Floods after drought: storytelling with agro-pastoralists in a Kenyan dryland
Frontiers Affiliated with the Odessa Centre
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Abstract: This study explores agro-pastoralist experiences in southeastern Kenya’s drylands, highlighting how recurrent droughts and floods are perceived as increasingly intertwined rather than distinct events. Through 39 storytelling sessions with 213 participants, the research reconstructs a history from the 1940s to the 2020s, revealing that while past floods often followed droughts with regenerative effects, they are now seen as shorter, more destructive, and less beneficial. Adaptation strategies—such as irrigation and water pans—introduced in response to drought have unintentionally heightened flood risks. The study critiques the separation of drought and flood management in policy and science, advocating for a more integrated, experiential understanding of hydroclimatic extremes. It also emphasizes the value of qualitative storytelling in capturing localized knowledge, memory, and adaptation practices. The findings stress the need for policies that leverage the regenerative potential of floods while addressing the root vulnerabilities linked to drought and socio-environmental changes.