Alternative Livlihoods

Charcoal - The Real Issue…

Category: Charcoal Burning, Coastal Forest, Community Conservation, Friends of Shimoni Forest, Shimoni Forest | Date: Aug 26 2009 | By: gvikenya

So everyone knows about the problems related to unregulated, inefficient and illegal charcoal burning. It’s very easy for one to sit back and point the finger at the people conducting these activities, labeling them criminals. The real issue however, is slightly more complex than that.

We have been conducting research in Shimoni forest for over three years, and have been working with the community group Friends of Shimoni Forest for two and a half years. Through all of this we have had a lot of experience with the issue of charcoal burning, and have countless meetings (both organized and impromptu) with the charcoal burners themselves. What we’ve found in the majority of cases, is that these people do not want to be charcoal burning any more than we do. The difference being, we have the luxury of choice.

The result of a charcoal pit

The vast majority of people in this area are living below the poverty line, and are desperately poor. They have families to feed and school fees to pay for, and they don’t have any choice. They know charcoal burning is illegal, and they know it does huge damage to the forest. Most of them would muc rather be doing something else, but if it comes down to feeding their families – it’s not even a choice. We have been asked by so may of them to find them alternatives, to offer them a choice. And if a choice was offered, they would happily give it up.

An earth-mound kiln ready to light

So that’s our mission. The solution to the problem is clear: find an alternative to charcoal burning. One thing we need to remember is that everyone in the entire area (and most of the country) use charcoal to cook. So not only do we need to find an alternative income for the burners themselves, but we need to find a charcoal replacement otherwise we will have only solved half of the problem.
The obvious way around this is combine the alternative livelihoods with the production of alternative, forest friendly charcoal!

To the internet! I will be back in the next day or two with what I’ve found…

Tags: , alternative livlihoods, charcoal, Charcoal Burning, criminals, Friends of Shimoni Forest, inefficient, poor, poverty line, Shimoni Forest, unregulated

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Honey Not Horn

Category: Community Conservation, Ex-poachers, Tsavo West Sustainable Development Programme | Date: Aug 10 2009 | By: gvikenya

The work GVI does on the border of Tsavo West National Park with three villages of ex-poachers continues at an exciting pace. The villagers, who all chose to stop poaching and to actively seek alternative livlihoods, are progressing in leaps and bounds with both conservation and income generation. Brittany, who recently returned from the village of Kasaani, tells us how she saw things…

We arrived in Taveta dusty, dirty and bruised – the bus journey was our first challenge. The final leg to Kasaani was brief and our arrival much anticipated by its vibrant villagers and beautiful baobab trees. The moment we stepped off our matatu and were greeted with fluming tongues and warm embraces by Priscilla (the village elder), we knew the week ahead would be an incredible adventure.

The red dust of Tsavo

With much excitement, we settled into our new banda and waited our first formal meeting the next morning to share the plan and purpose of our productions with the villagers.

Some of the village women

The morning, however, was a slow start. Kasaani held a meeting which would last the majority of the day and kept most of the village leaders from joining us. Those who could be with us led a walk to the apiary where they harvest the honey we hope they can use to make beautiful products and hearty income for this community of ex-poachers.

Maritima, a strong and beautiful woman of the village, made a proud presentation of their hard work which made us feel honoured to work with such ambitious people. There would be obstacles – little of our efforts that day registered with the delay of our translators – but there would be far greater rewards, like the hugs and laughter of delight between ourselves and the villagers when both the honey vanilla bath wash and honey caramel sauce, with labels made of elephant dung recycled paper, were completed on Thursday afternoon. On that final evening, we celebrated with a special meal around the campfire with the community, under African stars.

The Honey caramel sauce

In the intervals of our work in Kasaani, we explored more of West Tsavo and witnessed exciting wildlife, Massai villages, the beautiful and eerie Lake Chala, and the always buzzing Taveta Market. It was a different side of Africa and a part and people of Kenya we will definitely never forget.