Pastoralism & Natural Resources (page 74)
Herders in drought-stricken northern Kenya get first livestock insurance payments
As livestock deaths mount, a small group of herders in Kenya’s Marsabit District is first to benefit from program that tracks forage conditions via satellite. In the midst of a drought-induced food crisis affecting millions in the Horn of Africa, an innovative insurance program for poor livestock keepers is making its first payouts today, providing compensation […]
Why pastoralism is not the problem but the solution in Karamoja
The dominant perception of Karamoja within government, the civil service and among development partners is that the population of Karamoja is a) extremely poor, b) their livelihoods are very vulnerable to frequent droughts and c) pastoral livelihoods are not viable in the long term. Empirical evidence shows that these three perceptions are not true. Detailed […]
Here we go again: famine in Horn of Africa
By: Simon Levine Research Fellow, Overseas Development Institute This week, yet again, the spectre of famine in the Horn of Africa has reappeared on our television screens and in our newspapers. Across large parts of Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia, livestock are dying in huge numbers because they cannot get water and pasture. Ominously, no rains […]
The political economy of land reform in pastoral areas
This paper was presented by Fiona Flintan at the Conference: Future of Pastoralism held between the 21-23 of March 2011 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The paper argues that land reform in pastoral areas must be carried out hand-in-hand with the (re)establishment of good governance; the (re)development of appropriate and just institutions with ‘balanced’ and effective […]
Pastoralists in poverty struggle with commercialisation of livestock
The issue of pastoralist vulnerability in Ethiopia, and how best to respond to it, remains a key development challenge. Different actors have different perspectives, but in more recent development debates, pastoral destitution and poverty are often attributed to conflict, climate change and weak governance. This report uses an alternative entry point to analyze pastoralist vulnerability, […]