The REGAL -IR project is a five year initiative aiming to reduce hunger and poverty, increase social stability and build strong foundations for economic growth by strengthening social, economic, and environ-mental resilience in pastoral and transitioning communities in Kenya’s arid lands. With the main project office is in Isiolo County, REGAL-IR implements activities in Isiolo, Garissa, Wajir, Marsabit, and Tur-kana counties. The project is implanted by a consortium of partners led by Adeso. It seeks to strengthen social, economic, and environmental resilience for 558,000 people (93,000 households) in the target counties through community engagement and local institutions strengthening. The target counties reportedly hold the highest caseloads of food insecure households across the country thus offering greatest potential for reducing food assistance in the arid lands. The project has six thematic areas as described briefly below:

1. Strengthening and diversifying livelihood opportunities
2.  Advancing Value Chain inclusiveness
3. Improving management and productivity of natural resources
4. Improving conflict management
5. Improving drought management
6. Improving consumption of nutritious foods

REGAL-AG is a five-year, $20 million contract aimed to deepen USAID investment in two arid counties thus Marsabit and Isiolo. The activity seeks to improve the inclusiveness and competitiveness of the live-stock market system, particularly in three value chains; live animals and red meat, camel dairy, and hides and skins (listed by relative level of importance and focus). A critical focus of the project involves facilitating behaviour change in value chain actors running from input suppliers, livestock keepers, to middlemen, traders, transporters to the buyers – in order to improve their economic resilience, profitability and stimulate growth.

By design, the larger REGAL Project – through REGAL-AG investments in social and economic resilience – sets a foundation for REGAL-AG. The said foundation includes investments that foster the sustainable management of the natural resource base, address issues related to governance of grazing land, water, and other resources, mitigate conflicts, and allow for diversification of livelihoods. REGAL-AG works complementarily to increase investment at the value chain actor level in commercially-viable business models. REGAL AG aims at establishing an inclusive and competitive livestock value chain that increases pastoralists’ resilience and stimulates economic growth in Kenya's arid lands.

Increased competitiveness The assessment was to serve as the base measurement of the key indicators of the REGAL-IR and REGAL - AG projects, against which any change in the indicators was to be assessed. The principal purpose of the baseline was to depict the actual situation in the five ASAL counties where REGAL – IR and REGAL - AG were to facilitate programming action on building community resilience and promoting economic growth through thematic interventions. The baseline was to focus on the beneficiaries targeted by the project in all counties.

The methodology included both direct and indirect data collection, analysis and cross referencing and formulating recommendations. Data was collected through site visits in operation areas. The study covered direct beneficiaries of the project through sampling approach with a statistical significance at the 95% confidence level. Additionally, the methodology included reviewing existing secondary information and reports relevant to the baseline topics – the previous studies and assessments in ASAL areas; review of existing project level reports, documents and work plans relevant to the scope of the baseline study; discussion with key project staff of the projects and partners at project and county levels; interviews with concerned government agencies, line ministries and stakeholders involved; filed visits in the implementation areas for data collection and observations; community level participatory meetings ad focused group discussions for data collection and information gathering; household level survey for data collection through structure questionnaire; women participation to understand the issues concerning women from a gender perspective; use of data from local institutions or organisations; and data analysis and verification of analysed data.

The baseline approach had a strong focus on application of participator approaches and proven methodology that fits well in the context of pastoral communities. Aspects like livelihood zoning and seasonality modelling like in the case of Household Economic Analysis (HEA) and other related research frameworks were considered. The sampling took into consideration representation of different sub-section like counties, ethnic groups, livelihood zones, wealth group and vulnerable households.

Data was collected from both secondary and primary sources. A combination of approaches, and tools with inbuilt validation mechanisms were used. These included literature review, household surveys, Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), observation and Key Informant Interviews (KIIs).  Through the HH survey the study reached a total of 1,552 interviews from the five counties as follows: 364 in Turkana, 291 in Marsabit, 255 in Isiolo, 317 in Garissa and 325 in Wajir. In addition, FGDs and KIIs were facilitated in each of the counties. HEA baselines were used to triangulate the livelihood zoning, understanding the wealth breakdown, seasonality for main events and activities, and profiling of livelihood strategies, including sources of food and cash income, expenditure patterns, and household coping strategies.

The following steps were observed during the survey:

1. Enumerators Training: In each of the counties, training workshop was held for the enumeration team coordinated by the team leaders. The training focused on the data collection procedures, ensuring high quality field information, review and practicing of the data collection tool (HH questionnaire).
2. Key Informant Interviews: KIIs were used for two main reasons; i) to introduce the exercise to the local authorities and negotiate entry into the communities and, ii) to collate area specific in-formation as guided by the project indicator. Key informants were drawn from the community leaders, chiefs, and relevant county, sub-county, and national government offices.
3. Livelihood Zoning: In collaboration with the REGAL IR GIS Officer, the study team identified the livelihood zones within which the sampled study areas fall. A great part of this was done through desk review and cross checked with the county National Drought Management Authority (NDMA). Further verification was done through consultations with KIIs.
4. Focus Group Discussions (FGDs): At least one FGD was conducted per ward assembly sampled for the study. The FGDs were aimed at obtaining information on natural resources management, livelihoods options, gender dynamics and power play, coping strategies, timelines, and seasonal calendar amongst other. In all FGDs, a mixed gender representation was deliberately ensured.
5. HH Interviews (Survey): Individual household interviews were held with 1,552 households sampled across the five counties. Sampled HH included those that have interacted with the projects before the survey. Such HHs included those that took part in PLPA sessions or had been directly targeted for specific interventions for instance Self Help Groups (SHGs). At HH level, female respondents were purposively sought to respond to the survey session specific to women including the women in agriculture empowerment Index and the efficacy test.
6. Data Analysis and Report Compilation: Qualitative data especially from FGDs and KIIs was analysed on a continuous basis until a pattern emerged. Quantitative data was analysed using SPSS 21 and grounded with qualitative data from both primary sources (KIIs and FGDs) and literature review.

One baseline report and five county baseline reports were produced. Send an email to info@evidencefrontiers.com to request the full reports.