Building pastoralists’ resilience in northern Kenya

In Kenya, pastoralism supports nearly 1/4 of the population and is practised in arid and semi-arid areas that cover about 2/3 of the country. It is an adaptive mechanism to harsh ecological conditions unsuitable for cropping. A major challenge to pastoralism is drought that reduces forage supply and leads to livestock deaths. The paper “Building pastoralists’ resilience: strengthening participation in markets and local governance institutions in West Pokot, Kenya” by Deborah Namayi Muricho et al, presented at the World Bank Conference on Land and Poverty on 20–24 March 2017, argues that measures to improve the resilience of pastoralists – especially through enhanced participation in markets and local governance institutions – are critical for equitable livelihoods and sustainable development. Targeted diversification into off-farm investments and hardier livestock such as sheep and goats would also enhance resilience.

The 4-page policy brief “Building resilience and disaster risk reduction among pastoralist communities in West Pokot” (2019) by Deborah Muricho et al summarises the main findings of the Triple-L (Land, Livestock and Livelihoods) research initiative.The researchers examined 191 pastoralist households in West Pokot County in order to identify key characteristics that build resilience, thus stabilising livelihoods and reducing the need for humanitarian emergency response at times of crisis. These characteristics include: access to safe clean water, healthcare, education, markets, fodder conservation, livestock vaccination, livelihood diversification, credit, advisory services and traditional knowledge on pasture conservation and livestock care. There is a need for multistakeholder partnerships to improve infrastructure such as roads, market infrastructure and waterpoints, and to provide training and advisory services. Channelling investments in these ways could improve resilience among pastoralist communities, helping them to adapt to the effects of climate change. The brief is based on Muricho DN, Otieno DJ, Oluoch-Kosura W & Jistrom M. (2018). Building pastoralists’ resilience to shocks for sustainable disaster risk mitigation: lessons from West Pokot County, Kenya. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2018.12.012.

Drawing from the same research is also a 2-page policy brief “Creating opportunities for sustainability through understanding of livelihood transformations in the drylands of Sub-Saharan Africa” (2019). This calls for prioritising investments that build resilience to shocks, e.g. investment in livestock wellbeing through vaccination, fodder production and conservation, and improving market infrastructure, as well as institutional support for sustainable land management under different land-tenure regimes.

Posted on 6 August 2017 in Pastoralism & Marketing, Pastoralism, Policy & Power