“Healing Rangelands: A Story of Hope and Harmony in Northern Kenya” will premiere at the SER film festival in Denver Colorado on October 2nd, 2025. The film has been chosen as a Finalist in the category for “Weaving in Indigenous Perspectives”.
Co-directed by Ian Wafula and Saitabao Kaiyare, the film follows the inspiring story of how the previously degraded rangelands of Laikipia have been restored through a groundbreaking model of shared stewardship, ecological regeneration, and cultural collaboration. Much of the cinematography was shot by Ivo Horsey who spent over 2 years documenting the transformative journey of human intervention to heal degraded lands.
Synopsis
Set against the breathtaking backdrop of Laikipia County’s rugged landscapes, Healing Rangelands is a powerful film that chronicles the transformative partnership between Borana Conservancy and the Mayianat community, under the leadership of the Community Land
Management Committee (CLMC), counts among its leadership the resilient and visionary Benedetta Tinkoi, who also serves as the chair of the Grazing and Land Restoration Subcommittee. Historically marred by conflict over land use and resource access, the relationship between local communities and conservancies in Northern Kenya is being redefined.
Benedetta Tinkoi said, “In my life here in Laikipia I have seen my home transformed for the worse and then for the better. We never used to migrate in search of pasture, but over the years as the rains failed this changed. Drought would come and our herders had no option but to cut down trees to feed their livestock. As the seasons started to change to more extremes, the rains would cause the land to change and gulleys formed where we used to have grassland. My challenge became teaching our community how to change the way they dealt with the prolonged drought and lack of food for their livestock. It was not easy.”
The film follows the efforts of the Borana Conservancy team, including permaculturist Llewellyn Dyer and regenerative livestock expert Richie Van Aardt, as they work hand-in-hand with Bernadette and her community to restore degraded land using nature-based solutions like swales and rotational grazing. We witness the regeneration of barren rangelands, the return of grass and biodiversity, and the blossoming of a once-strained relationship into a partnership grounded in mutual respect and shared vision.
Told through intimate interviews, stunning visuals of wildlife and landscapes, and moments of cross-cultural exchange, Healing Rangelands reveals how ecological wisdom, indigenous knowledge, and community empowerment can converge to heal both the land and the historic divides between people.
Speaking of why he chose to tell this story, Ian Wafula said, “For years, I’ve covered stories of land conflict in Laikipia, northern Kenya—a region where the scars of colonial history and the pressures of climate change continue to fuel instability. When I learned that Borana and Maiyanat Conservancies were breaking that cycle by sharing resources and regenerating land together, I knew it was a story worth telling. That journey became Healing Rangelands. I’m honoured that the film will now reach a global audience and thrilled that it has been selected as a festival finalist.”
Benedetta continued, “As more of our community saw the success of the land reclamation efforts they wanted to try it too. It was the first time that they were being told that livestock, which is our wealth, was a solution rather than a problem. The community is now in a collective agreement on when to graze which tracts of land and this agreement, along with the work to build swales and collect water, have restored our community conservancy to an even better place than it was before. Instead of ignoring our traditions and preferences, our indigenous knowledge was taken seriously and we have found a balance which works.”
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