The FDRE policy acknowledges a lack of understanding of pastoralism in the past, with a propensity to consider it a backward livelihood system, and that such ill-informed pastoral development has hindered progress and created poverty in pastoral areas (pp. 15-16). The policy claims an intention to go beyond the mistakes of the past by finally ‘centring pastoral development on pastoralism’ (Specific Objective ‘a’). The understanding of ‘pastoralism’ provided in the document, however, is thin and generic: ‘a livelihood that depends mainly on livestock’ (see commentary). There is no reference to the conceptualization of pastoralism provided in the African Union Policy Framework for Pastoralism.

The AU Framework too is centred on pastoralism. Section 2 (pp. 4-12) is dedicated to describe ‘African pastoralism in context’. The use of the term ‘pastoralism’ in the Framework is explained in section 2.1 (pp. 4-5). The explanation refers to the relationship between highly variable environments and the use of strategically mobile herds to maximize benefits from the unpredictably distributed resources they can offer.

2.1 Conceptualizing pastoralism in Africa. Pastoralism is a way of life and a production system for a substantial number of Africans who inhabit arid and semi-arid areas. The key characteristics of the system are:

• A semi-arid or arid environment, with marked variability in rainfall both spatially and temporally within and between years;
• The use of livestock to maximize the uncertain distribution and availability of grazing resources in these environments;
• The need for strategic mobility to access and use grazing resources in an efficient manner.

There is emphasis that pastoral mobility is not random or irrational, but rather the basis of pastoralists’ success in supplying the bulk livestock to domestic markets in many African countries (p. 5):

Although mobility is a common feature of pastoralists in different parts of Africa and is usually seasonal in nature, many different types of movement are practiced according to local environments and types of livestock reared.

Such movements are not random or irrational, but highly strategic and draw on local information gathering and risk analysis, supported by extraordinary traditional systems of governance and decision-making.

It is these technical and social aspects of pastoralism, developed and adapted over centuries, which enable pastoralists in many African countries to supply the bulk of livestock for domestic meat markets.

Even in light of this much more substantive description, the AU Policy Framework recommends to invest in improving the understanding of pastoralism:

Strategy 1.1 Recognize the role of pastoralism in development. … there is still a considerable need for improving understanding of African pastoralism in terms of its economic and ecological rationale, and the rights of pastoralists to access their rangelands and pursue a livelihood of their choice …

Strategy 1.2 Demonstrating commitment to pastoral policy development. … Demonstrating real commitment to pastoral policy necessitates changes in attitude towards pastoralism and realizing the need to … abandon biased perceptions that pastoralism is an archaic livestock production system and pastoralist suffering is self-inflicted because pastoralists choose to pursue obsolete traditional life style …

Strategy 2.7 Research and extension. … Long-term sustainable pastoral development requires a good knowledge of the dynamics of multiple factors underlining pastoralism and here, research has a crucial role to play …

The African Union Policy Framework for Pastoralism acknowledges the need to increase pastoralists’ participation and update the perception of pastoralism in policy processes:

4.1.2 Political and policy processes. … The framework highlights the processes required to ensure improvements in the political, social and economic capital of pastoralists. This principle covers issues of representation and voice, and processes for improving dialogue and understanding between pastoralists and policy makers. It further recognizes issues of governance, the role of traditional institutions and the active inclusion of pastoral women and men in processes of policy and legislative reform. Improved understanding of the economics of pastoralism among policy makers is central to policy process…

5.3.5 Ensuring availability of financial and human resources. … pastoral policies should be designed, promulgated and even launched with genuine concern for the human resources and other logistical requirements necessary to carry out the process … transitional arrangements and preparations such as staff capacity-building and training, public awareness/information and communication, should always be taken into account in the policy development process …

By contrast, the FDRE’s policy focuses future research on inventing, adapting and distributing technologies to solve ‘pastoral problems’ (1.1f; 2.2a), the latter described only in terms of failing to make good use of available resources: ‘organizing educational institutions, technical schools and higher education institutions in pastoral areas that are capable of … putting pastoral endowments into use and service’ (p. 57).

The FDRE’s policy position on human resource development is that those in need of learning are the pastoralists; and what they need to learn is how to implement the policy: ‘Human resource development in pastoral areas shall mainly focus on building the capacity of the mass of the people … avail enough human resources for the success of the mission [which is to ] fully and effectively develop the natural endowments in pastoral areas’’ (3.2a).

Pastoral mobility »