Economics of early response & drought resilience in Kenya & Ethiopia

A study commissioned by UKaid Department for International Development (DFID) was conducted in 2012 to provide first step towards: i) a solid evidence base on the cost effectiveness of building resilience to disasters as compared with the cost of relief and early response; ii) identifying the types of interventions that can provide the highest “Value for Money”; and iii) incentivising donors, partner governments, multilaterals and implementing agencies to invest in and work more on resilience to disasters. The study focused on response and resilience of pastoralists in the face of drought in the Horn of Africa, specifically Ethiopia and Kenya.

Pastoralism has been one of the most resilient livelihood systems because of pastoralists’ ability to adapt to changing conditions, but significant shifts in natural, socio-economic and institutional conditions have led to high levels of vulnerability. As a result, pastoralists are heavily impacted by drought.

The report “The economics of early response and disaster resilience: lessons from Kenya and Ethiopia” starts with a brief overview of the local context in each country with specific reference to the history and impacts of drought, how this affects pastoralists, and measures being used to build resilience. It describes the findings from the Kenya and Ethiopia studies, using a Household Economy Analysis approach, provides some initial evidence on the value for money of interventions, and gives some recommendations as to how interventions could improve early response and resilience to disaster.

Posted on 2 November 2013 in Pastoralism & Natural Resources, Pastoralism, Policy & Power, Pastoralist Livelihoods & Nutrition