scholarly journals Herd mobility, markets and informal insurance practices among herders in Ethiopia

2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 105-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beyene Fekadu
Keyword(s):  
Herd Mobility

Climate variability and flexibility in resource access: the case of pastoral mobility in Northern Kenya

2007 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 403-421 ◽  
Author(s):  
NANCY MCCARTHY ◽  
MONICA DI GREGORIO
Keyword(s):  
Climate Variability ◽  
Natural Resources ◽  
Transaction Costs ◽  
Transactions Costs ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Resource Access ◽  
Northern Kenya ◽  
Pastoral Mobility ◽  
The World ◽  
Herd Mobility

In many regions of the world, property rights to natural resources are held under various forms of communal ownership, which often exhibit flexibility for users to access different resources depending on relative need. This paper explores the links between climate variability, transactions costs associated with resource access, and patterns of herd mobility in northern Kenya. Results indicate that greater spatial variability of vegetation leads to greater herd mobility, and that higher transaction costs reduce mobility for herds engaged in long-distance movements. Moreover, long-distance mobility is higher in drought years only in those communities with greater spatial and seasonal variability of vegetation.

scholarly journals Joint monitoring of livestock stocking rates and rangeland vegetation of Hombori district in Mali during the 2010-2011 dry season

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 1941-1956
Author(s):  
Mamadou Oumar Diawara ◽  
Pierre Hiernaux ◽  
Eric Mougin ◽  
Sory Sissoko ◽  
Laurent Kergoat ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dry Season ◽  
Stocking Rate ◽  
Rangeland Ecology ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Water Point ◽  
Exploitation Rate ◽  
Joint Monitoring ◽  
Herd Mobility ◽  
Stocking Rates

and wide seasonal and interannual variations. Pastoral livestock systems adapt to these patchy and variation resources by herd mobility and some supplement feeding that only partially overcome seasonal forage shortages in dry years. This study aimed at analyzing the relationship between livestock stocking rates and forage availabilities during the 8-9 month dry season at the scale of the Hombori district. Stocking rates were estimated by monthly count of livestock by species, sex and age classes at the main pastoral water points. Herbaceous forage over the district was assessed at the onset of the dry season over using NDVI-MODIS remote sensing calibrated with in situ measurements. In addition, forage availabilities were monitored monthly in the service area of three selected water points as a function of distance from the water point up to 12 km. The results indicated that despite the large numbers of livestock and the weak mobility of the resident herds, the overall stocking rate in the Hombori district remains low, as it entails an average grazing exploitation rate of only 9.4% of the fodder resource during the dry season. The grazing exploitation rate invalidates the statement of widespread 'overgrazing' of forage resources by livestock in the Sahel often advanced in rangeland ecology and management projects. Keywords: Rangelands, stocking rate, dry season, degradation rate, overgrazing, Sahel.

scholarly journals Land coflicts and the livelihood of Pastoral Maasai Women in Kilosa district of Morogoro, Tanzania

Afrika Focus ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucy Willy Massoi
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Forage Crops ◽  
Land Reforms ◽  
Secondary Users ◽  
Pasture Production ◽  
Land Access ◽  
Bantu Languages ◽  
Herd Mobility

This summary of my PhD thesis analyses conflicts around land in relation to pastoral Maasai women livelihoods in Tanzania. Issues of pastoralism and land use conflicts in Tanzania are well documented in literature. However, a gendered analysis of conflicts around land in relation to land reforms (changes in the use and ownership of, and access to land and land resources), prolonged climate variability and change, and food insecurity, hardly exists in the literature. Of particular concern is the rudimentary analysis of these conflicts as it relates to pastoral Maasai women, the primary and secondary users of land in pastoral livelihoods. Data analysed in this report were collected in Kilosa district, located in Morogoro, Tanzania, one of the renowned hotspots for pastoral-farmer conflicts in Tanzania. Within Kilosa, data were collect in pastoral Maasai settlements [villages] of Twatwatwa, Kiduhi, Ngaiti, and Mabwegere, and pastoral Maasai women were central focus. Through ethnographic research methods namely focus group discussions, interviews, and participant observations, I have found that vulnerabilities to conflicts around land are gender differentiated, and that pastoral Maasai women experience climate change, food insecurity, and land reforms differently from men. An overall conclusion in this report is that, conflicts around land in Kilosa are intricate in nature and cannot be analysed from a single narrative, and pastoral Maasai women by virtue of their specific gender roles and the gender relations are hit hard. I therefore argue that, (1) for secure land reforms, the political, economic, and social structures through which land access is mediated must also be reformed; (2) there should be a holistic conflict mitigation approach and strategies in resolving conflict around land in Kilosa. The approaches should focus at engaging pastoralists and pastoralist women in particular, and their institutions and making them an integral part of the solutions. (3) Decisions dealing with climate change mitigation strategies such as the Kilosa eviction of 2009 should also involve pastoralist women whose livelihood depends directly and/or indirectly on climate sensitive resources; (4) the introduction of forage crops production [such as grasses and legumes] in Kilosa is imperative. This will assist in increasing pasture production, which eventually will boost livestock production [livestock, the main preferred food source among the pastoral Maasai]. Equally, availability of forage crops within pastoralists reach reduces unplanned herd mobility, and at the same time lessens challenges that pastoralist women face in their responsibilities as default food managers.Key words: Bantu languages, Ubangian languages, contact langues, documentations, reconstructions, classifications 

scholarly journals Land conflicts and the livelihood of Pastoral Maasai Women in Kilosadistrict of Morogoro, Tanzania

Afrika Focus ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 107-120
Author(s):  
Lucy Willy Massoi
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Forage Crops ◽  
Land Reforms ◽  
Secondary Users ◽  
Pasture Production ◽  
Land Conflicts ◽  
Land Access ◽  
Herd Mobility

This summary of my PhD thesis analyses conflicts around land in relation to pastoral Maasai women livelihoods in Tanzania. Issues of pastoralism and land use conflicts in Tanzania are well documented in literature. However, a gendered analysis of conflicts around land in relation to land reforms (changes in the use and ownership of, and access to land and land resources), prolonged climate variability and change, and food insecurity, hardly exists in the literature. Of particular concern is the rudimentary analysis of these conflicts as it relates to pastoral Maasai women, the primary and secondary users of land in pastoral livelihoods. Data analysed in this report were collected in Kilosa district, located in Morogoro, Tanzania, one of the renowned hotspots for pastoral-farmer conflicts in Tanzania. Within Kilosa, data were collect in pastoral Maasai settlements [villages] of Twatwatwa, Kiduhi, Ngaiti, and Mabwegere, and pastoral Maasai women were central focus. Through ethnographic research methods namely focus group discussions, interviews, and participant observations, I have found that vulnerabilities to conflicts around land are gender differentiated, and that pastoral Maasai women experience climate change, food insecurity, and land reforms differently from men. An overall conclusion in this report is that, conflicts around land in Kilosa are intricate in nature and cannot be analysed from a single narrative, and pastoral Maasai women by virtue of their specific gender roles and the gender relations are hit hard. I therefore argue that, (1) for secure land reforms, the political, economic, and social structures through which land access is mediated must also be reformed; (2) there should be a holistic conflict mitigation approach and strategies in resolving conflict around land in Kilosa. The ap¬proaches should focus at engaging pastoralists and pastoralist women in particular, and their institutions and making them an integral part of the solutions. (3) Decisions dealing with climate change mitigation strategies such as the Kilosa eviction of 2009 should also involve pastoralist women whose livelihood depends directly and/or indirectly on climate sensitive resources; (4) the introduction of forage crops production [such as grasses and legumes] in Kilosa is imperative. This will assist in increasing pasture production, which eventually will boost livestock produc¬tion [livestock, the main preferred food source among the pastoral Maasai]. Equally, availability of forage crops within pastoralists reach reduces unplanned herd mobility, and at the same time lessens challenges that pastoralist women face in their responsibilities as default food managers.

scholarly journals Feed Intake of Small Ruminants on Spring and Summer Pastures in the Mongolian Altai Mountains

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (20) ◽  
pp. 5759
Author(s):  
Munkhnasan Tsevegemed ◽  
Togtokhbayar Norovsambuu ◽  
Greta Jordan ◽  
Eva Schlecht
Keyword(s):  
Feed Intake ◽  
Crude Protein ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Sustainable Use ◽  
Small Ruminants ◽  
Pasture Management ◽  
Mongolian Altai ◽  
Livestock Sector ◽  
Herd Mobility ◽  
Grazing Behaviour

Climate variability, rising livestock numbers, decreasing herd mobility, and clustered grazing patterns have incited concern about the sustainable use of Mongolia’s natural pastures as the nutritional backbone of the country’s livestock sector. In 2013 and 2014 we studied daily itineraries, grazing behaviour, and feed and nutrient intake of small ruminants on spring and summer pastures in the southern Mongolian Altai, a remote livestock-dependent region. Offer of herbage dry matter (DM, kg ha−1) along the daily itinerary was higher in 2014 than in 2013 (837 versus 711; p > 0.05) but was comparable to previously reported values. Concentration of cell wall constituents in herbage increased from June to August in both years, whereas crude protein and phosphorus concentrations declined (p < 0.05). Animals grazed most actively at noon and in the afternoon; their daily DM intake amounted to 1151 ± 300.8 g per head, with 60–72% of the ingested feed being digested. Feed intake enabled the animals to cover their nutritional requirements for maintenance, locomotion, and sizeable growth, rebutting the notion of unsustainable use of the regional spring and summer pastures. However, crude protein and phosphorus intake were deficient, pointing to a decline in vegetation quality that has to be counteracted with appropriate herd and pasture management strategies.

How could herd mobility be used to manage resources and livestock grazing in semi-arid rangeland commons?

2013 ◽  
Vol 30 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 85-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Igshaan Samuels ◽  
Nicky Allsopp ◽  
M Timm Hoffman
Keyword(s):  
Livestock Grazing ◽  
Herd Mobility ◽  
Semi Arid ◽  
Arid Rangeland

Livestock mobility and the territorial state: South-Western Niger (1890–1920)

Africa ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 87 (3) ◽  
pp. 578-606 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew D. Turner
Keyword(s):  
Early Period ◽  
Colonial Rule ◽  
Mobility Patterns ◽  
Resource Base ◽  
Colonial State ◽  
Territorial State ◽  
Sufficient Power ◽  
British Colony ◽  
French Colonial ◽  
Herd Mobility

AbstractColonial rule in West Africa initiated the incorporation of mobile people, particularly pastoralists, into Western territorial states. This article reports on the early period of French colonial rule of the area that is now South-Western Niger – a strategically important area with respect to territorial competition among the French colonies of Dahomey and Soudan (later the colonies of Senegambia and Niger) as well as the British colony of Nigeria. Building from the study of contemporary patterns of livestock mobility and their logics, archival and secondary literatures are used to develop an understanding of dominant herd mobility patterns at the time (transhumance for grazing and trekking to distant markets); the importance of livestock as a source of tax revenue; colonial anxieties about the loss of livestock from within their borders; and efforts of colonial administrators to reduce the potential loss of livestock from their territories. This case illustrates the limitations of the territorial state model where the state lacks sufficient power over mobile subjects utilizing a sparse and fluctuating resource base. The actions of French administrators and Fulɓe pastoralists worked as a form of ‘hands-off’ negotiation, with each group monitoring and reacting to the actions of the other. Due to the limitations of colonial state control, the existence of boundaries elicited greater monitoring of livestock movements by colonial administrators but also increased the leverage held by mobile pastoralists as the French sought to increase the attractiveness of their territory to the principal managers of its wealth (livestock). The proximity of borders to the study area complicated the task of French colonial administrators, who necessarily became increasingly focused on monitoring the movements of their subjects (labour and capital) to avoid their possible escape as they moved within the borderlands of what is now South-Western Niger. The limits of colonial power to monitor and control these movements led administrators to initiate policies favouring pastoralists.

The production parameters influencing the composition and structure of pastoral cattle herds in a semi-arid area of Kenya

1998 ◽  
Vol 66 (3) ◽  
pp. 585-594 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Roderick ◽  
P. Stevenson ◽  
J. Ndungu
Keyword(s):  
Composition And Structure ◽  
Pastoral Cattle ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Calving Rate ◽  
Cattle Herds ◽  
Main Determinants ◽  
Herd Mobility ◽  
Poor Nutrition ◽  
Calving Intervals ◽  
Annual Mortality

AbstractThe size and composition of three herds belonging to Maasai pastoralists were monitored for more than 5 years (1990 to 1996). Animals were categorized as either suckling calves, weaned heifers, weaned males or breeding females. The dates of entries and exits were used to estimate the total number of observed animal days for each category. Fertility rates of breeding females and mortality and disposal rates for each category were estimated using animal days as the denominator. Herd differences were tested using contingency tables. Age to first calving and calving intervals were estimated and examined using analysis of variance tests.The patterns of births and deaths were seasonally influenced. The mean annual calving rate of all breeding females was 65·6% and for females excluding first calvers was 46·9%. No herd effects were observed. The mean observed interval between calvings was 609 days and the calving interval, calculated from the parturition rate, was 649 days with no herd differences. Mean age at first calving was approximately 4 years with no herd differences. Mean annual mortality rates were 8·9% for breeding cows, 7·8% for weaned males, 6·7% for weaned heifers and 22·1% for calves. The mean annual culling rate of cows was 10·8% and the sale rate of heifers and weaned males was 12·9% and 41·5% respectively. The mean age at disposal of heifers was 655 days and of steers was 801 days. Herd sizes were shown to fluctuate annually with no obvious trend between herds. The main determinants of production identified were the effect of seasonally poor nutrition on the rate of reproduction and the effect of season, herd mobility and disease on mortality.The study describes production levels that can be used to predict future changes to the system. The results are discussed in terms of the factors influencing and their relevance to pastoral development. The findings are compared with those observed in other, similar areas.

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