Abstract
The ongoing fragmentation of pastoral drylands is a matter of concern throughout Africa. Using the example of rangelands in northern Baringo County, Kenya, that were under uniform pastoral use until the late twentieth century, we trace land-use and land-cover changes (LULCCs) since the 1980s. Based on ethnographic, historical, and remote sensing data, we show how bush encroachment and dryland farming have led to the increasing modification and conversion of formerly open rangelands and the diversification of livelihoods. These LULCC dynamics are related to and driven not only by internal processes of socioeconomic change (e.g., sedentarization, changing rangeland management practices, growing markets for small stock, increasing stratification and cultural differentiation) but also by ecological processes such as wildlife defaunation and ecological invasions. Based on our findings, we suggest that a socioecological approach to Kopytoff’s notion of the internal African frontier can be helpful in framing these LULCC-related dynamics.
Highlights
Introduction and BackgroundDrylands are the most dominant land cover on earth and support the livelihoods of large numbers of people
Focusing on the drylands in Baringo, Kenya, and more precisely on the rangelands of Tiaty East, our study provides insights into the land-use and landcover changes (LULCCs) dynamics and socioeconomic dimensions over a period of more than 30 years
Rather than the neo-Malthusian encroachment scenario evoked by Spencer and others, we suggest that a socioecological view of Kopytoff’s notion of the internal African frontier (Kopytoff 1987) can explain the territorial shifts between ecological processes, population dynamics, and production strategies that accompany large-scale LULCCs without falling into a geodeterministic trap
Summary
Drylands are the most dominant land cover on earth and support the livelihoods of large numbers of people. Environmental degradation and climate change, growing human populations, resource extraction, and other developments have wrought increasing detrimental land-use and landcover changes (LULCCs) with serious consequences for the food security and livelihoods of local populations (Galvin et al 2008; Reid et al 2014). In view of these massive changes, developing a better understanding of the complex linkages between environmental changes and the changing livelihood strategies of rural communities is necessary. We analyze the consequences of rangeland modification before relating our findings to notions of frontier dynamics in a concluding discussion
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
