Heat Pumps: What I Imagine an Environmental Community Could Do | 5 comments (5 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)

"INCREASING the number of animals" (none / 1)

Interesting. For quite some time, the government regulation of Maasailand has been to REDUCE the number of animals, while importing methane-suppressing supplements to feed for more dairy cattle.

The ways of weforum are mysterious indeed.

fao.org | Maasai "agropatoralism" and land use change, undated case study, 1998-1999

Over the last 35 years, many of the best dry season pastures and watering areas have been converted into wildlife areas, commercial bean, barley, and wheat farms (most owned and controlled by white settlers) and small plots controlled by an ever increasing native population.
[...]
However, the evidence in the field shows that the loss of soil and soil moisture is diminishing the possibility of sustainable harvests of crops or livestock in the future. The Maasai understand the problem, but have had little incentive or encouragement to change, as their land tenure in Tanzania is not secure. Officially grazing has been viewed as land available for development.

voiceofmassai | The Maasai Crisis: Five core challenges implicating the future of indigenous people in East Africa (29.04.19)

the movement of livestock is based on seasonal rotation to avoid lasting concentration in a single area that can alter land productivity and breed harmful pests.
[...]
Land-grabbing is an enduring controversy. With regard to the purpose of this article, the threat in Maasailand is the rate at which land grabbing is taking place, the brutal evictions and the disenfranchisement of Maasai people both in Kenya and Tanzania.
Maasailand is characterized with high soil fertility suitable for cropping, conducive wilderness to support wildlife, and unique landscapes such as the beautiful Savannah's, all attracting tourism and hunting investments. Sequentially, hundreds and thousands of Maasai have been forcibly evicted from their land for foreign investments, particularly in the key locations that are bio-diverse and support Maasai livelihood.

weforum (05.08.19)

[A]s worsening drought linked to climate change destroys the pastures they [do not] depend on to feed their cattle, a growing number are turning to agriculture for extra income.
"One of the most popular breeds of hybrid cattle in Kenya, Friesians are zero-grazing cows"
Shakita, realising he could no longer rely on cattle for a living, sold a few of his cows last year and used the money to sink a borehole for irrigation. Then he devoted a third of his 30-acre (12-hectare) farm to planting kale, onions, and tomatoes.[...]
As drought and a boom in housing development eat away at available grazing land, the number of Maasai herders taking up crop farming has grown by 40% over the past decade, said current county committee member for agriculture Jackline Koin.
"Maasai should also consider rearing hybrid cattle, such as the Holstein-Friesian dairy cow"
[...]
To encourage pastoralists to make the move, the Kajiado government has constructed 500 water pans to harvest rainwater [?!] for use by herders to irrigate crops, said county official Koin.

The new pans are narrow, making it harder for animals to drink from them and take the water meant for farms, she added.
npr | Journalist says a 'land grab' in Tanzania is forcing the Maasai off their land, 11 Apr 2024: on behalf of the Dubai royal family
The county has also started supplying herders with high-yielding [GMO?] crop seeds and training farmers on sustainable cultivation techniques, including more efficient water use.