Local Partner: Yiaku Laikipia Trust
Background and objective:
The project seeks to preserve traditional knowledge and livelihood of the Yiaku people by involving the community in identifying, photographing and recording traditional trees, herbs and shrubs that have cultural, health or medicinal benefit to the community. In the same breath, honey is a staple food for the Yiaku with great health benefits because it contains nectar from the wild plants collected by bees. This project aims at improving the elaboration of honey products to strengthen Yiaku livelihoods. The strategic objective is collecting all these culturally and health beneficial plants in a botanical garden at the Yiaku Cultural Site which is a museum and center to store and preserve history of the Yiaku people.
Increased knowledge on Yiaku tradition and connection to nature among community members fully developed. A catalogue on the plants in Mukogodo forest developed and shared for informational and further research purposes. YLT has set up a botanical garden to illustrate the richness and importance of indegenous plants and a botanical bank for protection of extinct species. Direct involvement of 180 community members in recapturing, learning and documenting the Yiakunte dialect. Uptake of honey production as an income generating activity. Training of 240 community members on improved honey production from the 3 group ranches of Mukogodo.
