Building resilient (agro-) pastoralist systems

February 5, 2012 - Rinus van Klinken and Joost Nelen (Advisers, SNV Netherlands Development Organisation)

The recent drought in the Horn of Africa was the latest of a series of recurring famines that continue to ravage parts of the continent. The crisis seemed to confirm the views of those who question the future of livelihoods in African drylands. Despite the omnipresence of (agro-) pastoralism on the continent, a dominant school of thought regards it as an 'inefficient' system that cannot cope with current market and food demands. According to this viewpoint, pastoralism should make place for modern livestock-keeping systems that are 'better equipped' to supply the demands of the current market. At best, pastoralists may just manage to survive in remote areas, but will almost certainly remain dependent on food aid. A contrasting viewpoint claims it is too early to predict the demise of (agro-) pastoralists in modern societies: there is no viable alternative for many of the drylands in which they survive. But it also misrepresents their positive contribution to the economy and to the sustainable use of land and water.

Experiences on the ground lead us to believe that, without denying that they survive in harsh conditions, agro-pastoralists are adapting to contemporary demands. Recently, we collected a number of case studies on working with pastoralists and (agro-) pastoralists in various situations in Africa. The findings are published in a Practice Brief on ‘Sustainable livelihoods for pastoralists in Africa’. It is part of a periodic series of briefs, highlighting insights, experiences and emergent knowledge from capacity development practice of SNV and partner organisations. This Pastoralist Practice Brief brings in the spotlight how stakeholders act at ‘ground’ level in supporting pastoralist livelihoods, whilst increasing their contribution to economic development in some of the most challenging environments in Africa today.

We note that pastoralists commonly choose from two income strategies to improve their current livelihoods and dealing with climatic shocks. Firstly, they increasingly try to diversify their income. By-products (dairy, crop and tree products) get a more prominent place next to livestock chains. This implies a more sedentary lifestyle of part of the family, though mobile livestock remains a key asset. Secondly, pastoralists are ‘moving up’ the chain. That is, going to more commercial systems, which target higher value markets including exports. This strategy requires assets, specialised labour and inputs. Livestock keepers, who move up the chain and pursue strong commercialisation options, remain a minority. Most (agro-) pastoralists manage to gradually raise their incomes by pursuing a range of diversification strategies and is the group requiring most support. Finally there is a third group, who move out of livestock keeping altogether. The choice may be positive, deliberate, or be negative (involuntary ‘pushed out’).

(Agro-) pastoralists are changing with the times and engaging with markets. But what is often lacking is that they don’t get the right support. Their voices do not get heard and quite some governments and international agencies still treat pastoralists as victims of circumstance, rather than as partners requiring to be listened to. As documented in the Practice Brief, SNV's approach is to improve the livelihoods of the various (agro-) pastoralist groups by strengthening their voice in debates, supporting their engagement with markets and improving service provision and resource management. The question is not whether pastoralism as a livelihood system will survive or not. Rather, the question to policy makers and development practitioners is, whether we are providing the right support to enable pastoralists to adapt to the changing circumstances. Looking carefully at practice and listening to what pastoralists are saying would be a good start for making the right choices.

Download a copy of the Practice Brief

Comment- Finance as the new frontier to pastoral adaptation