What was the challenge?
Youth living in many parts of the Athi River Basin relied on sand harvesting as a source of income. While the activity generated short-term earnings, unregulated extraction contributed to river degradation, declining water availability and increased competition over natural resources. In some areas, competition over access to sand harvesting sites also heightened tensions within communities, creating risks to both livelihoods and local environmental sustainability.
What did CESPAD do?
The Promoting Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in Kenya project recognised that efforts to protect rivers and catchments would be difficult to sustain unless communities, particularly young people, had access to viable alternative sources of income. CESPAD therefore integrated livelihood development into its water governance approach, working with Water Resource Users Associations (WRUAs), county governments and local communities to promote economic activities that reduced dependence on environmentally harmful practices.
The project supported youth participation in livelihood activities linked to sustainable natural resource management. Training and technical support were provided in enterprises such as horticulture, tree nursery establishment and dairy goat production. These activities were introduced alongside catchment restoration initiatives, enabling communities to strengthen household incomes while contributing to environmental conservation.
What was produced?
Our project documentation shows that approximately 400 young people shifted from sand harvesting to alternative livelihood activities during the implementation period. The transition reduced reliance on riverbed extraction while creating opportunities for income generation through enterprises that were compatible with improved catchment management.
What changed?
The livelihood interventions also strengthened community participation in conservation activities. As youth became involved in alternative enterprises, they participated more actively in initiatives coordinated through WRUAs, including tree planting, catchment rehabilitation and sustainable land management. The project therefore linked livelihood improvement with broader efforts to protect water resources and restore degraded ecosystems.
The experience demonstrates that environmental conservation and livelihood development are closely connected. Measures to regulate the use of natural resources are more likely to be sustained when communities have realistic economic alternatives that reduce pressure on fragile ecosystems. For young people, access to diversified livelihood opportunities also strengthens their participation in local development and natural resource governance.
What did we learn?
Our experience illustrates the importance of integrating social and economic considerations into water resources management. By supporting alternative livelihoods alongside catchment restoration, the project contributed to reducing pressure on river ecosystems while creating opportunities for youth to participate in more sustainable forms of rural economic development.