1.2 Contact details of resource persons and institutions involved in the assessment and documentation of the Approach

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1.3 Conditions regarding the use of data documented through WOCAT

When were the data compiled (in the field)?

28/02/2018

The compiler and key resource person(s) accept the conditions regarding the use of data documented through WOCAT:

Yes

2.1 Short description of the Approach

Mara Beef provides a new direct to market sales approach for pastoralist's in Kenya, in an effort to make livestock production more viable to local landowners. This livestock production model is combined with rangeland management and training in an effort to improve pastoral livlihoods, restore rangelands and prevent degradation, and support biodiversity conservation.

2.2 Detailed description of the Approach

Detailed description of the Approach:

Mara Beef is a limited company that raises top quality beef on the edge of the Maasai Mara, Kenya. The Mara Beef company uses their own private land - Naretoi farm - as well as partnering with the Enonkishu Conservancy, to introduce high quality beef breeds to local herds, and sell the beef onto high end supermarkets and restaurants through their own abattoir. There is a large gap in the prime beef market in Kenya, and Mara Beef is trying to fill this gap. Other cuts, not prime cuts, are sold to other less expensive restaurants. The beef is slaughtered and butchered on site. Mara Beef is engaged in many facets of improved rangeland management; the management of Enonkishu Conservancy and Naretoi farms; through the Mara Training Centre, a training hub for rangeland management; and using the Mara Beef network to link pastoral communities with higher value market.

The Enokishu Conservancy is a conservancy created on the edge of the Maasai Mara ecosystem, and is registered under the Maasai Mara Wildlife Conservancies association. The conservancy is 6,000 acres in size, and is owned by 34 landowners who are Maasai pastoralists. Mara Beef has worked with the conservancy to develop a grazing plan for the conservancy. This plan encourages seasonal rotational grazing that allows grasslands to be heavily grazed for short periods, and allowed to recover over long periods. Conflict between predators and cattle is minimised through the use of mobile bomas (enclousers), to protect cattle at night. Integrating wildlife and livestock management into this conservancy aims to i) provide financial benefits through livestock sales from community cattle to build resilience to stochastic events, such as droughts; ii) to increase food security through supplementary income generation; iii) establish sustainable livestock production, to reduce rangeland degradation in an effort to restore and protect ecosystem functioning. This includes the improvement of soils, watershed protection, carbon sequestration and biodiversity conservation. The conservancy pays each land owner to use the land for cattle fattening, and the average land rent paid to each landowner per year is $20 per acre, spending roughly $119,680 per year. Community members also receive conservancy fees from tourists visiting the area.

The Mara Training Centre was established within the Enonkishu training centre to work with communities to help them create and manage the future they desire. The programs build on three principles: building social participation, governance and participation; creating locally implemented and led planned grazing; and stimulating growth in livestock and wildlife based enterprises. The centre runs a variety of training courses including: boot-camps on rangeland management; extension services; and ecological monitoring.

Finally Mara Beef also provides market linkages for the broader pastoral community to premium beef markets. This service lets pastoral communities from across the region to sell beef at a guaranteed price based on both weight and grade at the animals. This price is often significantly higher, on average around $50, than any price offered by local markets, and the lower transport costs and less weight loss on transport also benefit the seller. The emphasis on high quality beef, with high weight requirements, should have a broader affect on pastoral communities, encouraging improved rangeland management for improved livestock productivity. Although this process will be slow. Mara Beef, for example, was granted a loan from the Agricultural Finance Corporation in January 2017 to purchase malnourished cattle during the drought - where Mara Beef bought 1000 animals from105 individuals at an average of $250 per cow.

2.3 Photos of the Approach

2.4 Videos of the Approach

2.5 Country/ region/ locations where the Approach has been applied

2.6 Dates of initiation and termination of the Approach

2.7 Type of Approach

• recent local initiative/ innovative

2.8 Main aims/ objectives of the Approach

- Establish sustainable livestock production and premium market for pastoralists
- Improve grazing management systems through implementation and training
- Conserve and restore biodiversity through an integrate wildlife-livestock approach

2.9 Conditions enabling or hindering implementation of the Technology/ Technologies applied under the Approach

3.1 Stakeholders involved in the Approach and their roles

3.2 Involvement of local land users/ local communities in the different phases of the Approach

	Involvement of local land users/ local communities	Specify who was involved and describe activities
initiation/ motivation	interactive	Mara Beef began the process of developing Enonkishu conservancy with the local community members, and found funding and technical capacity to develop the project.
planning	passive	The fundraising and planning of the Mara Beef business model, the Mara Training Centre, and Enonkishu was largely supported by members external to the local Maasai community.
implementation	external support	Enonkishu conservancy has a manager supported by Mara Beef that controls grazing management across the conservation area. Mara Beef is owned an operated by non community members. Mara Training Centre involves local communities in the development of the training curriculum - to incorporate traditional knowledge - and during teaching of courses.
monitoring/ evaluation	passive	Monitoring and evaluation of grazing management, beef prices and community benefits is conducted by Mara Beef staff.

3.4 Decision-making on the selection of SLM Technology/ Technologies

Specify who decided on the selection of the Technology/ Technologies to be implemented:

• mainly SLM specialists, following consultation with land users

Explain:

The farm manager has a long history of working with rangeland management. They consulted with specialists from the region to help advise on the best way to manage grazing on Enonkishu, as well as including community dialogue on best practice.

Mara Beef was set up with advise from business experts to build a sustainable and profitable beef business.

The Mara Training Centre was developed in consultation with landowners and with experts from the fields of conservation and rangeland management.

Specify on what basis decisions were made:

• evaluation of well-documented SLM knowledge (evidence-based decision-making)
• personal experience and opinions (undocumented)

4.1 Capacity building/ training

Was training provided to land users/ other stakeholders?

Yes

Specify who was trained:

• land users
• field staff/ advisers

Form of training:

• on-the-job
• farmer-to-farmer
• demonstration areas
• public meetings

Comments:

In 2015, 40 members of the Enonkishu Conservancy community, went on a training trip to Ol Maisor, Sosian, NRT, LEWA, Il Ngwesi and Westgate Conservancy, to learn about community conservation and rangeland management.

Training is provided on a continual basis to both local landowners and pastoralists from across the region through the Mara Training Centre. In the first 6 months of operation, over 600 people attended training courses.

4.2 Advisory service

Do land users have access to an advisory service?

Yes

Specify whether advisory service is provided:

• on land users' fields
• at permanent centres

Describe/ comments:

Mara Training Centre provides advise and courses both at the training centre, located in the Mara, and through outreach programs to pastoralists across the region.

4.3 Institution strengthening (organizational development)

Have institutions been established or strengthened through the Approach?

• yes, greatly

Specify the level(s) at which institutions have been strengthened or established:

• local

Describe institution, roles and responsibilities, members, etc.

The Enoonkishu conservancy was established with 50 landowners to protect and manage their land in a more sustainable and profitable way.

Specify type of support:

• financial
• capacity building/ training

Give further details:

Support was provided by several conservation NGOs, including the African Conservation Centre and WWF to support the initial costs of motorbikes and wildlife rangers within the Enonkishu conservation area. Further funding from African Enterpise Challange Fund was used to pay lease fees to the Enonkishu community and further equip the wildlife rangers and managers.

4.4 Monitoring and evaluation

Is monitoring and evaluation part of the Approach?

Yes

Comments:

Mara Beef monitors its purchase and sales records, as well as purchase weight and sale weight .
Enonkishu monitors its rangeland health using (?)

If yes, is this documentation intended to be used for monitoring and evaluation?

No

4.5 Research

Was research part of the Approach?

No

5.1 Annual budget for the SLM component of the Approach

If precise annual budget is not known, indicate range:

• > 1,000,000

Comments (e.g. main sources of funding/ major donors):

The initial budget for this project was large (>$500,000). This large amount of funding was needed to establish Enonkishu conservation area through payment of land rent, the purchasing of equipment for the Mara Beef slaughterhouse and distribution network, and the construction of the Mara Training Centre.
The company has a large turnover each year, purchasing over $850,000 of cattle in 2017.

5.2 Financial/ material support provided to land users

Did land users receive financial/ material support for implementing the Technology/ Technologies?

Yes

If yes, specify type(s) of support, conditions, and provider(s):

Landowners of Enonkishu conservancy are provided with land rent, roughly $3,390 per landowner per year.

5.3 Subsidies for specific inputs (including labour)

• infrastructure

• other

Comments:

The Enonkishu conservancy land rent was also paid by an AECF grant for the first two years of establishment.

5.4 Credit

Was credit provided under the Approach for SLM activities?

No

5.5 Other incentives or instruments

Were other incentives or instruments used to promote implementation of SLM Technologies?

No

6.1 Impacts of the Approach

6.2 Main motivation of land users to implement SLM

6.3 Sustainability of Approach activities

Can the land users sustain what has been implemented through the Approach (without external support)?

• uncertain

If no or uncertain, specify and comment:

The Mara Beef model is supported by large captial investment and is not landowner run.

The Enonkishu conservancy is heading towards creating a self sustaining model of operations, without external support.

6.4 Strengths/ advantages of the Approach

Strengths/ advantages/ opportunities in the land user’s view
Provision of knowledge on improved livestock production and rangeland managment
Provision of an improved market for cattle

Strengths/ advantages/ opportunities in the compiler’s or other key resource person’s view
Creation of a production oriented approach provides the potential for improved rangeland management across the region. With pastoralists beginning to produce fewer, higher quality cattle for sale, through efforts to improve grazing management across the region.
This approach has a huge potential to be up-scaled to support community conservation through a sustainable and well managed livestock production and rangeland management model.
Mara Beef has also been a key catalyst of conversation across SSA relating to sustainable rangeland management, livestock production, and mixed livestock-wildlife ecosytems.

6.5 Weaknesses/ disadvantages of the Approach and ways of overcoming them

Weaknesses/ disadvantages/ risks in the land user’s view	How can they be overcome?
Lack of ability to practice individual herding within the conservation area	Use of tradtional Maasai community structures to enforece grazing rules

Weaknesses/ disadvantages/ risks in the compiler’s or other key resource person’s view	How can they be overcome?
The focus on cattle present a great opportunity, but sheep and goats also need a better, readily available market to increase off-take.	Building of a pack-house in Nairobi for goat meat for the export market, to compete with other markets.
Lack of impact on improved rangeland management beyond the Enonkishu area, especially when livestock is purchased from all over the country. There is also a lack of high quality cattle.	Establish links with other conservancies and landowner groups to encourage improved grazing management, producing higher quality cows.

7.1 Methods/ sources of information