Chapter Five

Pastoralism and Socio-economic Transformation

Why studying Pastoralism and Socio-economic
Transformation?
 Introduction
• Who is Pastoralist?
• What is Pastoralism ?
• What Characterize Pastoral livelihoods?
• When we say pastoral transformation, what does it imply ?
 What is pastoralist?
 Pastoralist refers to communities whose main livelihood is
derived from livestock production. (Pastoralist jechuun
hawaasa jireenyi isaanii inni guddaan oomisha beeyladaa
irraa argamu jechuudha.)
 Communities that derive 50% or more of their economy
from livestock production.
 Inhabit arid and semi-arid regions and generally experience
harsh climatic conditions(Naannoo goggogaa fi walakkaa
goggogaa kan jiraatan yoo ta’u, akka waliigalaatti haala
qilleensaa hamaa ni mudatu)
 Somali, Afar, Borana,oromia, Massai, Turkana
 common species herded by African pastoralists are
cattle/loon, sheep, goats and camels
 What is pastoralist?
Different Organizations and Scholars are defined pastoralism in
different ways. Why???
 FAO defined as “extensive livestock production in the pastures”.
 Pastoralism scientifically defined as “A member of social groups
with a strong traditional association with livestock keeping, where
a substantially proportion of the group derive over 50% of the
household consumption from livestock products or their sales,
and where over 90% of animal consumption is from natural
pasture, and where members of the households are responsible for
the full cycle of the livestock breeding”
 Pastoralism, the use of extensive grazing in rangelands for
livestock production.
 It is one of the key production, economic, and livelihood systems
in the world's dry lands.
 cont’
• Livestock serve as capital goods, and as socio-
cultural symbols.
• Livestock/beelyda provide the essential means
through which social relations are built and
maintained.
• They play important roles in the social lives of
pastoral communities as they are used in all
ceremonies including marriage, and all memorial
ceremonies.
 Factors used to determine whether a society is pastoralist

• Extent/amount of dependence on livestock and livestock

products. Why?
• The harshness of the environment(Gara jabina naannoo).
Why????
• Degree of interaction with other societies. Why????
• Degree of sociological attachment to their herd/group.
Why????
Pastoral production strategies/classification
 Pastoral production strategies/classification
1.Pure pastoralism:
 Theoretically total reliance/dependence on livestock
products
 Milk is virtually a complete food, and in theory
pastoral products could provide an adequate diet
 Herd size, mobility of the herd determined by forage
and water availability.
 Can be categorized as
a. nomadic or godaantoota ykn
b. transhumant /nama namaa jijjiire
Nomadic Pastoralism
• livestock producers who grow no crops and simply depend on
the sale or exchange of animals and their products to obtain
foodstuffs. (oomishtoota beeyladaa midhaan tokkollee kan hin misoomnee
fi nyaata argachuuf gurgurtaa ykn jijjiirraa bineensotaa fi oomisha isaanii
qofa irratti hirkatan.)
• Characterized by mobility for many reasons
• Their movements are opportunistic and follow pasture
resources in a pattern that varies from year to year
• Entire family and herd moves to places considered suitable for
grazing, resource available, and no disease incidence
• Move in an irregular pattern(Haala sirrii hin taaneen socho’i)
• Pastoralists usually diverge from their existing patterns in the
face of a drought, a pasture failure or the spread of disease .
(Tiksitoonni yeroo baay’ee gogiinsa, kufaatii dheedichaa ykn babal’ina
dhukkubaa keessatti haala isaan amma jiru irraa adda ba’u.)
 Transhumant

• Transhumance is the regular movement of herds

between fixed points to exploit seasonal availability of
pastures(Transhumance jechuun yeroo hunda tuuta
tuuta bakka dhaabbataa gidduutti sochii dheedichaa
yeroo yeroon argamu fayyadamuudha)
• Move following a patterned route, for instance
winter-summer variation
• Transhumant pastoralists often have a permanent
homestead and base at which the older members of
the community remain throughout the year.
• Transformed by the introduction of modern transport
in many regions, use trucks to transport animals .
2.Agro-pastoralism:

 Settled pastoralists who cultivate sufficient areas to feed their families

from their own crop production(Tiksitoota qubatan kanneen oomisha
midhaanii ofii isaanii irraa maatii isaanii sooruuf lafa gahaa misoomsan)
 Combines livestock and farming (Beeyladaa fi qonna walitti fida)

 Wide spread and dominant in rural sub-Saharan Africa

 The integration of farming and herding proved to be successful

production system

 Farming and herding complement each other, but sometimes may

compete
 Farming benefits from manure
 Cont.
• Agro pastoralists hold private land rights, use
their own or hired labour to cultivate land and
grow crops.
• herds are on average smaller than other pastoral
systems
 Livestock as wealth store(sell grain and purchase
livestock)
 But animals associated with settled agro-
pastoralists may have higher exposure to
diseases and poorer nutrition than nomadic
pastoralists
Cont.

 Compete for the same piece of land and

labour
 Settlement may increase near permanent water
points and hence:
blocks mobility routes
 reduce access to dry season grazing regions
 promote competition for private ownership
 aggravate resource use conflict
3.Exchange Pastoralism:

 When pastoral products could not support the

family, they exchange livestock and livestock
products with grain, clothes …
 Sell animals, hides and skins, and milk to
purchase breakfast cereals
 Exchange pastoralism is influenced by season
and changing terms of trade
Policies and Challenges of Pastoralism in the Horn of Africa

Reading assignment slide 18-37

 Ethiopia
• The pastoral peoples are inhabited by the bordering lowlands of
Ethiopia,
• They are marginally arable and non-arable lands that account for
a roughly estimated to 60% of the country’s land surface .

• Afar in northeast, Borana and Guji east Oromo in the

south, the Somali in the east and southeast of the country.

• The pastoral rangelands support an estimated 12-15% of

the country’s human population.

• Inhabited by diverse ethnic groups mainly in Afar,

Oromia, Somali and Southern Nations and Nationalities.
 Limitations
Economic contribution of pastoralism to the regional and
national economy does not proportionate its potential due to:
• Rangeland degradation
• Recurrent droughts
• Feed and water shortages
• Outbreaks of livestock diseases
• Limited access to market
• Limited access to formal financial sources
• Limited infrastructure
• Conflict and insecurity
• And overall marginalization
 Ethiopia
• Policy of pastoral development in Ethiopia
started in the 1950
• Based on unreliable assumption that pastoralists
are irrational economic actors
• Policy makers and bureaucrats were
highlanders with little understanding of
rationale of pastoral nomadism. ???????
• The policy has been extractive and
authoritarian-to extract the surplus in pastoral
areas for the growth of national economy.
 Cont.
• During the imperial regime, all unsettled or
permanently uncultivated land was under
direct control of the state
• Such land is considered as ‘no-man’s land’,
and so considered as state land
• During the Derge, pastoralists were granted
possessory rights
• Article 40(50) of 1995 constitution states:
Ethiopian pastoralists have a right to free land
for grazing and cultivation as well as a right
not to be displaced from their own land.
 Regional level policy

• The African Union Commission initiated a pastoral

policy in collaboration with the United Nations
Office for Humanitarian Affairs and many
countries have their own policies.
• The key principles of this initiative were to
contribute to the strategic pillars of the
Commission- promotion of peace and security,
cooperation, partnership and development,
shared vision and institutional capacity
strengthening.
 African union commission initiative
Objectives of the Policy Framework for Pastoralism in
Africa
• To address the root causes of pastoral vulnerability
on the continent.
• Secure and protect the lives, livelihoods and rights of
pastoral peoples
• Ensure continent-wide commitment to political,
social and economic development of pastoral
communities and pastoral areas.
• Reinforce the contribution of pastoral livestock to
national, regional and continent-wide economies.
 Policy frameworks
Recognize the rights of pastoralists
• The framework explicitly recognizes the rights
of pastoralists, and the need to provide security,
services, infrastructure and economic
opportunities in pastoral areas which are
comparable to non-pastoral areas.
 Cont.
Political and policy processes
• Highlights the processes required to ensure
improvements in the political, social and economic
capital of pastoralists.

• Issues of representation and voice, and processes for

improving dialogue and understanding between
pastoralists and policy makers.

• 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.
 Cont.
Pastoralism as a way of life and a production
system
• The framework supports pastoralism as a way of
life and as a production system.

• Supports multi-sectoral, coordinated

approaches which combine to protect and
develop human, social, financial, natural and
physical capital.
 Cont.
The importance of strategic mobility

• It recognizes that mobility as the basis for efficient use

and protection of rangelands, and, that mobility as key
to appropriate adaptation to climatic and other trends.

• The principle is reflected in the practical strategies of

the framework, such as securing access to rangelands
for pastoralists through supportive land tenure policies
and legislation, and further development of regional
policies to enable regional movements and livestock
trade.
 Cont.
Managing risks
• The worsening impact of natural disasters,
especially droughts, is contributing to the
increasing levels of deprivation in pastoral
areas
• The policy framework aims to promote risk
management rather than emergency response
for pastoral areas
 Cont.
Updating the policy framework

• The policy framework recognizes that pastoralism

is changing in the face of complex trends, some
of which are predictable and others which are
uncertain.
• It is anticipated/estimated that over time the
framework will be updated to take account of
emerging trends and opportunities, and the
lessons of applying the framework.
 Challenges
Despite considerable progress towards supportive
policies, pastoralists continue to suffer from
• Cultural and spatial isolation, and political
marginalization in many African countries.
• Lower level of human development and food
security indicators.
• Falls in basic infrastructure behind other areas,
• various types of conflicts
• limited private sector investment due to insecurity
 Cont.
• Higher population growth( pastoral areas are
unable to absorb or sustain growth human
population)
• Problem of meeting international standards in
Global market(Export) due to food quality and
safety, and disease control limitations
• Problem of access in improved communication
technologies.
• Climate change(extreme weather conditions
increasing pastoral vulnerability )eg. Flood
followed by drought.
 Cont.
• Urbanization
 Pastoral areas are urbanizing faster than ever
 associated with both problems and opportunities for
pastoralists.
 Urban centers pull people, especially young people,
away from pastoral areas thereby, reducing the
number of people available in the pastoral areas.
 Unfortunately, the low levels of education and literacy
in pastoral areas means that urban migrants are more
likely to find employment in low paying jobs,
requiring few skills and placing people at higher risk .
Flooded deep well

Few days before the floodings

 Pastoral Transformation
• The transformation represents socio-economic
changes on one hand and the continuity of the
past practices on the other.
• Factors that affected Pastoralism can broadly be
categorized as:
• Internal dynamics
• External drivers
 Internal Dynamics
 Increasing human population(Puts extra
pressure on the limited resources).
 Changing Lifestyles
 Diets are changing
 Children who go to school often abandon the
pastoral life
 Diversification of pastoral economy
 Farming, migration to urban centers, wage labour, trade,
handcrafts, preparation and sale of charcoal are some of
them(results for shrinking land and pastoral resources)
 External Drivers
 Policies(especially with regard to land tenure, have
led to the fragmentation of pastoral land)
 Globalization
 Market economy
 Climate change and
 Development agencies, among others e.g
privatization
 Insecurity and conflict
 To Improve Pastoral life
• Education-attempted mobile schools and suitable calendars
• Water-has been the center of attention as a means of
utilizing rangeland
• Road –attempts to connect pastoral areas to the centers
• Rural finance
• Marketing –building of market yards, connection to
Middle east markets,
• Health – improving health by retaining professionals in
the area
• Good governance necessary condition for maintenance of
peace and stability and development.
• Government needs to develop policies and strategies which are
based on local customs and practical knowledge.
• Improving their participation in decision making
End of chapter six
 Context:
“Three Ethiopia's”
“Productive Ethiopia”
larger landholdings

predictable climate
fertile soils
45m
“Hungry Ethiopia”
“Pastoral
irregular climate
degraded soils
Ethiopia”

large grazing areas,

small landholdings 15-20m irregular climate
12-14m
 PASTORALIST AREAS PROGRAM – ANALYSIS AND ACTION

TWO NARRATIVES:

“PASTORALISM IS A PRIMITIVE/prehistoric AND DYING/failing LIVELIHOOD/income.

THESE PEOPLE SHOULD CONVERT TO FARMING AS A STEP TOWARDS CIVILIZATION”

“PASTORALISM IS A THRIVING/success LIVELIHOOD WHICH EFFICIENTLY USES

DRYLANDS TO PRODUCE LIVESTOCK FOR GROWING MARKETS”