Abstract
IntroductionLong-term changes in rangeland ecosystems of the world have impacted on the livestock production, a key livelihood strategy in these areas. This paper presents perceptions of the pastoral community on the dynamics of pastoral livelihoods under three land-use types namely nomadic, semi-nomadic, and sedentary in Amboseli ecosystem located in southern Kenya. Structured questionnaire was used to collect data concerning household livestock herds, perceived livestock trends and their causes, importance of migration, sedentarization, and land subdivision, and were administered to respondents randomly selected from the three land-use types.ResultsThe study shows that the livestock herd size was higher in nomadic (117.1) and lower in sedentary (56.6) land-use site. The majority of the respondents in nomadic (79%), semi-nomadic (73%), and sedentary (64%) reported a declining trend in household herd size. The declines were mostly attributed to recurrent droughts and loss of grazing lands.ConclusionsPastoralism remains an important livelihood strategy to majority of households in the study area; therefore, to achieve sustainable livelihood strategies, grazing lands should be maintained.
Highlights
Long-term changes in rangeland ecosystems of the world have impacted on the livestock production, a key livelihood strategy in these areas
Household herd size differed significantly (P < 0.001) between the areas with the highest average herd size recorded in nomadic site (117.1) and the lowest in the sedentary site (56.6)
Herd sizes among respondents under different education levels did not differ significantly (P = 0.189) in the study sites
Summary
Long-term changes in rangeland ecosystems of the world have impacted on the livestock production, a key livelihood strategy in these areas. The rangelands covering nearly half of the total land surface in Africa support extensive livestock production and wildlife conservation (Nyariki et al 2009; Kaimba et al 2011; Nkedianye et al 2011; Bekele and Kabede 2014). The long-term changes that include declining proportions of wet and dry season grazing reserves, woody vegetation, and variety of pastures have had negative impacts on pastoralism and wildlife conservation in Amboseli area (Kioko and Okello 2010; Western et al 2015). The fundamental functions of pastoral herds include regular provision of food in form of meat, milk, and blood, as well as cash income, measure of exchange in terms of dowry, compensation of injured persons during raid, symbol of wealth and prosperity and security against droughts, disease outbreaks, and other rangeland calamities (Nyariki et al 2009; Kaimba et al 2011; Opiyo et al 2011; Schilling et al 2012)
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