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Over the past few decades, there has been pressure to meet basic needs by citizens in developing countries as a result of conventional livelihood sources to support such provisions which have gradually dwindled for a variety of reasons, key among these being land degradation, climatic changes and land sub-division. Alternative and sustainable livelihoods for poverty reduction and enhanced income for households are desirable for adoption. This paper discusses the effect of the application of Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) in Kenya’s Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL) regions by Word Vision (WV) on food security, household income and livelihood enhancement. Case studies of farmers’ success stories supported by WVK are presented. Further, the paper outlines the roles of stakeholders in the implementation of the strategy and associated benefits to farmers in three counties of Baringo, Elgeyo Marakwet and Nakuru. A discussion of the relations between poverty, income and household food security in relation to SDGs 1 and 2 is presented. Major findings from the study include; FMNR has contributed to improved food security, from 42.6% in 2018 to 73.6% in 2021 (31%). Increased household income was reported from 25.2% in 2018 to 52.5% in 2021, representing a rise of 27.3%. Emerging alternative livelihood sources include beekeeping, mango farming and processing, poultry, pasture seed production and coffee farming. The paper concludes that the implementation of FMNR in the Central Rift is still small scale and majorly aided by World Vision Kenya in the three Area Development Programmes (ADPs). The adoption of FMNR as a livelihood enhancement strategy in arid and semi-arid areas to enhance food security, improve household income, reduce poverty and support environmental conservation efforts is recommended. |
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