities

The action targets 120 villages with a total of 5,218 households. Based on the County mean family size of six, this constitutes approximately 30,000 people. By using a group-based methodology, we deliver a wide range of social and technical support to pastoralists and agro-pastoralists, covering pasture rangeland management, fodder production, animal husbandry and veterinary support, as well as animal products enterprise development and climate information. This is complemented by capacity building, economic empowerment and livelihood diversification measures. VSF-Suisse is leading a consortium of experienced NGOs that are well-established in lsiolo and the neighboring counties: Comitato Collaborazione Medica, E4IMPACT Foundation, Social Ministry Research Network Centre, and WeWorld Onlus.

Expected results (outputs)

Output 1: lmproved drought resilience and nutrition sensitive agriculture/livestock production, integrated with conflict resolution and peace building strategies.

Output 2: Key productive household assets and community investments are sustainably built and recovery capacities against recurrent droughts are strengthened, with a particular focus on women’s economic empowerment.

Output 3: lsiolo County, its authorities and inhabitants are empowered to address food security and nutrition issues. Measures include an improved data collection system and cross-sectoral collaboration, facilitation of local political commitment and awareness raising.