Community participation in transformation of rural livelihoods and climate smart farming technologies in the semi-arid lands of Kenya

Semi-arid areas in developing countries continue to depend on rain-fed agriculture which is exacerbated by climate change and poor governance. Despite efforts and investments by governmental and non-governmental organizations to address the issue of food insecurity in the semi-arid areas of Kenya, the problem still persists. The communities have designed themselves to be resource poor whereas they are not. This paper argues that the communities have accepted their incapability to utilize their naturally occurring resources and foot their own development. Yet, there exist transformational models that have involved empowering communities to realize and reframe opportunities. The purpose of this paper was to document outcomes of transformational leadership model and its effectiveness on community participation and engagement in improving food security and climate change adaptation outcomes. The study involved key informant interviews and showed that the community Christian Impact Mission had transformed, engaged and empowered communities through mind-set change and green farming technologies with the locally available resources. Without any donor support, a semi-arid community in Yatta sub-county has since successfully footed their own development, realized food security and engaged in sustainable and climate smart agricultural technologies. The study argues therefore, that participation and inclusivity of communities by development organizations is imperative for realization of food security and climate change mitigation and adaptation actions.     Key word: Community, empowerment, food security, transformational, leadership.