For millennia, African pastoralists – nomadic herders – have cared for the savannahs and grasslands that cover 40% of the continent. These lands support 250 million people and are vital to Africa’s future.
Pastoralists must constantly decide where and when to move their herds—choices that shape the health of their animals, the land, and their livelihoods. For millennia, they’ve relied on traditional knowledge, word of mouth, and scouting. While valuable, these methods lack precision and timeliness, and climate change has made them increasingly unreliable. Today, pastoralists lose about one-third of their herds each year—worth over $3,000 locally—pushing families toward hunger, conflict, or migration. Meanwhile, mismanaged grazing depletes soils, grasslands, rivers, and wildlife, leaving once-thriving ecosystems barren and unable to sustain life.
Afriscouts transforms how pastoralists manager their herds and lands by fusing traditional knowledge with mobile and satellite technology along with evidence-based regenerative practices. With greater insights, herders make smarter decisions, protect their animals and restore their lands.
As a result, pastoralist are not only improving their livelihoods, but they are becoming global climate leaders as the build healthier herds, stronger communities, and resilient grasslands.
For millennia, African pastoralists – nomadic herders – have cared for the savannahs and grasslands that cover 40% of the continent. These lands support 250 million people and are vital to Africa’s future.test
One day while I was looking after my goats, a friend posted an alert concerning the presence of hyenas in the field where my herd was. I was able to quickly change my direction and secure my goats.
AfriScout alert posts help me to detect areas that have been influenced by drought so that I can request the government to support and provide for residents’ basic needs.
The AfriScout app helps pastoralists to search for water, pasture and better places for migration right from home using their smartphones. This has reduced the interference of young schoolboys’ education who previously used to scout for water and pasture.
I saw several alerts on AfriScout about the contagious ecthyma disease in my area. I mobilized the leaders to help us vaccinate our animals. Luckily, they agreed, and they vaccinated over 90,000 livestock thus safeguarding our herd from falling sick and even dying.
When herders are disturbed by wild animals such as the leopards or their property destroyed by elephants, they post the predator alert on the AfriScout app and the Kenya Wildlife Service takes immediate action to prevent any loss and further conflict.
I showed some of my friends the app and they did not believe that it was telling the truth, I dared them to go with me … They were pleasantly surprised by how accurately the map depicted the situation at the ground. Right now, they believe in the power of AfriScout.
Historically, the Meru-Isiolo border has always been rife with conflicts. But nowadays, whenever I hear any hint of conflict at the border, I post the conflict alert on the AfriScout app and the herders who see my alert while on the way to the border rangelands turn back immediately. This has helped us to save […]
I have used AfriScout and trained other pastoralists on how to use the app for more than two years now. I can attest that the app is digitizing pastoralism in the area. Can you imagine knowing the exact distance to where you are migrating your livestock to and planning your route in advance? That was […]
The AfriScout app is very resourceful. There was a time an alert was posted on the app that Merille Melako market was razed by fire. We were able to respond to it immediately.
Conflict between tribes has almost completely been reduced or is near zero… AfriScout has helped reduce this because the application has provided options for migration and grazing.
The application helps us do away with the practice of keeping a large herds as security against mortality in case of drought or disease outbreak
It has reduced livestock mortality during the dry season and many herdsmen are happy with it.
I get preliminary diseases incidence information via the AfriScout app alerts which are posted by herders themselves. Now if there is an outbreak, he can notice and take action within a day.
I joined Afriscout because it is a way for me to serve my community.
Previously, we have been moving with livestock for long while from place to place. In the midst of that journey our cows and calves used to die. So, these maps have enormously benefits. Now, we have ridden ourselves of those challenges. Our cattle, calves and children are safe.
I saw alerts on Chronic Bovine Pleuro-Pneumonia (CBPP) in the neighboring village of Oerendeke andseveral alerts on deadly Ormilo. We therefore decided to vaccinate out cattle and de-worm our shoats. While our neighbours’ herds were highly affected with many of their animalsdying, our herd was safe. None of our animal died
