The Pastoralist Alliance for Resilience and Adaptation in Northern Rangelands (PARAN) is a coalition of pastoralist communities working together to secure their rights, build resilience to climate change, and promote community-based natural resource management.
The majority of the members are from the Samburu, Turkana, and Pokot tribes – who have depended on livestock herding and agriculture for centuries. Despite being some of the most marginalized communities in Kenya, they are also among the most resilient, with a deep understanding of their natural environment and a strong cultural identity.
PARAN was formed in response to the challenges that pastoralist communities are facing, including land insecurity, drought, famine, and conflict. Pastoralists have long been at the forefront of climate change adaptation, but they are now being forced to adapt to even more extreme weather conditions and an increasingly unpredictable rains cycle. In the face of these challenges, PARAN is working to secure land rights for pastoralists, build resilience to climate change, and promote community-based natural resource management.
To date, PARAN has made significant progress in securing land rights for pastoralist communities, developing early warning systems for drought and famine, and reducing the incidence of conflict. In the coming years, PARAN will continue to play a vital role in supporting the resilience of pastoralist communities in the face of ever-changing environmental and social conditions.
Land Rights: Pastoralist communities in Kenya do not have formal recognition of their land rights. This means that they are constantly at risk of eviction or having their grazing lands converted to other uses. PARAN is working to secure land rights for pastoralists through a combination of advocacy, research, and community organizing.
Land rights are a hot-button issue in many parts of the world, and Kenya is no exception. PARAN is a local organization that is working to change this by advocating for the rights of pastoralists, conducting research on land use issues, and organizing communities. To date, PARAN has made some progress in securing land rights for pastoralists, but there is still much work to be done. The organization is currently focusing its efforts on raising awareness about the issue and building support among decision-makers. With continued effort, PARAN hopes to secure formal recognition of land rights for pastoralists in Kenya.
Climate Change Resilience
Pastoralist communities are among the most vulnerable to climate change. They rely on rain-fed agriculture and livestock herding, which are both highly sensitive to changes in weather patterns. In response, PARAN is working to build resilience to climate change by promoting drought-resistant crops, water harvesting, and early warning systems.
Community-based Natural Resource Management
Pastoralist communities have a long history of sustainable natural resource management. However, they are now facing new pressures from large-scale commercial developments, such as mines and oil pipelines. PARAN is working to promote community-based natural resource management so that pastoralists can continue to sustainably manage their resources.