From Data to Action: Community-Based Irrigation for Food Security among Maasai Women in Kenya

Written on 18 December 2025. Posted in News

BY SAMANTE ANNE FOR INDIGENOUS DEBATES

Climate insecurity and drought are forcing Maasai men to migrate with their livestock, leaving women and their children alone. After conducting surveys, the Oltepesi community identified this problem and received support from the Indigenous Navigator to create an irrigation system through which to grow fruit and vegetables. As a result, the women are now producing food for the household and selling the surplus, which gives them economic stability. It allows them to send their children to school, laying the foundation for breaking the cycle of poverty.

Maasai Indigenous communities in Kajiado County are monitoring the implementation of their rights. Based on information gathered in a community data collection process, the Oltepesi community is promoting its autonomous development through the creation of an irrigation project. This initiative seeks to counteract the destructive effects of climate change, which have hit the community’s food security hard. As a result, the project is fostering economic stability and improving educational opportunities for girls.

In recent years, Mainyoito Pastoralists Integrated Development Organization (MPIDO) has facilitated data collection through surveys in Maasai communities in Kajiado County. MPIDO is an Indigenous organization based in Kenya that works with communities and other stakeholders to promote the rights of Indigenous Peoples and marginalized communities. The data collection process took place within the framework of the Indigenous Navigator, an initiative that seeks to empower Indigenous Peoples by systematically monitoring the level of recognition and implementation of their rights.

Building Trust through Community Data Collection

The data collection process began by identifying young people from the community itself, who were then trained by MPIDO as interviewers. During the training, they became familiar with the questionnaires and they shared strategies for approaching their communities. To facilitate the process, MPIDO translated the surveys into the Maa language, thus enabling the communities to better understand the consultation and provide more accurate responses. This was noted by Ole Sirere, a community elder who valued the use of his own language: “Nena taa taata enkilikwanare ang” (“Now these are our questions, we can make them our own”).

The Indigenous Navigator community survey included all sectors: women, elders, youth and leaders. Information was collected through focus groups (women and youth), key informant interviews (opinion leaders, traditional and administrative chiefs) and community assemblies with representatives from different villages. The communities had already participated in many studies and so they were initially suspicious and spoke of “research fatigue”, feeling overburdened by external questionnaires. However, they enthusiastically accepted the project because of its different nature: the involvement of local interviewers and the possibility of implementing small community projects.

Following analysis, the results were returned to the community for validation. The data revealed serious development gaps, human rights violations and clear political marginalization. Among the main shortcomings were a lack of community participation in development initiatives, the absence of basic services such as schools, health centres and drinking water, and land dispossession due to insecurity of tenure.

Food Insecurity in the Face of Climate Change

The Indigenous Navigator Initiative offers small grants for communities to develop solutions to the most pressing problems identified in the surveys. One such initiative was the Oltepesi Women’s Irrigation Project, implemented by MPIDO. Based on the data and community validation, food insecurity was determined to be the highest priority. The irrigation project was thus developed as a direct response to this need, reflecting a community-driven approach.

The Maasai community of Oltepesi lies 70 kilometres west of Nairobi, in the heart of the Great Rift Valley, and has a population of approximately 36,000. The arid landscape, with dormant volcanic formations, ashy soils and intermittent savannahs, is conducive to cattle ranching. Rising temperatures and erratic rainfall have, however, made this area extremely vulnerable to drought and famine, clear indicators of the climate crisis.

Recurrent droughts have been reducing the pastures and water sources, forcing men to migrate with their livestock. In the most severe cases, they may now migrate for nine months of the year. This leaves women and children without food and basic resources, forcing women to struggle to support their families. The project thus sought to support women in combatting food insecurity at the household level.

Food Security and Opportunities for Women

Although the Oltepesi community already had wells drilled thanks to a previous MPIDO project, the women did not have the means to utilize these beyond domestic consumption. During the surveys, they proposed incorporating simple irrigation systems that would channel water to their gardens, allowing them to grow food for their own consumption plus a surplus to sell. They would thus be able to feed their children, especially in dry periods when milk is scarce, and would have an alternative source of livelihood to livestock.

MPIDO established a partnership with Kajiado County Government and requested technical assistance from the Kenyan Ministry of Agriculture before starting the project. Agricultural experts conducted field visits to the community and provided guidance on proper irrigation methods, crop selection and sustainable agricultural practices adapted to the region. Analysis confirmed that the soil and climatic conditions were suitable for growing fruit and vegetables such as kale, tomatoes, squash, onions, cabbage and watermelon.

Funded by a small grant from the Indigenous Navigator, the project was successfully implemented and is now in full production. The women are growing food for the household and selling the surplus, achieving economic stability. This allows them to send their children to school and ensure they remain there, laying the groundwork for breaking the cycle of poverty. The change is especially noticeable for girls, who had not previously been a priority due to cultural barriers. Since Maa culture dictates that mothers must provide for the basic needs of their daughters, as family incomes improve, more girls are now able to go to school.

In addition, women, who used to be burdened with unpaid domestic work (from caring for children and sick animals to collecting water and firewood) now have an income that allows them to hire help from within the community. They thus have more time for themselves and for other productive activities. With the profits they have made, they hope to expand the project and even replicate it in other villages.

Self-Determination and Advocacy through the Indigenous Navigator

Since its creation in 2000, MPIDO has implemented numerous projects. However, the Indigenous Navigator Initiative is particularly noteworthy for two reasons. The first is that this process offered Indigenous Peoples the opportunity to generate information for their own benefit. The interviewers were selected by the communities and trained by the Indigenous organizations. As Nayiari Oyie, an Indigenous woman from Oltepesi noted, “I am deeply moved to see our own children interviewing us because they belong here and really understand our problems.”

The second distinctive feature is that the Indigenous Navigator enabled communities to identify and prioritize their own problems, supporting them with small projects that respond to those needs. This has made a big difference because, often when data collected, it is not fed back to the communities, leaving them feeling used. Naboru Enole Kooshoi says: “We are very grateful because we have had surveys done in the past but, once the surveyors leave, we never see them again and we are left here with all our problems unresolved.”

Beyond the projects financed, the information generated has become a key advocacy tool, feeding into development plans at the local level. Data from the Indigenous Navigator has already been incorporated into the county’s Integrated Development Plans, ensuring that some of the gaps identified are addressed with public funds. In this way, communities have information that enables them to demand accountability from the local and national authorities.

In short, the Indigenous Navigator Initiative empowers Indigenous communities to collect and use their own data on issues crucial to their rights and self-determined development. Information generated at the community level is vital for making appropriate decisions, developing policies, strengthening social participation and guiding governance and development strategies determined by Indigenous Peoples themselves.

Samante Anne is an Indigenous woman from the Maasai community in southern Kenya. She is currently serving as Head of Programmes, Strategy and Partnerships at the Mainyoito Pastoralists Integrated Development Organization (MPIDO). She is also the National Coordinator of the National Steering Committee of Indigenous Peoples on Climate Change.

Cover photo: James Ntagusa

Tags: Indigenous Debates