Factors Contributing for Livestock Excessive Mortality in Borana Pastoralist Area: Signal for Leadership and Disaster Risk Management Policy of Ethiopia

Abstract

Livestock production is one of major mainstay in pastoralist area. In order to keep its livestock, pastoralist applies traditional drought coping mechanism. Currently Government of Ethiopia addressing drought disaster in the area of pastoralist by implementing disaster risk reduction management policy. However there are excessive livestock mortality in pastoralist area of Ethiopia specially Borana. The objective of this paper is to find out factors contributing for excessive livestock mortality in the pastoralist area and analyze its signals for Ethiopian National disaster risk management policy implementation of pastoralist areas. The main data for this research come from primary and secondary sources. The research use mixed method to collect and analyze data. Data collecting tools were questionnaire, key informant interview, focused group discussion, observation and document review. The finding of the study portray that lack of awareness of pastoralist to manage the quality of livestock, lack proper attention for pastoralist, lack of animal health facilities in the adjacent area of pastoralist production, outbreak of livestock disease, inadequate pasture land because of expansion of farming land and tribal conflict, failure of traditional coping mechanisms such as mobility, failure of early warning system and absence of livestock marketing in the pastoralist area are contributing for excessive livestock mortality in the area. This research conclude that current disaster risk management policy implementers and leadership able to consider the extension works intensively to raise the awareness of the community to sell their livestock before serious drought period, due attention for causes of pastoralists and pastoralist centered policy, expand animal health facilities in relation with livestock population, deploy necessary animal health technician in the area, introduce and increase vaccination, support traditional coping mechanisms, work on tribal conflict prevention and intervene by proper and just livestock marketing. Key w ords: Borana, Leadership, Disaster, Livestock, Pastoralist, Policy DOI: 10.7176/PPAR/10-2-04 Publication date: February 29 th 2020