Grazing
As noted above, the area has traditionally been
used by the Maasai as grazing area for livestock, with frequent
movements depending on climate variation and the presence of
disease-bearing tsetse flies. While the shift to private ranches
has resulted in some fenced enclosures, “livestock production
continues to be the primary source of subsistence” at least
in communities surveyed by Seno and Shaw (Seno and Shaw 2002:84).
Fencing is infrequent due to its expense and the desire to maintain
traditional pastoral lifestyles (Lamprey and Reid
2004:21).
Despite this intent to continue raising livestock,
herding has become a difficult livelihood to maintain. Following
positive climate conditions, there were an average of 16 livestock
per adult in some areas. However, even with good rainfall in the
late 1990s, this same area now supports just under 3 cattle per
adult, below minimum subsistence levels (Lamprey and Reid
2004:1020). Many group ranches have failed due to mismanagement by
self-serving leaders, while smaller private ranches are less
conducive to pastoralism (id: 1021). Due to this decline,
many Maasai communities now confront other livelihood
options.
Cultivation
As a result of the shift to more sedentary
lifestyles, cultivation has increased in the region. While new
local owners have not generally fenced their lands, they have begun
to rent lands to outsiders who aggregate multiple small private
ranches for crop cultivation (Lamprey and Reid 2004:1021-1022).
Unsurprisingly, land conversion for cultivation is most frequent
when it is most profitable, particularly for leasing to outsiders
(Homewood et al. 2001). The shift mirrors typical changes from
pastoral communities to sedentary agricultural lifestyles (Gadgil
and Guha 1993:ch.1). Furthermore, the fragmentation of communities
reduces reliance on the subsistence ethic (Scott 1976), likely
leading to more short term profit-maximizing
behavior.
According to Homewood et al. (2001),
“mechanized cultivation [is associated] with distance from
the reserve (12548)” suggesting that leasing land for
agriculture provides an economic alternative when tourism is not a
possibility. Similarly placed communities outside Tanzania's
Serengeti National Park do not display this relationship (id),
indicating that land use policies also control
behavior.
Tourism
Ecotourism has often been proposed as a
sustainable alternative to agricultural land uses (Terborgh and
Peres 2002). Tourism has also provided livelihoods for many Maasai
living in areas around MMNR. In fact, the Reserve itself appears to
impact this possibility, as tourist activities are positively
“associated with proximity to MMNR (Homewood et al.
2001:12548).”
The Mara tourist industry centers around wildlife
viewing. Because wildlife survival depends on open land for
migration, managers are considering payments to Maasai who continue
grazing rather than fencing land for cultivation (Lamprey and Reid
2004:1025).
