How an invasive shrub derailed visions of prosperity in Kenya | Aeon Essays

"Kenya's arid north has always stirred the imaginations of those who visit. Its open, scorched bushland distributed over exposed geological formations and crosscut by riverine tentacles never fails to elicit impressions of emptiness and remoteness. To most outsiders, this is a timeless land. It is beautiful but unproductive, so the imaginary goes. It is backward. Its vulnerabilities - drought, famine, conflict, poverty - are inherent. Radical change is needed: a new way of doing things to unlock vast untapped potential and bring prosperity."

"A kind of mesquite native to South America, Prosopis was first introduced in this part of Kenya in the early 1980s at the height of a catastrophic famine caused by drought. The reason for its introduction, as cited by the NGOs spearheading the planting programmes, was to address a suite of pressing concerns made even more urgent by the protracted drought: fuelwood shortages, soil erosion and a lack of fodder for the livestock of local pastoralists."

"These were real problems. But to the organisations who intervened, the issues seemed to suggest that the crisis was not really a product of chaotic environmental shifts or longstanding marginalisation. Instead, catastrophic famine served as evidence of pastoralism's inherent vulnerability. Confirmation, that is, of a kind of fragility that lay at the heart of local people's livelihoods and was inconducive to true prosperity. The obligation to respond to immediate hunger - to help - quickly became a desire to change, to improve,"

Kenya's arid north features open, scorched bushland, exposed geological formations, and riverine channels that produce impressions of emptiness and remoteness. Outsiders often perceive the region as timeless, beautiful but unproductive and backward, with inherent vulnerabilities like drought, famine, conflict and poverty. Generations of development workers and policymakers promoted visions of radical change to unlock perceived untapped potential. An invasive shrub, Prosopis juliflora (Neltuma juliflora), was introduced in the early 1980s to address urgent problems during a catastrophic drought: fuelwood shortages, soil erosion and lack of livestock fodder. Relief responses recast pastoralism as inherently fragile, turning emergency aid into projects aimed at transforming livelihoods.

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