Interstitial pastoralism at the economic frontier of Kenya’s Central Rift Valley

ABSTRACT

This article explores pastoral change in Kenya’s Central Rift Valley. It discusses how local pastoralists have adapted livestock mobility to a landscape subjected to the advancement of economic frontiers and rapid urbanization. We argue that the set of strategies deployed is constitutive of ‘interstitial pastoralism.’ This is present in many contemporary contexts where pastoralists are squeezed in the interstices of rangelands that they no longer control, and struggle for access to grazing grounds and social recognition. This struggle configures as part of peasants’ adaptation and resistance vis-à-vis global capital expansion and its manifestations.

KEYWORDS:

• Pastoral livelihoods
• livestock mobility
• fragmented rangelands
• commodity frontiers
• agrarian change
• Eastern Africa
• Maasai

Acknowledgments

Our gratitude goes to all those herders and communities who shared their stories and knowledge with us. We also thank our research partners, Samson Ngugi, Jane Mwangi, Elphas Masanga, Leah Wanjiku Njuki, and John Kariuki from Slow Food Kenya for their invaluable support, and the two anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments on our manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 https://www.the-star.co.ke/business/kenya/2019-08-22-naivasha-dry-port-land-gazetted-governor/

Additional information

Funding

This work is part of a larger research study on Sustainable Food Systems in sub-Saharan Africa (SASS), funded by the Italian Ministry of Education, Universities and Research (MIUR) (Project code: H42F16002450001; Kenyan Research License Number: 23753).

Notes on contributors

Gabriele Volpato

Gabriele Volpato is an anthropologist, lecturer, and research fellow at the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo (Italy). His interests are interdisciplinary and include biocultural diversity studies, ethnobiology, pastoralism and human-animal relationships, as well as food systems and peasants’ livelihood strategies.

Dauro Mattia Zocchi

Dauro Mattia Zocchi has a PhD in Ecogastronomy, Education, and Society at the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo (Italy). His current research focuses on the sociocultural dynamics and outcomes underpinning the design and development of heritage-based projects in the realms of food and gastronomy.

Rachele Ellena

Rachele Ellena is an ethnobotanist engaged in research with grassroots organizations that aim to prevent the disappearance of local food cultures and traditions, counteract food commodification, and promote access to quality food. Her research focuses on traditional food systems of marginalized communities and examines the sociocultural and ecological drivers of food selection.