A framework for understanding pastoralist-led strategies to secure land and resource access: Case studies from Kenya

This paper examines pastoralist-led strategies to secure access to land and resources in contexts of limited tenure security. Efforts to secure land access for pastoralists through statutory frameworks often fall short, necessitating a rethinking of approaches to support marginalized and less vocal groups. 

To address this, the article presents a framework for systematically analysing pastoralist strategies, with four guiding elements: contextual drivers of land pressure, agency and networks that stakeholders mobilise, the characteristics of specific strategies, and their impacts.

Using case studies, we highlight how external and internal pressures such as climate change, conflict, and shifting market dynamics intersect with localised motivations and tactics to shape diverse responses. 

Findings indicate a significant gap in systematic evidence on the impacts and outcomes of pastoralist strategies. While anecdotal evidence exists, rigorous analysis of these outcomes remains rare, particularly at levels ranging from societal impacts to family and individual outcomes.

The paper also underscores the need to categorise strategies more precisely for comparative analysis and distinguish between group and individual actions. Understanding these strategies is critical because they reveal both the potential and limitations of local mobilisation efforts and their implications for social relations. Insights into these strategies can inform policies and interventions that strengthen pastoralist rights, particularly group rights, where local approaches have proven effective.

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Citation: Lind, J. and Flintan, F. (2025). A Framework for understanding pastoralist-led strategies to secure land and resource access: Case studies from Kenya. Human Ecology. Vol 53, 1253–1269, doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-025-00656-z.