Focus on Ethiopia – Linking research and policy processes related to pastoral development
“Focus on Ethiopia” is a knowledge-centred project to follow the implementation of development interventions in Ethiopian pastoral regions and to feed policy processes on pastoral development with relevant data and in-depth analysis. The project approach consists of setting up a common analytical framework to organise in a coherent way existing documents and figures on socio-economic change among Ethiopian pastoralists. The overall objective is to strengthen scientific research and networking between research institutions, humanitarian actors, media and policymakers working in pastoral areas, and giving them visibility in order to reach a wider audience, influence the public debate and take action against the economic vulnerability of Ethiopian pastoralists.
Project launch at Mekelle University (October 2018)
The Focus on Ethiopia project was launched at the international conference at Mekelle University in October 2018 (see http://ices20-mu.org/panel_list_abstracts.php?panel_0306) where a mixed audience of national and international researchers, development workers and international agency staff gathered to discuss policy and development processes among Ethiopian pastoral communities.
The issues that were raised during the conference fall within three main thematic areas:
1. the economic and political marginalisation of pastoralist communities is the result of historical processes and power relations between the Ethiopian highlands and the pastoral borderlands. Development interventions take place in this context and this has an impact on the projects’ results and aid effectiveness;
2. the methodological debate to study agropastoralist and pastoralist livelihoods and the analytical shift from “coping with” to “taking advantage of” environmental variability by valuing human and livestock mobility as a strategic pastoral resource;
3. the long history of cooptation of customary authorities by government and development organisations and the creation of hybrid institutions between pastoralist communities, local authorities and development actors to manage cross-border trade, conflict resolution and natural resource management.
Several national partners from public institutions and civil society organisations (such as the Pastoral Committee in the House of Representatives, the Directorate for Pastoral and Federal Affairs, Pastoralist Forum Ethiopia, Ethiopia Livestock Association) as well as other resource persons attended the panel.
This map shows panelists who attended the ICES20 conference (blue), their areas of fieldwork (yellow) as well as other local partners who participated to the conference (red).
A first action on water development issues
In 2019, a first action will be focused on water development interventions. Available literature already criticised the rationale underlying water-related projects in Ethiopian pastoral environments and the “multiplication” of water points at regional level in the framework of development programmes, showing how this affected the quality of rangeland and the organisation of pastoral mobility, thus reducing aid effectiveness. Notwithstanding, this rationale still needs to be questioned and framed in a wider reflection about how to value pastoralist and livestock mobility within development interventions.
Project activities will be organised starting from an online participative map of existing water points in the areas of intervention of local partners. Development agents and NGOs will thus contribute to the collection of information about the status of each water point (functioning/out of order) and the time of construction. This would be the starting point for local research partners to identify relevant case studies and organise qualitative surveys or in-depth fieldwork on more complex issues (such as conflict related to water access and local perceptions of different management systems).
Research outputs accessible to NGOs, policymakers and the wider public will be important to review water development policies in Ethiopian pastoral areas. Water is thus considered here as an overarching issue that is likely to play a prominent part in reform processes on pastoral development at national level.
Contact
Francesco Staro, PhD, anthropologist at University of Paris 8 – Saint Denis
Posted on 3 September 2018 in News, Pastoral Research & Innovation