The
Oyarata area

We are regreening the Oyarata area which is part of The Kuku Group Ranch in the south of Kenya. The Kuku Group Ranch is home to around 29,000 people, 114,500 ha in size, and acts as a critical wildlife corridor.

Due to overgrazing and climate change, the Oyarata area is very dry. But we are changing this! By digging bunds and protecting the area for a certain period of time, we bring back vegetation, making it useful again for the Oyarata community.

Click here if you want to go back to the platform.

The Maasai Wilderness
Conservation Trust

Within the Oyarata area, we work together with The Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust (MWCT). They help to protect the ecosystem and biodiversity of East Africa through conservation that directly benefits local Maasai communities. They are responsible for the coordination of all activities and actors at locations in the Kuku Group Ranch, including the Oyarata area.

The Oyarata
community

Southern Kenya is the home to the Maasai people, who mostly depend on the land as the main source of income and food. The local Maasai population used to be nomadic, moving from one area to another, so that areas could recover in the meantime. Nowadays they no longer travel around, which means that soil can no longer recover. For this reason and due to climate change multiple areas in the Kuku Group Ranch are degraded and a difficult environment for the inhabitants.

Therefore, the Oyarata community in the Kuku Group Ranch is really eager to restore their living environment. 110 Maasai farmers of this specific community join the regreening project and are trained to dig bunds. This not only brings back nature, it also gives them an extra income.

Landscape restoration

The Maasai community digging bunds.

COVID-19 measurements

We developed a protocol that ensures the safety of all people involved:

  • There is a distance of at least 2 meters between the diggers, which will be easy to follow with the bund circle around them;
  • No physical contact between the people in the field;
  • Mask wearing from arrival onsite until departure;
  • No sharing of digging equipment (or other materials);
  • And encourage people having flu-like symptoms to stay at home.

With these measurements, the farmers can regreen the Oyarata area while staying healthy and safe.

Click here if you want to go back to the platform.