Impacts of Oil Exploration on the Livelihoods of agro-pastoralists in Western Kordofan State-Sudan

Abstract

Mostly local communities perceive oil discovery in their areas as an opportunity to improve their livelihoods. They expect better access to the resources needed for a decent standard of living, though that might not always be the case. Pastoralist and subsistence farming have traditionally been the two main livelihood systems in the study area, however their life began to change recently as a result of oil exploration. In spite of the huge resources generated from the area still communities are lagging behind and suffering from the lack of basic social services. The study intended to answer the following question: What is the impact of oil exploration on the livelihoods of agro-pastoralists in West Kordofan State-Sudan? The overall objective of the study is to investigate the oil exploration and its impact on Agro-pastoralists in West Kordofan State and scrutinize the character of the changes occurred in various aspects of their livelihood. The study opted for qualitative descriptive survey approach, deploying primary and secondary data. Using the structured interviewing technique 200 households and 30 key informants were interviewed at Kailak and Elsalam localities. In addition focus groups discussions were carried out with stakeholders in the selected villages. The study disclosed that three out of the five livelihood asset types need to be strengthened in order to come up with the desirable development. Livelihood outcome within communities were very weak as there was no major positive change in economic and livelihood situation. It seems that intervention towards improvement of traditional production system and technology used in agriculture was insufficient. It is evident that lack of coordination with the localities’ authorities in the infrastructure and social services provision has resulted in unsustainable deliverance. However, both official and traditional local institutions are too weak and of very limited capacity to be effectively engaged in the development process. Improving livelihoods outcome will require a multi-stakeholder approach to oil exploration involving the local government, oil companies and host communities. Inevitability this will entail capacity building and training of local communities to enable them to actively participate in the sustainable development of their areas.