'At least I don't have to protect my herd from packs of lions'
Dairy farming on the southern fringes of Exmoor, Richard Gibson regularly complains about the weather, the cost of animal feed, and the low price of the milk he sells.
But his year-long battles pale into insignificance compared with the struggles of Samburu tribesmen who herd their cattle in the parched and desolate mountains of northern Kenya.
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Richard Gibson with a farmer in Kenya, where he lived with a tribe and tended their animals, experiencing the everyday dangers they face
Mr Gibson recently left behind his family and life at Nether Woodburn farm, near East Anstey, Devon, to experience life as a rural Kenyan cattle farmer.
As part of a BBC documentary series, Toughest Place To Be... A Farmer, he discovered how the tribesmen struggle to find water to give their cattle and have to protect the herd from wild animals as well as other tribes.
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Mr Gibson told the Western Morning News: "The underlying stockmanship of farm animals transcends across continents. But there are many differences between farming in Devon and Kenya. It's a totally different way of life.
"We never starve in this country, but they are constantly hunting for food and water. We farm for commercial reasons, they farm to stay alive. It's a daily grind."
Drought has decimated the herds in the Kenyan region, forcing many Samburu off their land and into the poverty of local towns.
During the programme, Mr Gibson launched himself into the foreign lifestyle – sleeping rough in the wilderness, drinking cow's blood and digging to find water.
The Yorkshire-born farmer brought out his tablet computer and showed village elder Lemerigichen the modern milking parlour he uses to produce a million litres of milk a year.
Mr Gibson told the local farmers: "We're very lucky in our country. We don't have tribal enemies and we don't have any dangerous animals that'll attack or eat the animals."
He gained an insight into what it is like to tend a herd when surrounded by lions, leopards and hyenas.
Mr Gibson added: "Going to Kenya put things into perspective. Although we have struggles, we don't farm under that much pressure.
"Many of them have lived in the village all their lives. They are a very close-knit community and whatever little they have, they share. It was a very humbling experience."
His wife, Heather, added: "Even though they are from totally different continents, they were able to connect because farming is in their blood."
For more information on Mr Gibson's experiences, visit www.aidforsamburu.org.uk
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