BY ABEBE WOLDEGIORGIS
The pastoral community inhabits 60 percent of Ethiopia’s territory. Regions such as Somali, Afar, Oromia, Southern Nation, Nationalities and Peoples (SNNP), Gambella and Beneshangul Gumuz host a significant number of pastoral communities.
Accordingly, more than 15 percent of the nation’s population live in the lowland areas and engaged in a pastoral way of living.
Ethiopia’s major livestock resources including cattle, camels, sheep and goats are found in pastoral areas. But, due to the low attention the pastoral communities receive, the contribution of the livestock sector to the economy has been minimal.
Due to its vulnerability to drought and diseases, the capacity of the livestock sector to generate revenue to the nation’s economy has been severely hampered. Some also argue that the expansion of vast sugarcane cultivation near sugar factories in pastoral areas also significantly reduced the grazing land for such communities.
Due to a misunderstanding of specific contexts which led to policy failures, pastoralists were severely marginalized and received little attention in terms of the government’s development interventions.
Due to the growing global warming and climate change, pastoral communities are vulnerable to severe natural calamities said Honey Husien who works on issues of gender and pastoral community during a recent panel discussion on pastoral communities organized by the Prime Minister Office.
The ever increasing recurrent drought also forced them to move to remote areas in searching for grazing land and water. But she underlined that their movement is an integral part of their way of life for centuries.
In fact, pastoralists have their own coping mechanisms in time of hardship but these days it has become difficult for them to withstand the impact of drought.
Abdurahman Alitahir is the head of the Somali regional state Irrigation Water Shade Bureau. He has his own reservations with regard to the policy of pastoralism currently implemented. It focused on pastoralists who lost their animals due to drought and diseases and takes settling them to engage in a sedentary farm as solutions.
As to him, pastoral way of life is highly integrated with livestock because it is the base for their livelihood. For them, no livestock means no life. Hence, it is a mistake to see the issues of pastoralists and their animals separately.
The policy does not discuss how to improve the lives of pastoralists who are engaged in cattle rearing. As it pays little attention to the pastoral community, it left them to live a life of poverty.
Tesfalidet Kebede is the secretary of the Ethiopian Meat Exporters Association. As to him, though the main wealth of the community is animals, the sector’s productivity is declining from time to time. It is impossible to improve the lives of pastoralists without improving the sector’s productivity.
Boosting the export of meat products in pastoral areas is also unthinkable if things remain the same. It is even difficult to supply products from pastoral areas to the local market.
According to Dr. Mandefro Negusie, state Minister of Agriculture, currently, the government is undertaking encouraging activities to improve the lives of pastoralists by formulating context-specific policies.
Among the measures that have been taken include the revision of the rural and agricultural policies and introduction of irrigation farm in arid areas.
As to him, this does not mean that all pastoralists will be transformed in to sedentary farmers. Sedentary farming is introduced in the areas where the ecosystem is fragile and unable to support the livelihood of the pastoralists. Changing the way of life of the community engaged in cattle rearing in the lowland parts of the country needs coordinated efforts and the solutions must be long lasting.
Ethiopia’s lowland areas have a high potential for economic developments but it needs investment and knowledge to achieve it.
The community’s mindset must be changed and should recognize the livestock sector’s immense potential to contribute to the nation’s economy. The recent development which shows financial institutions to provide loan to pastoralists can be taken as a milestone for the sectors robust position.
According to Abdurahman Alitahir, for the last three years pastoralists have been benefiting from credit facilities. Utilizing animals as collateral for getting a loan from banks has brought a glimpse of hope to improve their livelihood. Lack of access to finance has been a bottleneck to the sector’s progress.
Permitting the establishment of Islam banks is also a positive development which benefits the majority of pastorals. As to Abdurahman, the crux of the matter, every development scheme should consider the pastoralists way of life.
Tezera Getahun is the Director of Pastoralist Forum Ethiopia and worked in pastoral fields for the last 30 years. As to him, it is impossible to separate pastoralists from the land because they are integrated in one way or another.
Pastoral way of life combines three things which are part of natural resources. These are the land, the environment and animals. In these interactions, animals depend on natural resources. This means animals are the products of natural interaction.
The other things vital for the existence of a pastoral way of life and which can be used inputs for development interventions are pastoralists and their institutions. For instance, there is a division of labor in the community based on gender. And it is determined by the institutions. Therefore, to lead the community towards progress in a viable manner, considering such traditional structure is vital.
In the past, when development schemes are planned, attention was only paid to natural resources. In fact, it can be said little attention was given to the socio-cultural matters of the pastoral community. Projects also focused on animals than natural resources available around.
Therefore, bringing attitudinal change in this regard is vital and whenever development plan with regard to the pastoral community is prepared, considering these realities is essential.
Studies indicate that 40 percent of the nation’s livestock is found in the pastoral areas and contributes 10 percent to the Growth Domestic Production. Hence, to make the sector competitive in the international market, more effort is needed.
According to the WUSB international non-governmental study report published in 2017, the wealth generated directly from hide and skin, meat and milk is valued 11 billion birr.
On the other hand, the IGAD 2011EC report based on the assessment of the wealth in 2008 and 2009 EC, the value of the livestock estimated to 113 billion birr and this indicate that immense wealth which support poverty alleviation can be generated from the sector.
Pastoralism not only utilizes natural resources such as land and water but plays a crucial role in protecting biodiversity and balancing the ecosystem. The recent findings indicated that, 48 percent of the plan in the poverty reduction scheme in the pastoral areas has been achieved.
The Ethiopian Herald February 6/2021
