Implications of Ethiopian pastoralist household dynamics for humanitarian aid

For many humanitarian aid actors, the household (HH) is presumed to be the most appropriate social unit for aid delivery. However, it fails to represent the complex structures of pastoralist families and their temporal and spatial dynamics. This can have significant implications for aid targeting. In the context of a severe drought and the humanitarian aid response in 2016–17, the study Household dynamics in pastoral communities and implications for humanitarian aid interventions (2019, 110pp), ILRI Discussion Paper 37 by Fiona Flintan et al, sought to explore these issues and provide guidance to humanitarian aid actors.

The study explored three questions: i) How was the humanitarian aid delivered in 2016–17 and to whom was it targeted? ii) What is a pastoralist HH? and iii) What is the appropriate social unit for aid delivery in pastoralist societies? The study was made in 2018 in three kebeles (wards) in three pastoralist-dominated regions of Ethiopia, through a short survey administered to each HH head, in-depth HH case studies, mapping and analysis of social networks, and a survey and key informant interviews in humanitarian aid organisations and government agencies.

Of those HH heads that received food aid in the 2016–17 drought period, 69% in Su’ula Kebele in Afar Region, 36% in Asli Kebele in Somali Region and 61 in Fuldowa Kebele in Oromia Region shared it, mainly with relatives. Around 60% of the pastoralists across all regions also gave people in their social networks various other types of assistance, including cash.

Based on this study, the authors make several recommendations for humanitarian aid and development agencies working in pastoral areas.

Posted on 22 January 2020 in Pastoralist Livelihoods & Nutrition