ACC has been working with partners and stakeholders in the landscapes to formulate appropriate local governance structures that will implement grass-root initiatives that enhance natural resource management as well as provide alternative livelihood base for the community. A model activity has been Cattleman Association project designed to effectively respond to these various problems faced by pastoralists by initiating livestock upgrading and marketing. The first phase of the project was successfully launched on 30th July 2008 by the Royal Netherlands Ambassador to Kenya in Kajiado district, followed by another in Loitokitok district.

This project takes a holistic and proactive animal husbandry approach. The goal is improving livestock productivity through better breeding and husbandry techniques designed to increase marketable outputs without prejudicing traditional efficient drought avoidance strategies. Breed improvement and access to the market are seen as the two important components.

Livestock is a key asset in the arid and semi-arid areas of the South Rift region. The livelihoods of pastoralists are directly linked to their livestock, and thus to the environment in which they live. The shrinking land base and the changing climatic conditions further worsen availability of pasture in the already dry pastoral regions, calls for better interventions in livestock production to make the best out of their environment. Pastoral producers spends a lot of their energies on this labour intensive production system while the benefits of their products are enjoyed by middlemen who do very little but block and exploit direct access of the producers to the livestock markets. Livestock by-products including milk, hides, bones have also not been well processed to bring the added value to this production system.