Jennifer Bond

Conflict, Development and Security at the Agro–Pastoral–Wildlife Nexus: A Case of Laikipia County, Kenya

Abstract This article analyses the connections between conflict and development at the agriculture–pastoralism–wildlife interface from the perspective of human security. The article draws on empirical data (qualitative and quantitative) generated in Laikipia County, Kenya, and literature to illustrate that (1) the major issues which cut across each of these conflicts are related to natural resource management, cultural practices and governance, and (2) these cross-cutting issues impinge on people’s freedoms, extending these conflicts into cases of human insecurity. Specifically, each conflict type compounds the impacts of the others on farmer and pastoral economic, food, environmental, personal, community, health and political security.

Extension Agents and Conflict Narratives: A Case of Laikipia County, Kenya

Abstract Purpose: This work investigated the narratives of development extensionists in relation to natural resource conflict, in order to understand the competing discourses surrounding the wicked problems of natural resource management in Laikipia County, Kenya. Methodology: Q methodology was used to elicit the conflict narratives present among extension professionals. A concourse of 221 statements were devised from interviews and group discussions with key informants and a final sample of 49 statements was used for the sorting. Thirteen Q-sorts were undertaken with among rural extension professionals from government, non-government, faith-based and private organizations. Findings: Four factors were elicited from the data, labelled—A: ‘Improved Leadership’; B: ‘Resource-centred conflict’; C: ‘Improved Governance’; and D: ‘Improved Management’. Practical Implications: Narratives of neo-Malthusianism and pastoral ‘backwardness’ persist among extension professionals in Laikipia, thereby perpetuating the received wisdom of natural resource conflict. However, narratives of the human dimension of conflict are also evident where power, politics and socio-economic inequalities are at the fore of natural resource conflict. Originality: This work contributes to a growing body of literature interested in the role of extension agents in conflict management. By applying Q methodology, this work has shown that while extension agents are involved in conflict management, their perceptions of these conflicts are subjective and have the potential to exacerbate conflict. Conflict management processes need to explicitly consider the conflicting and overlapping world views of extension agents if they are to act as process facilitators.

Making Sense of Human–Elephant Conflict in Laikipia County, Kenya

This article proposes sensemaking theory to understand human–elephant interactions. The article draws on a case study of human–elephant interaction in Laikipia County, Kenya, to understand how farmers make sense of elephants in their crops. Drawing on eight interviews, the analysis showed that respondents rely on various environmental and social cues to perceive an elephant in their crop and select a plausible course of action. The article illustrates that actors’ degree of ecological embeddedness will influence their sensemaking processes and supports the argument for the inclusion of ecological materiality within sensemaking studies. The article also argues for further research into the interactions of humans and elephants, including the gender and institutional dimensions of farmers’ sensemaking processes.

Exploring the Hidden Costs of Human–Wildlife Conflict in Northern Kenya

Abstract: Human–wildlife conflict (HWC) is often considered in terms of how the impact on humans can be mitigated, but in the context of the larger goal of meeting conservation goals. This article explores the hidden costs of HWC on human well-being in northern Kenya through a qualitative case study of Laikipia County. Drawing on narratives of wildlife as destructive, wildlife as inherently more important or valuable than humans, and wildlife preservation as a pathway for capturing resources, it explores the impacts of HWC on human well-being, situating the study within the HWC, political ecology, and human security literature. Résumé: Les conflits humains-faune (CHF) sont souvent considérés comme des moyens d’analyser l’impact de la faune sur les humains dans le contexte des objectifs de conservation. Cet article explore les coûts cachés du CHF sur le bien-être humain dans le nord du Kenya grâce à une étude de cas qualitative du comté de Laikipia. Il s’inspire d’une variété de récits sur les CHF—incluant la faune sauvage comme destructrice pour les humains, la faune comme intrinsèquement plus importante que les humains et la chasse comme voie de capture des ressources—pour explorer les impacts du CHF sur la sécurité et le bien-être des humains.

Agricultural adaptation to flood in lowland rice production areas of Central Vietnam: understanding the ‘regenerated rice’ ratoon system

Vietnam is reported to be one of the most vulnerable countries to future climate change, particularly in relation to sea-level rise and extreme climatic events. Agricultural adaptation and mitigation will be crucial for maintaining food and fibre production. Areas in Central Vietnam are prone to flooding, particularly in the lowland rice production areas. This article presents a case study of how small-scale rice farmers in the lowland areas of Le Thuy district, Quang Binh province, have transitioned into a ratoon system, locally referred to as ‘re-generated rice’, as a means of adapting to early flooding. While ratoon rice systems have been globally implemented, farmers in Le Thuy have adopted this system recently, based on their indigenous knowledge. The ratoon system was found to result in economic, social and environmental benefits for the surveyed households (N = 80), despite typically lower yields than the conventional system (approximately 70% of conventional). Through the sustainable livelihoods framework, findings show that the ratoon system is more economically efficient than the conventional and also allows farming households to spend more time on other income-generating, social or family activities, which is particularly important for balancing the gender division of labour. However, the new system tests the ability of the region to meet provincial level rice production targets, challenging conceptualizations of food security and livelihood security.

A “patchwork” for peace: institutions and activities in Kenya’s northern drylands

ABSTRACT Despite the plethora of peacebuilding and conflict management institutions operating in Kenya, peace is often elusive in the northern drylands. With a lack of strong conflict management and peacebuilding processes in place from government, despite an active framework for such processes, non-state actors have filled this conflict management space. In this article, we draw on the institutional bricolage and sustainable peace literatures to understand peacebuilding through the frame of legitimacy. Using Laikipia County, Kenya as a case study, we draw on empirical findings which show that different institutions are attributed legitimacy differently. We find that while the Laikipia Professional Peace Caravan was seen as legitimate to pastoralists in conflict areas, its legitimacy was challenged by other practitioners. Similarly, while pastoralists viewed homeguards as legitimate, practitioners did not. The analysis links to discussions of the “business of peace” within the literature to consider why long-term peace has been elusive in Kenya’s northern drylands.