Pastoralism, Drought and Planning Lessons from Northern Kenya and Elsewhere

John Morton (ed.)

Drought is a central fact of life for the pastoral and agro-pastoral livestock keepers of the world’s drylands. Over the colonial and post-colonial periods, pastoralists’ resilience to drought has been eroded in many ways, leaving them much more vulnerable to drought-induced famine. This places an obligation on governments and external agencies to manage drought, or to assist pastoralists to do so themselves: as a humanitarian imperative; for economic reasons; and to sustain productive dryland ecosystems.

This book – based mainly on case studies from Northern Kenya, but also including Botswana and Zimbabwe – draws together lessons relating to drought management in the pastoral and agro-pastoral livestock sector. It covers: district-level early warning systems; new technical possibilities for monitoring and forecasting drought; possible interventions in livestock marketing and grazing management; and local responses to, and interpretation of, drought. It will be of particular interest to policy-makers, planners and resource managers working in Africa.

Date: 2001
Publisher: Natural Resources Institute
Format Paperback 231 × 153 mm
Pages: 266
ISBN: 0 85954 531 8

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