Improving the livestock sector in Ngorongoro, Tanzania

A report for the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) entitled “Livestock sector in the Ngorongoro District: analysis, shortcomings and options for improvement” (2018, 58pp) by Pablo Manzano and Lucas Yamat, looks at how to increase revenues from livestock in Ngorongoro in northwest Tanzania. In response to the 2017 drought, local communities used different strategies, including capital accumulation, buying fodder, destocking and livelihood diversification. However, these strategies are limited by market inefficiencies, poor access to early warning information, and poor financial management by the pastoralists. Interventions in pastoralist settings showed a limited understanding of the complex relationships between the different livelihood aspects of pastoralism, and focused only on primary production, disregarding the industrial and services sectors. The report estimates how much money is being lost through the various livestock-sector inefficiencies and the potential for income improvement if such inefficiencies were tackled, e.g. through improvement in drought management, market management, breed management, and milk processing and marketing. Large investments are needed in education to help move people out of the primary sector and to reduce human population growth. The report makes several recommendations for exploiting the full potential of the livestock sector in Ngorongoro District.

Posted on 21 October 2018 in Pastoralism & Climate Change, Pastoralism & Marketing, Pastoralism & Services, Pastoralist Livelihoods & Nutrition