Improving livelihoods in pastoral systems through an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Approach to sustainable sheep and goat production: Rapid assessment of small ruminant producers, service providers and market agents

Oyieng, Edwin., Sila, Winfred., Mukalo, Irene., Okoth, Joshua., Lekimariki, Joshua., Nyanja, Belphine and Ojango, J. M.K. 2024. Improving livelihoods in pastoral systems through an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Approach to sustainable sheep and goat production: Rapid assessment of small ruminant producers, service providers and market agents. Brief. Nairobi, Kenya: ILRI.

As part of the CGIAR Research Initiative on Livestock and Climate, the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), in partnership with the Resource Conflict Institute (RECONCILE) are adapting an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Approach to improving sheep and goat production in pastoral systems of Baringo County. This involves adapting and upgrading community-based approaches for improving sheep and goat productivity to integrate and strengthen links among actors in the sheep and goat value chain and enhance their technical capacity and entrepreneurial skills to become viable business partners.

Irong Conservancy in Baringo County, Kenya (Figure 1) was selected for initial testing of the approach in a climatically constrained pastoral community. The Irong Conservancy supports over 14,500 people living in five locations with over 100,000 livestock and several wildlife species. Livestock production is the main means of livelihood, with small ruminants (sheep and goats) reported to be the most important species. The conservancy has set common grazing areas for use during periods of feed scarcity.

This report outlines the implementation of the rapid assessment of communities and households in Irong Conservancy using the Small Ruminant Tools for Rapid Assessment of Pastoral Systems (STRAPS) developed through ILRI: Ecosystem assessment of the pastoral community (STRAPS-PC) Ecosystem assessment of individual livestock producers (STRAPS-LP)