Happy New Year! I wanted to start the new year off by reflecting on the progress made by our coexistence team during the last quarter of 2025. The coexistence department continues to demonstrate the role of elephant-friendly agriculture in supporting livelihoods, advancing research and reducing human-elephant conflict (HEC) across the Mara landscape.
On the farm, after a year of dedicated care and close monitoring, the team successfully harvested the first batch of tea tree. The crop, nurtured from planting through its full growth cycle, yielded an impressive 3,815 kg of fresh tea tree material. The harvest was delivered to Kutoka Ardhini, a local processing unit in the Mara that ensures farmers benefit from a sustainable and transparent value chain.
A total of 38 kg of chili was harvested as well and, even more exciting, we received the chili grinding machine, which will help us grind chili onsite to use for HEC mitigation activities.
For the first time all year, a group of elephants visited the kitchen garden on the farm and consumed nearly all the onions along with spinach, tulips, beetroot, and Managu that had already matured. Interestingly, the elephants showed little interest in the Sukuma wiki (kale), leaving most of it untouched.
An update on the out grower activities, four new groups of female farmers were onboarded into the program. Representatives from two Osiligi groups, a Oltarakwai group and Naretoi group converged at the MEP farm for an introductory course.
For the current participants, the MEP coexistence team held a meeting focused on financial management and provided an opportunity for participants to refresh their knowledge from previous entrepreneurship training. Notably, several women have since initiated small personal businesses, demonstrating improved well-being and reinforcing the value of livelihood diversification as a key component of human-wildlife coexistence. An introductory meeting was held in preparations for the next cohort of out grower participants with two groups of interested farmers attending. In the coming months, more outreach activities will be conducted to raise awareness and encourage wider participation.
The conservation education team successfully completed end-of-year assessments in ten schools. As part of the exercise, the team screened The Elephant Queen film for all students to enhance their understanding of the relationship between elephants, communities and the importance of habitat protection and long-term conservation efforts. We also celebrated Mazingira Day at Olorkoti High School by planting 350 trees together with students and teachers. During the event, the team showcased the use of drones in conservation, inspiring students to think innovatively and see how technology can play a key role in protecting wildlife and the environment.
We also participated in a three-day mentorship program with 295 students and 65 parents from Ormeoshi Primary School. We covered a wide range of topics, including academic performance, conservation, and health and concluded with the planting of 100 trees in celebration of Kenya’s National Tree Planting Day. There were some challenges at the end of the year, mostly the prolonged dry conditions, which slowed down crop growth and pushed back our planting timeline.
Looking to the new year, the coexistence team’s priorities include scaling the out grower participants, strengthening the education activities in HEC hotspots, field-testing chili deterrents and improving the farm’s resilience through irrigation.
On behalf of everyone working to promote coexistence at Mara Elephant Project, thank you very much for your support in 2025.
