Communities in Ndikir and Olom, Marsabit County, are restoring degraded land through a PACIDA Cash-for-Work initiative that provides temporary income opportunities.
With Netherlands support through Prosper Global, PACIDA is training communities to prepare water bunds that reduce runoff, prevent erosion and encourage grass growth.
Men, women and youth are identifying and fencing restoration sites to strengthen ecological resilience and support sustainable pastoral livelihoods.
Communities in Ndikir, Laisamis, and Olom, Kalacha, are undertaking land restoration activities through a PACIDA initiative that combines environmental conservation with temporary income opportunities.
Implemented under the Range Programme’s crisis modifier, the initiative is supported by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Kenya through Prosper Global. It aims to strengthen ecological resilience and support sustainable pastoral livelihoods.
According to PACIDA, men, women and youth participated in identifying and fencing areas earmarked for restoration. Community members also learned how to dig and prepare half-moon structures, or water bunds, to capture rainwater and support vegetation recovery.
The structures are designed to slow surface runoff, improve water retention and reduce soil erosion. By holding water within restoration areas, they are expected to encourage grass growth and improve grazing resources for pastoral communities.
PACIDA said the activity included preparations ahead of anticipated El Niño rains, positioning communities to harness rainfall for land recovery.
Through the Cash-for-Work component, participants gain temporary income while contributing to the restoration of land that supports their livelihoods. The approach links immediate household support with efforts to strengthen resilience to climate change.
The involvement of men, women and youth also places community participation at the centre of the restoration process, from selecting sites to preparing the land.
The initiative seeks to help pastoral communities address land degradation while improving their capacity to manage water and sustain the natural resources on which they depend.