Pastoralist livestock and local livelihoods in Sudan

Pastoralist livestock production is an important element of Sudan’s economy. This is highlighted in a report Standing wealth: pastoralist livestock production and local livelihoods in Sudan, brought out by the Feinstein International Institute (Tufts University) and UNEP, authored by Saverio Krätli, Omer Hassan el Dirani and Helen Young, with Samira Mohammed Ahmed, Osman Mohammed Babiker, Musa Adam Ismail, Abdelazeem Hassan, Azharia El Bushra. The report is based on extensive fieldwork carried out in North Kordofan, with three case studies on sheep, cattle and camel production systems, plus additional visits to West Darfur State, Gadarif and Omdurman during 2012. The authors outline ways in which pastoralism can be supported in the future, to benefit livelihoods and the economy of Sudan. The economic value of pastoral livestock production is largely hidden, both in the official statistics, and in relation to the domestic market and subsistence economy (e.g. milk). The report argues for an informed, effective and equitable integration of pastoral systems within national policy and legal frameworks, in order to legitimate this form of land use and to underpin a constructive approach to modernisation of the livestock sector. The findings indicate that unleashing the potential of the livestock sector in Sudan requires securing the conditions for livestock mobility, so that livestock can access pastures selectively, when the nutritional value of plants is at its peak. This requires the return of security in pastoral areas and along livestock routes, and a tailored regulation of markets in land (in pastoral areas), water for livestock and crop residues as feed.

A summary of the report in Arabic can be found under http://sites.tufts.edu/feinstein/files/2013/06/Arabic-Summary-Standing-Wealth.pdf and a 4-page policy brief based on the report can be found under http://sites.tufts.edu/feinstein/files/2013/06/Standing-Wealth-Briefing-Paper.pdf

Posted on 12 June 2013 in News, Pastoralism, Mobility & Land Tenure, Pastoralism, Policy & Power, Pastoralist Livelihoods & Nutrition, Value of Pastoralism