Pastoralists have been traversing these territories since long before formal borders came into existence, but their way of life and modes of self-governance have become inextricably entwined with contemporary border phenomena. Transhumance and pastoral mobility cut across political boundaries, jurisdictions and authorities, and though they usually do so with a high degree of cooperative engagement between local communities, they can also encounter and become enmeshed in different manifestations of borderland violence – from criminality to human rights violations, armed insurgency and inter-community fighting. This research worked with communities and local research partners to learn about how violence works in some of the key borderlands.
Year of publication: 2024Organization: Individual authors
Topic: Conflict, Resilience
Language: English
Type of document: Technical
Geographical coverage: Eastern Africa
This primer on pastoralism in Africa provides basic information on the core aspects of pastoralism as a livelihood and production system. Section 1 of the primer describes the ecological reasoning behind pastoralism in Africa, its productive efficiency, and its contribution to national economies. Section 2 describes the challenges facing African pastoralism, and the implications of trends such as livestock commercialization and declining access to rangeland.
Year of publication: 2024Organization: Individual authors, International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), Tufts University
Topic: Climate change, Conflict, Land
Language: English
Type of document: Technical
Geographical coverage: West Africa, Central Africa, Eastern Africa
This briefing paper summarizes some of the nuances that exist and the shifts that are occurring within gender dynamics in pastoralist livelihood systems in Africa. If asked to describe gender roles in pastoralist settings in Africa, many development practitioners and policy makers might state that men control the livestock and women control the milk and/or the cultivation. These descriptions are accurate to a degree, but the intersection of gender and dryland livelihood systems is — and always has been — more complex than these dichotomies imply.
Year of publication: 2024Organization: Individual authors, International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), Tufts University
Topic: Gender and youth
Language: English
Type of document: Technical
Geographical coverage: West Africa, Central Africa, Eastern Africa
This briefing paper provides an overview of pastoralist livestock marketing in Africa. It also explains the marketing behaviors of pastoralists and the economic logic behind their decisions on when, how many, and which types of animals to sell.
Year of publication: 2024Organization: Individual authors, International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), Tufts University
Topic: Economy
Language: English
Type of document: Technical
Geographical coverage: West Africa, Central Africa, Eastern Africa
This briefing paper is one of six on specific topics of importance affecting pastoralists and their livelihood systems in Africa. Conflict associated with pastoralism is increasingly complex and often not well understood. It is sometimes associated with problematic negative narratives suggesting it is inherent to the pastoralist livelihood system, or reflects pastoralists being “backward” compared to people involved in other livelihoods, like agriculture.
Year of publication: 2024Organization: Individual authors, International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), Tufts University
Topic: Conflict
Language: English
Type of document: Technical
Geographical coverage: West Africa, Central Africa, Eastern Africa
This briefing paper analyzes the major pastoralism and land access issues in Africa and complements Pastoralism in Africa: A Primer. The paper is divided into five parts. Following this introduction, part two provides a brief background to pastoralism and land in Africa. Part three sets out the policy and practical challenges that pastoralists face in their quest for secure access to land. Part four highlights some policy and institutional innovations that have been introduced to secure pastoralists’ access to land in Africa. Part five presents key conclusions and recommendations.
Year of publication: 2024Organization: Individual authors, International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), Tufts University
Topic: Land
Language: English
Type of document: Technical
Geographical coverage: West Africa, Central Africa, Eastern Africa
This brief on water in the drylands of Africa will explore the critical importance of water governance not only for water access and maintenance of water infrastructure, but also the wider governance and use of the surrounding rangelands. It shows why effective water governance is critical for the sustainability of pastoral systems, peace, and managing the risk of overgrazing/land degradation.
Year of publication: 2024Organization: Individual authors, International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), Tufts University
Topic: Environmental services
Language: English
Type of document: Technical
Geographical coverage: West Africa, Central Africa, Eastern Africa
This briefing paper presents African pastoralism as an adaptation to uncertain and changeable climate, as well as some of the main challenges that compromise pastoralists’ inherent adaptive capacity. The paper is divided into five parts. Part one is an introduction to pastoralism and climate variability in Africa. Part two focuses on pastoralism in the context of climate change. Part three lays out key nonclimate stressors that cripple pastoralists’ ability to adapt and increase their vulnerability. Part four analyzes the narrative linked to “livestock, meat, and milk are bad for the environment.” Part five presents key conclusions and recommendations.
Year of publication: 2024Organization: International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), Tufts University
Topic: Climate change
Language: English
Type of document: Technical
Geographical coverage: West Africa, Central Africa, Eastern Africa