Revitalised pastoral livelihoods in Karamoja, Uganda

The report A better balance: revitalized pastoral livelihoods in Karamoja, Uganda (2106, 60pp) reviews the state of animal-based livelihoods in the Karamoja area of northeastern Uganda and examines how animal ownership affects a household’s ability to weather shocks. The report shows that animal-based livelihoods appear to be rebounding in some areas, after years of significant loss of livestock on account of raiding, disease, and policies that forced herders to confine their animals to small protected areas. The improvement is due largely to improved security, which has allowed herds to be more mobile. The report also shows that animal ownership is critical to resilience. When compared with households entirely without animals, households that have retained their animals are in a much better position to withstand shocks and to ensure they have enough to eat throughout the year and during crisis periods. Despite the progress, the authors found four major barriers to the revitalisation of pastoral production: growing inequity of animal ownership, poor animal health, limited mobility and a poor policy environment. The report provides specific recommendations to address each of these barriers.

The report emerges from the partnership between the Feinstein International Center and Mercy Corps as part of the Growth, Health and Governance project funded by USAID. Findings are based on fieldwork in early 2016 with four communities in northern and southern Karamoja.

Posted on 6 August 2016 in Pastoralism, Mobility & Land Tenure, Pastoralist Livelihoods & Nutrition