Improved livelihoods for African pastoralists

In an 8-page Practice Brief on “Improved livelihoods for pastoralists” (2012), the Netherlands development organisation SNV shares its experiences in helping pastoralists in Africa improve their livelihoods. It brings together numerous cases from Eastern and West Africa that show some of the commonalities in pastoralist practices, such as in water-resource management in Tanzania and Niger. But it also highlights the diversity of contexts within which pastoralism operates, as seen in the contrasting scales of dairy processing in Kenya, Niger and Burkina Faso, or the different roles played by local brokers in the livestock markets in Southern Sudan and Benin. The brief highlights various adaptation strategies, commercialisation options and institutional arrangements found in pastoralist settings across Africa. Case examples include commercialisation of camel milk in Kenya, harvesting of gum arabic by pastoral youth in South Sudan, and revitalising cattle-dip services in Tanzania, among many others.

Posted on 3 March 2013 in Pastoralism & Marketing, Pastoralism & Natural Resources, Pastoralist Livelihoods & Nutrition