Friday, May 15, 2009

HPG: Changing drylands: approaches to preventing disaster among pastoralists in the Horn and East Africa

People in the Arid and Semi Arid Lands of the Horn and East Africa have adapted over the ages to hot and dry conditions. Living as pastoralists, they keep livestock in ways that take advantage of production and follow a natural cycle of rangeland and water use. Today pastoralism makes a significant contribution to the income of many Horn and East African countries and contributes to the livelihoods of many millions of people. However, recurrent droughts, limited access to land and restrictive policies are stretching pastoralists' ability to cope. Many of the less fortunate have fallen into destitution and poverty.

Governments and international agencies have yet to find effective solutions to the natural and political vulnerabilities of these communities in ways that respect the complexity of pastoral livelihoods. What is more, the short-term focus of their responses has failed to address the underlying causes of problems – in some cases, compounding them.

This set of Synthesis Papers presents analysis and recommendations on a range of issues affecting pastoralists in the Horn and East Africa. They will be launched at a major regional symposium in Nairobi, Kenya today (May 15th) with follow up events and seminars in Uganda, Ethiopia and Somalia in the coming months.
Use the links below to access the individual papers:

Getting it right: Understanding livelihoods to reduce the vulnerability of pastoral communities

Social protection in pastoral areas

Demographic trends, settlement patterns and service provision in pastoralism

Mobile pastoral systems and international zoosanitary standards

Pastoralism, policies and practice in the Horn and East Africa: A review of current trends

Pastoralism and climate change: Enabling adaptive capacity

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