Resilience through Adaptation: Innovations in Maasai Livelihood Strategies

2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 278-311
Author(s):  
Jacques Pollini ◽  
John G. Galaty
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Small Towns ◽  
Economic Stress ◽  
Livelihood Strategies ◽  
Land Loss ◽  
Economic Resilience ◽  
Territorial Expansion ◽  
Livelihood Systems ◽  
Increase Productivity ◽  
Adaptive Cycles

This article examines strategies adopted by Maasai and other pastoralists in Kenya to adapt to climate change, population growth, land loss, decreasing livestock holdings and land degradation, aimed at achieving greater socio-economic resilience. Using case studies mostly from Narok County and reviewing the increasingly rich literature on pastoralism and conservation in East Africa, we show that pastoralists employ three main strategies to adapt their livelihood systems: intensification (changes in land use systems to increase productivity per hectare); extensification (through territorial expansion into unoccupied areas or territories of neighbouring communities in our cases); and diversification (the combination of pastoralism with other livelihood strategies, mainly farming, conservation, tourism, business and wage jobs, often through migration to small towns or urban centres). Maasai communities have been quick to adopt these strategies, individually or in combination, in order to overcome ecological and socio-economic stress and to pursue opportunities as they arise. Since these strategies are generally compatible with extensive pastoralism, this land use will continue to play a key role in sustaining the livelihoods of people living in semi-arid and arid rangelands. However, when intensification and diversification through the adoption of ranching and farming occur, the rangeland becomes fragmented, with severe impacts on wildlife. In such cases, incentives for sustaining conservation and wildlife tourism will need to increase to compensate land holders for foregoing these more intensive land uses, thus moving towards reconciliation of ecological sustainability and strengthened livelihoods. These findings are illuminated by Gunderson and Holling's (2002) panarchy model and its nested adaptive cycles, where resilience is achieved by providing for change through loosening and reorganising connections between elements in the system.

Climate and land-use effects on hydrological and vegetation signals during the last three millennia: Evidence from sedimentary leaf waxes in southwestern Morocco

The Holocene ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 095968362098805
Author(s):  
Asmae Baqloul ◽  
Enno Schefuß ◽  
Martin Kölling ◽  
Lydie Dupont ◽  
Jeroen Groeneveld ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Carbon Isotope ◽  
Vegetation History ◽  
Isotope Composition ◽  
Stable Carbon Isotope ◽  
Economic Stress ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Leaf Waxes ◽  
Argan Tree ◽  
Precipitation Changes

The southwest of Morocco is considered to be an area of refuge within the Mediterranean region, hosting the endemic tropical Argan tree. This region is presently subject to severe droughts, desertification and land degradation, and likely facing increased climate variability and socio-economic stress in the future. Here, we use the stable hydrogen and carbon isotope composition (δD and δ13C) of plant-waxes in a high-resolution marine sediment core (GeoB8601-3) collected off Cape Ghir in southwestern Morocco, in combination with published data on pollen and XRF element ratios from the same archive. We aim to reconstruct the hydroclimate and vegetation history during the last 3000 years. Stable carbon isotope compositions of leaf waxes (δ13Cwax) show that natural vegetation in southwestern Morocco consists of C3 plants. Minor variations in δ13Cwax were positively correlated to changes in stable hydrogen isotope compositions of leaf waxes (δDwax) before 700 CE. Changes in rainfall amounts and water use efficiency indicate a clear vegetation response to precipitation changes and thus to climate forcing. After 700 CE, δDwax and δ13Cwax became de-coupled suggesting that the plant wax discharge and their isotope signals were no longer solely controlled by climate; the waxes likely mainly originate from the lowlands and carry an enriched (dry) δD signal but a depleted 13C signature. The depletion of δ13Cwax correlates with the increase of Argan pollen concentration in the record. The period between ~700 and 900 CE coincides with the Arabization of Morocco which had an impact on the demographic composition of the country leading to new agricultural habits and, as a result, on the land-use triggering a higher erosion of lowland material by the Souss River.

scholarly journals Study of Road Landscape Design at Portal Space of Small Towns in Guanzhong#

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 92-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Quanhua Hou ◽  
Wenhui Wang
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Influence Factors ◽  
Small Towns ◽  
Land Use Intensity ◽  
Analytic Hierarchy ◽  
Intensity Index ◽  
Influence Mechanism ◽  
Different Characteristics

To further study the effects of public service facilities on the land use intensity at regulatory planning level and enhance the scientific determination of land use intensity, this paper expounds the influence mechanism and factors of the public service facilities on land use intensity in regulatory planning, and conducts quantitative evaluation of the influence factors through theoretical analysis, mathematical analysis and analytic hierarchy process etc. The results show that the influence mechanism of public service facilities on the land use intensity goes throughout all three levels of regulatory planning. Different characteristics of public service facilities on each level determine their different influence factors and take effect on the land use intensity index of the corresponding level, thus affecting the determination of the block floor area ratio. Based on this, this paper proposes a method to determine the land use intensity in regulatory planning under the restriction of public service facilities and completes the test in practice, which may provide a reference for determining the land use intensity in regulatory planning.

Building a New Village Prepared Regulatory Approaches and Methods under the Background of Suburban Towns - A Case Study in Renhe, Dazhu County of Sichuan

2013 ◽  
Vol 689 ◽  
pp. 500-504
Author(s):  
Bin Shi ◽  
Kang Cai Nie
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Development ◽  
Small Towns ◽  
Spatial Layout ◽  
Coordination Control ◽  
Development Control ◽  
Regulatory Detailed Planning ◽  
Regulatory Plan ◽  
Planning And Construction

Under the background of the new village rapid planning and construction, the author tries to explore regulatory detailed planning ideas and methods on district from the structure of land use, spatial layout, road system, land development control. It aims at solving township in regulatory plan coordination control and providing reference for small towns and suburbs of regulatory detailed planning village planning and construction.

scholarly journals Food Insecurity and Livelihood Systems in Northwest Haiti

2002 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mamadou Baro
Keyword(s):  
Political Economy ◽  
Political Ecology ◽  
Livelihood Strategies ◽  
Ecological Situation ◽  
Illegal Migration ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Rural Livelihood ◽  
Livelihood Systems ◽  
And Migration

This paper examines rural livelihood systems in Haiti from both a political andecological perspective. While political developments in Haiti have taken center stage inmost analyses, the environmental impacts of population growth, highly varied livelihoodstrategies, and migration opportunities appear to have played a major role in the current tragic situation. Illegal migration not only seems to alleviate short term poverty but also appears to benefit households long term as revenues from migration improve households' land holding situation. Nevertheless, the steadily declining ecological situation may already be exceeding the creative livelihood strategies of Haitian producers.Key words: Haiti, political economy, political ecology, livelihood strategies,households, livestock, agriculture, migration.

scholarly journals REMOTE SENSING AND GIS IN URBAN SPRAWL AND ARABLE LAND LOSS ANALYSIS: A CASE OF BAMAKO DISTRICT IN MALI

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (8) ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Ruan Renzong ◽  
An Ru ◽  
Moussa Aliou Keita
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Urban Sprawl ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
Thematic Mapper ◽  
Landsat 8 ◽  
Land Loss ◽  
Loss Analysis ◽  
Depth Study

This paper analyzes the impacts of urban sprawl on arable land loss in Bamako district from 1990 to 2018 by using remote sensing and geographic information science capabilities. The analysis was based on satellite images classification of Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) 1990, 2000, Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) 2010, Landsat 8 Operational Land Image and Thermal Infrared Sensor (OLI/TIRS) image for 2018 to show land use and cover changes, in particular arable land loss. The results showed a significant evolution of land use and land cover and important arable land loss. From 1990 to 2018, the construction has increased by 73.06% while arable land decreased by 55.39%. The results also revealed that urban sprawl has exceeded the administrative boundaries of Bamako and is continuing in neighboring municipalities. This article recommends the adoption of legal measures, the development of urban development master plan, and close collaboration with different actors involve in land management for better management of arable land and urban sprawl. Finally, for a global understanding of the phenomenon in the urban area of Bamako, the study suggests a more in-depth study of a global approach to urban sprawl in the Bamako district, taking into account the surrounding rural communes, which affect today greatly the urban sprawl of Bamako.

scholarly journals Socio -Territorial Transformations of the Northeast Region of Uruguay (2000-2018)

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (31) ◽  
pp. 241-267
Author(s):  
Rodrigo Pereira ◽  
Marcel Borras ◽  
Gabril Scaraffuni ◽  
Janete Cancelier
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Satellite Images ◽  
Social Dynamics ◽  
Statistical Data ◽  
The Other ◽  
Territorial Expansion ◽  
Northeast Region ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
Agricultural Census

This article aims to understand how socio-territorial transformations have been manifesting in the northeast region of Uruguay between 2000 and 2018. In this period, the territorial expansion of agribusiness through soy monoculture and forestry intensifies, which causes important changes in the productive, social, and landscape base. The objective is, on one hand, to describe quantitatively and in terms of changes in land use, the recent transformations in the agrarian territories of the region and, on the other hand, to understand the impacts of these processes on some social dynamics, especially in the migration of family producers and their families from the agrarian space to the urban one. The methodology included a bibliographic and documentary review, the analysis of statistical data from the General Agricultural Census, and the analysis of land use through satellite images. The results show that monocultures linked to agribusiness have modified the agrarian structure and the use of the territory resulting in increasing pressure on the price of land, which puts the permanence of family producers at risk

scholarly journals Maize and Potato Intercropping: A Technology to Increase Productivity and Profitability in Tigray

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Beyenesh Z. Kidane ◽  
Mereseit H. Hailu ◽  
Haile T. Haile
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Total Yield ◽  
Land Equivalent Ratio ◽  
Land Use Efficiency ◽  
Sole Crop ◽  
Cropping Season ◽  
Sole Cropping ◽  
Increase Productivity ◽  
Use Efficiency

AbstractSmallholders have limited landholding in the highlands of Tigray and therefore there is a critical need to improve land use efficiency (LUE). One way to improve the LUE is through intercropping of companion crops including maize and potato. An experiment was conducted to evaluate the intercropping ratio as a means to improve land use efficiency during the 2012 cropping season. The treatments tested were three intercropping ratios of maize: potato in 1:1, 1:2, 2:1 row arrangement compared against the maize and potato only cropping. The objective of the study was to identify the best intercropping ratio that maximizes land use efficiency. Land equivalent ratio (LER) was used to compare the land use efficiency of the intercrops with each sole crop. The total yield of intercropped crops were greater than sole cropping, shown by LER>1. The overall advantage of intercropping ranged from 35 to 58%. The highest land equivalent value of 58% was recorded for one maize and two potato rows arrangements indicated a yield advantage of 58% over sole crop. The partial land equivalent value of both crops in intercropping was less than one indicating the cohesiveness of both crops in intercropping. Thus, it can be concluded that 1maize: 2 potato intercropping is a viable agronomic option in increasing land use efficiency and increased food security. It is, therefore, imperative to demonstrate the best treatment under farmer’s condition.

From jambanja to planning: the reassertion of technocracy in land reform in south-eastern Zimbabwe?

2003 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 533-554 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Chaumba ◽  
Ian Scoones ◽  
William Wolmer
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Use Planning ◽  
Land Reform ◽  
Fast Track ◽  
Livelihood Strategies ◽  
Reform Process ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Land Use Regulations ◽  
Planning And Control ◽  
And Control

This paper examines the land occupations and fast-track resettlement process in Chiredzi district in Zimbabwe's southeast lowveld, and argues that their broad-brush representation as chaotic, violent and unplanned is misleading. In Zimbabwe the instruments and mechanisms of order assert themselves even in the midst of violent disorder. The on-going deployment of the formal and technical tools and discourses of land-use planning have been instrumental in securing the visibility and legitimacy of Zimbabwe's new settlers. The speed and short cuts of the fast-track land reform process and vagueness of policies to date have in the short term opened up a certain amount of space for negotiation and a degree of leeway and flexibility in land-use planning and allocation. But the danger for the settlers is that, by deploying a discourse rooted in long-held and institutionally embedded Rhodesian traditions of planning and control, they have played into a process that – as so often in Zimbabwe's history – will re-impose coercive land-use regulations that are at odds with their livelihood strategies and seek to vet settlers and so undermine populist claims of redressing inequalities and providing land to the landless and poor.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document