Ecological Outcome Verification in Kenya
Just before Christmas I assisted Michal Pretorius from TrueQuest (the South African Hub) in Kenya to setup a whole bunch of Long term EOV sites, around 12 in total. It was also part of my own journey towards becoming a Hub Verifier within the Savory network.
It was an unbelievable experience, with the our various objectives reached. What was striking is how ancient a landscape the Laikipia region of Kenya is. In Southern Africa the time difference between the Bantu speaking people moving south and the first Europeans arriving is not that far apart, in context to East Africa. Where people have been moving across this landscape with there vast herds of livestock for millennia. You can see it in the landscape.
What is EOV?
Ecological Outcome Verification is an ecological monitoring protocol that accesses ecosystem health based on how healthy the ecosystem processes are. It’s designed to be practical and logical so to give the land stewards a clear indication of the health of the land. EOV will indicate trends, if the land is regenerating or degenerating. But more importantly it empowers the stewards with the knowledge on how to manage the land towards the future they want.
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It’s an incredibly powerful tool.
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With this consumers would of course want to purchase products that come from land that is regenerating. Once a positive ecological health trend is recorded, a supply chain verification seal can be received from @landtomarket
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In the case of Borana, they just want to know for their own management whats happening on the land. First step is monitoring.
Traveling to places where mind sets are changing towards cattle, wildlife and people is enriching. Helping to understand challenges people face in their environment and context grows my own experiences. @boranaconservancy and @boranalodge are learning and adapting to the ways of how people, livestock and wildlife can coexist. It’s all about the story they tell, where cattle are starting to drive the regeneration of this landscape.
Etienne
