Value of Pastoralism (page 18)
Is there a future for pastoralism in East Africa?
Based on its many years’ work with pastoralists in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Sudan, Vétérinaires Sans Frontières (VSF) Germany brought out a position paper (2011) on pastoral animal husbandry in East Africa. It clearly sees a future for the pastoralist lifestyle and economic system. It recognises the myriad challenges faced by pastoralists but also the opportunities […]
Climate change adaptation in Africa’s livestock sector
The briefing note “Supporting adaptation to climate change in Africa’s livestock sector”, issued by WISP (World Initiative for Sustainable Pastoralism) in 2010, argues that Africa’s livestock sector contributes negligibly to global output of greenhouse gases and that the most extensive livestock systems can even contribute environmental benefits such as maintaining rangeland biodiversity and ecosystem health. […]
Pastoralism: a surer investment than irrigated farming
The study “Counting the costs: replacing pastoralism with irrigated agriculture in the Awash valley, north-eastern Ethiopia” (March 2013) analyses the opportunity costs of irrigation projects in a pastoralist area. Regional planners need to know not only that a development scheme is economically viable, but also that it produces economic benefits that will exceed those that […]
Challenges to pastoralism under the new Kenyan constitution
The 10th Kenya Pastoralists’ Week (KPW) was held in December 2012 in Isiolo County under the banner “Empowering pastoralists to participate in values-driven leadership”. This annual event is organised by a team composed of the Centre for Minority Rights Development (CEMIRIDE), the Pastoral Development Network for Kenya (PDNK), the Kenya Livestock Marketing Council (KLMC), the Resource […]
Pastoralism: a critical asset for food security
Animal Frontiers, a review magazine on animal agriculture, has published a special issue on the contribution of animal production to global food security. One of the articles, “Pastoralism: a critical asset for food security under global climate change”, examines the role that pastoralism plays in relation to food security, particularly in the face of increased […]