Resilience analysis to guide pastoralist policy

The paper “Applying resilience thinking to questions of policy for pastoralist systems: lessons from the Gabra of Northern Kenya“ (in Human Ecology) explores the relevance of a systematic application of resilience thinking to questions of pastoralist policy. It analyses the social-ecological system of the Gabra people in north-central Kenya and identifies indicators of the components, relationships and sources of innovation and continuity in the pastoralist system that show the dynamics of how resilience is being lost. In the case of the Gabra, the analysis suggests that there is a need to envision a domain that is distinct both from traditional pastoralism, the viability of which has been undermined, and from the poverty trap that is starting to dominate their lives. This resilience-based analysis helps to uncover specific details regarding what this “third alternative” might entail and what kinds of policy levers might help make it possible. Find the paper here.

Posted on 4 August 2012 in Pastoralism & Natural Resources, Pastoralism, Mobility & Land Tenure, Pastoralism, Policy & Power, Pastoralist Livelihoods & Nutrition