Interviewer(s): I010
Interviewee(s): KI057

I010: For how long have you lived in this village?

KI057: We have been here for 7 years now.

I010: And for how long you have been a leader in your village?

KI057: I am in this position for 5 years now.

I010: We were here in February this year (2017), from February to this month, what changes have you observed in your village?

KI057: There are no changes at all, other than conflicts between pastoralists and farmers

I010: What can you say about it?

KI057: It happens when cattle enter in some ones farm.

I010: Are rich households increasing or decreasing in your village?

KI057: It is still the same

I010: Really, not increasing or decreasing at all throughout the year, or comparing February to now?

KI057: To some point yes, very few households.

I010: What about poor households; are they increasing or decreasing?

KI057: They are decreasing to some extent but not that much

I010: What is the cause of those changes?

KI057: Rich households have decreased due to reduction in the number of cattle and it is because of too much drought which happened last year.

I010: What else?

KI057: There is no any other reason

I010: How does this change affect your community?

KI057: As you know the Masai depend on livestock so when cattle die it is like they lack the most important food such as milk and meat. Now people are looking for another alternative activity apart from depending only on cattle

I010: how does this change effect on how people eat in the community?

KI057: It does, because other people used to eat three meals per day, or even drink only milk throughout the day because there was availability of milk, but recently it has become hard, you need to sell something in order to get money to buy food.

I010: What happened recently which made lack of food in your community?

KI057: This time there was this insect which attacked maize, so we did not get enough food this time around.

I010: What about availability of markets around?

KI057: In Mela there is no market, we don’t practice business activity

I010: What about firewood for cooking?

KI057: We go look in the forest, we don’t use charcoal.

I010: What can you say about availability of water?

KI057: they are taps around but we don’t get water every day,

I010: What are the obstacles for getting regular supply of water in your community?

KI057: I don’t know, but also there is one well which is not enough for every household and livestock.

I010: How does a family overcome this issue of lack of food?

KI057: They overcome by selling cattle and get money to buy food, but when someone does not have enough cattle to sell is when he/she suffers a lot from food shortage.

I010: What do you normally do in order to make sure that every household has enough food?

KI057: sell the cattle and buy food in order for the children and old ones that are in the family, because they cannot stay for long without eating and also they can’t go far to look for food.

I010: Who suffers a lot during this time?

KI057: Disabled, because they can’t work or perform any task that can make them be paid

I010: Who else?

KI057: In our tradition, women depend on men; if they don’t do anything then we starve, because men are the ones that are capable and able to sell or even to do other activity to generate income.

I010: What about children? Do they also suffer or not?

KI057: They do suffer a lot, if the food is not enough to satisfy them.

I010: Elders?

KI057: They suffer but not to the extent like children unless they are too old to move from one place to another but otherwise they are able to go look for food elsewhere.

I010: What made you think that these groups do suffer a lot when there is shortage of food?

KI057: Because this time around people did not cultivate enough, due to too much drought.

I010: So, what do you think should be done to eradicate this problem in your community?

KI057: People should start to engage themselves in agriculture rather than to depend only on one type of livelihood; through this approach it will help to eradicate this problem and children will not suffer much. In addition it will help to provide enough pasture for the cattle in order to produce enough milk.

I010: How can availability of water help to solve this problem of shortage of food in your society?

KI057: For this year in some places there were floods which made maize not to grow so well.

I010: NOW WOULD LIKE TO TALK ABOUT WEATHER AND ENVIRONMENT CHANGE IN GENERAL As we were here before/earlier, we would like to know what changes have happened during this time like from February to October this year? (2017)

KI057: This year changes are not as bad as last year.

I010: What environmental changes that have happened so far?

KI057: last year was worse, too much heat, drought, hunger, but for this year it was not so much bad

I010: Comparing two years back what can you say?

KI057: Last year, we experienced significant changes that have never happened before.

I010: Comparing 2-5 years back what can you say about environment or weather changes in general?

KI057: Yes there are changes, but changes for these past three years things were not so good.

I010: How do these changes affect the society or community?

KI057: Yes we got affected, like there was no enough food, water, milk, and pasture for cattle.

I010: What about cattle feeds?

KI057: no enough feed, even water last year the situation was terrible.

I010: after all these changes, how did people’s role/responsibility change?

KI057: Some people tend to do other activity in order to get something for the family, like cook buns and sell to other people just to get money,

I010: How many cattle can a person own by that time?

KI057: From 200-500

I010: Even during this dry season?

KI057: NO,

I010: how about availability of food during this dry season?

KI057: There was no food

I010: Is it about the price or?

KI057: Price can also be a reason.

I010: How about milk availability?

KI057: it is hard to get milk when the same cattle are suffering from drought, no food.

I010: NOW I WOULD LIKE TO TALK ABOUT RESPONSIBILITY AND ROLES IN THE HOUSEHOLD What do men do during this dry season?

KI057: It’s only men that perform other ask during this dry season. Women milk the cattle, cook for the family, fetch water and perform other home activities.

I010: During the rainy season, what do men and women do?

KI057: Women tend to sell milk to other neighbours in the community.

I010: We have heard a lot about conflict between pastoralist and farmers, so which season do this conflicts increase, is it during dry/rainy season?

KI057: Conflicts increase because cattle move from one place to another in search of pasture and water and this happens only during dry season.

I010: How do the community cope with this situation, as cattle move?

KI057: they manage because when they are back even the season would have changed.

I010: And milk?

KI057: Children eat other kinds of foods apart from milk as they are used to.

I010: what is the reason or cause for some Maasai now that they are cultivating?

KI057: Availability of farms made others to start cultivating.

I010: Are there changes in education, and culture?

KI057: In education there are changes because in previous days our children did not go to school, but now they go and some of them they can even reached university level. About culture, in our community to some extent conflicts have reduced.

I010: What made conflicts not to happen?

KI057: It just happened that there are no conflicts in our community recently.

I010: If someone shifts to your community what are the procedures?

KI057: She/he has to report to the village leader

I010: Now would like to talk about changes in women responsibility like before women were not supposed to go graze or even do other activities

KI057: Yes, in previous times women did not do those activities apart from staying at home and cook, but nowadays they go graze, and also do small business.

I010: When women go graze does it affect the family?

KI057: At some point yes, due to them going to do business and leave children at home without enough food, and tend to take long time to return home so you may find children are suffering. CHANGES IN CULTURE

I010: There are constant movements of people in your society, does it affect your society?

KI057: This happens when they shift to look for feeds

I010: Who exactly shifts during that period?

KI057: Youth, because they are the ones who look after the cattle.

I010: And who are the ones who remain behind?

KI057: Children, elders, mothers and sometimes head of the house, because the youth are the ones who are responsible though it may happen even the father may go with them.

I010: For how long do they stay there?

KI057: It depends they can stay for even 3 months.

I010: How does it affect the society?

KI057: there is no any effect

I010: Talking about responsibility; Are there any changes when they shift to take animals far away to graze?

KI057: The ones who remain behind take the risk to perform every task in order to cover up.

I010: For those who go to school, when they are back are there any changes that you observe for them?

KI057: The changes are positive, they are educated enough even they teach us other new things.

I010: How is life when people shift?

KI057: Life becomes hard because there is no enough milk due to too much drought that the cattle don’t get enough pasture.

I010: Do people usually get balanced diet when other people are away?

KI057: there is usually no food because of too much drought. And women, children and elders suffer a lot, so they eat other foods like vegetables, cassava, potato, which in our society these are not the normal things/foods.

I010: which is the common conflict in the community?

KI057: Common one is that of pastoralist and farmers.

I010: when did this conflict start? What is the cause of this conflict? When does it take place?

KI057: For about 3 years now, the cause of this conflict is land because there is no enough land for the pastoralist to graze or enough feed for cattle so they tend to move from one place to another in order to get pasture for the cattle, and it mostly happen during the dry season.

I010: How does it affect the pastoralist?

KI057: Reduction on the number of cattle, due to lack of pasture and water.

I010: How do they overcome the conflict?

KI057: for quiet sometime now conflicts in households have declined compared to previous years.

I010: When conflict occurs in the family, how do you solve them?

KI057: By going to the chairperson who help the two to resolve their issues before going back home. As we are coming to an end of our interview would like to ask more questions.

I010: Where exactly do people learn about balanced diet in this community?

KI057: At home, as mother and father teach us how to prepare food.

I010: Is there any importance of diet or healthy knowledge to your community?

KI057: Yes,

I010: where do you want to get this knowledge?

KI057: Schools, church, radios and television can also help us get the knowledge.

I010: Thank you so much madam, we have reached the end of our interview.