Drought Coping and Adaptation Strategies: Understanding Adaptations to Climate Change in Agro-pastoral Livestock Production in Makueni District, Kenya

Abstract

Using drought as a lens, this article analyses how agro-pastoralists in Makueni district, Kenya adapt their livestock production to climate variability and change. Data were collected from a longitudinal survey of 127 agro-pastoral households. Approximately one-third of the households have inadequate feeds, and livestock diseases are major challenges during non-drought and drought periods. Agro-pastoralists’ responses to drought are reactive and mainly involve intensifying exploitation of resources and the commons. Proactive responses such as improving production resources are few. Poverty, limited responses to market dynamics and inadequate skills constrain adaptations. Many agro-pastoralists’ attachment to livestock deters livestock divestment, favouring disadvantageous sales that result in declining incomes. To improve adaptive capacity, interventions should expose agro-pastoralists to other forms of savings, incorporate agro-pastoralists as agents of change by building their capacity to provide extension services, and maintain infrastructure. Securing livestock mobility, pasture production and access is crucial under the variable social-ecological conditions. En se servant de la secheresse comme point de depart, cet article analyse comment les agro-pastoralistes du district de Makueni au Kenya adaptent leurs moyens de subsistance a la variabilite et au changement climatiques. Il s′appuie sur des donnees issues d′une enquete longitudinale aupres de 127 menages agro-pastoraux. Environ un tiers des menages ont des animaux mal nourris, et l′etat de sante du betail est un probleme majeur aussi bien en temps de secheresse qu′en absence de secheresse. Les actions adoptees par les eleveurs en reponse a la secheresse sont reactives et consistent essentiellement en une intensification de l′exploitation des ressources et des biens communaux, et peu en des mesures pro-actives telles que l′amelioration des ressources de production. La pauvrete de ces populations, leurs reponses imparfaites aux dynamiques de marche et leur manque de competences limitent leur capacite d′adaptation. Le fort attachement de nombreux eleveurs au betail les empeche de se desengager de l′elevage; ceci mene a des ventes de betail defavorables aux eleveurs et entraine un declin de leurs revenus. Afin d′ameliorer leur capacite d′adaptation, des interventions devraient etre entreprises pour exposer les agro-pastoralistes a d′autres formes d′epargne. En outre, la capacite des eleveurs a fournir des services de vulgarisation agricole et a maintenir les infrastructures doit etre developpee. Dans un contexte de variabilite socio-ecologique, il est crucial d′assurer la mobilite du betail, ainsi que la production de pâturages et leur accessibilite.