Long history of livestock marketing by African pastoralists

Development planners today often want to “link pastoralists to market” so that they will sell more of their animals. The book “Customary commerce: a historical reassessment of pastoral livestock marketing in Africa” (1992, 126pp) by Carol Kerven, published by the Overseas Development Institute (London, UK), challenges the assumptions that pastoralists were isolated from the market and reluctant to sell their stock. It traces the links between African pastoralists (Samburu and Maasai in Kenya and Fulani in Niger and Nigeria) and livestock markets in pre-colonial and colonial times and in the first decade after Independence (the 1970s). It reveals that pastoralists had been trading or selling their animals for a very long time, and numerous internal and external factors have influenced the changing patterns of their market integration.

Some colonial policies deliberately hampered while others effectively promoted the efforts of pastoralists to market their stock. Pastoralists have taken a tactical approach to marketing opportunities, engaging and disengaging depending on their needs or advantage. Overall, they respond to prices, are attuned to market fluctuations and are willing to sell their animals. The study helps identify the conditions that encourage or discourage pastoralists to do so. The most effective inducements for pastoralists to sell their animals have been attractive market prices in relation to the use value of the animals for the pastoralists. Indigenous livestock trading systems have adapted efficiently to new market conditions, but direct state involvement has not been as successful. External agencies can play a constructive role by providing supportive infrastructure and veterinary services to the livestock sector.

Posted on 15 January 2018 in Pastoralism & Marketing