Shifting livelihood strategies of South Sudan’s pastoralists
The technical report “Faced with floods: South Sudan: shifting livelihood strategies among South Sudan’s pastoralists” (2023, 20pp) by Alex Humphrey et al, published by the SPARC (Supporting Pastoralism and Agriculture in Recurrent and Protracted Crises) programme, explores how pastoralists and agropastoralists in South Sudan’s Unity State are adapting their livelihood strategies in response to conflict and climate shocks.
Conflict and climate shocks are driving rapid change within the pastoral and agropastoral livelihood systems of many South Sudanese households. Recent prolonged and widespread flooding has caused extensive crop and livestock losses and a reorientation of the local communities’ livelihood strategies.
The report looks into specific ways in which they have adjusted their livelihood strategies and into the extent to which these shocks – and the communities’ responses to them – are likely to lead to permanent versus temporary changes in the broader pastoral livelihood system. It begins to answer questions being raised by some donors and project implementers in South Sudan, such as:
- What is the future of pastoral livelihood systems amidst such volatility?
- Will conditions conducive to pastoralism return?
- If conditions return to normal, to what extent will people resume pastoral production?
- How successful will recovery be, and how long will it take?
The full version of this report on shifts in pastoralists’ livelihood portfolios in South Sudan’s Unity State can be found here and the summary can be found here and on the SPARC website.
Posted on 27 March 2024 in Pastoralism & Climate Change, Pastoralism & Natural Resources, Pastoralist Livelihoods & Nutrition