Afar Communities Research Articles

Potential fish yield and biology of some fish in Lake Hertale, Afar regional state, Ethiopia

The Afar region is characterized by an arid and semi-arid climate with erratic rainfall and is prone to frequent droughts despite being endowed with fresh and saline water bodies along the Awash River Basin. Lake Hertale is one of those fresh water bodies located in the middle of the Awash River Valley. The lake's fishery is presumed not to have been exploited before. The study attempted to describe some physico-chemical parameters, fish species composition, estimate production potential which are relevant to develop a lake fishery with the prospect of contributing to food and nutrition security. The nutrient and chlorphyl-a measurements indicated eutrophic state but with apparently comparative low primary biomass. Conductivity, dissolved oxygen and temperature were within the optimal range for warm water species along with slightly alkaline pH. It was found that Lake Hertale is home to four important fish species, namely, Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), barbs (Lebobarbus intermidus), African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) and Common carp (Cyprinus carpio), Nile crocodiles, several species of birds and hippopotamus. Labeobarbus constituted 56%, followed by Nile tilapia with 31% of the total population. The African Catfish constituted only 9% of the catch. The mean lengths of African Catfish and Labeobarbus were 47.2 and 38 cm respectively. The mean lengths of Nile tilapia and Common carp were 22.8 and 21.7 cm respectively. The fish production potential of the lake was estimated from 94.3 to 238 tons per year, with an average production of 145.7 tons per year. The estimate production potential can support up to 21 to 28 fishers, with an average number of 25 fishermen to sustainably utilize the lake's fishery potential. Lake Hertale and other adjacent lakes in the Afar region of Ethiopia can complement to the fight against hunger and malnutrition. Besides, through appropriate fishery development intervention, it is possible to create employment for the predominantly pastoralist Afar community.

Theoretical and Empirical Explanations on the Continued Relevance of Local Conflict Resolution Institutions Among the Afar Community of Ethiopia

Various scholars, to make sense of either the decline or viability of local institutions of conflict resolution, have put various explanations forward. In this article, I shall discuss the relevance and limits of existing analytical frameworks and explore new explanatory possibilities. Most studies view local institution’s vitality in reference to the relative weakness of state institutions. By the same token, their continuity is considered to be transient, implying that as soon as the state becomes strong it incorporates local institutions with which the viability of the latter is doomed to diminish. Henceforth, This article has explored the issue of the vitality of local institutions of conflict resolutions among the Afar from two perspectives. The first one is internal explanation for the continued relevance of local institutions. The second is external explanations with a special reference to state institutions and their mode of incorporation into the Afar cultural world. DOI: 10.7176/JAAS/81-01 Publication date: January 31 st 2023

Ethnobotany of Hyphaene thebaica (L.) Mart. (Arecaceae) in the Afar depressions, Ethiopia

Background: Hyphaene thebaica is a Palm tree or shrub often with dichotomous branching that is predominantly found in an open wet landscape, riverbeds/flood plains, and around river valleys. This study was conducted to document the ethnobotany of Hyphaene thebaica in the Afar depressions, Ethiopia. Methods: A purposeful sampling method was used to select the informants. A total of 80 informants - 20 informants from each district and 15 of them in each district were women. Out of the selected informants 12 of them i.e., three from each district were considered key informants based on the recommendations from the administrators of different hierarchies who are believed to have sufficient knowledge about the plant and communities. The remainder (68 informants) were general informants. Direct matrix ranking was used to rank the preferred use of H. thebaica. Descriptive statistical analysis was performed using OriginPro 2022. Results: Results revealed that H. thebaica has numerous importance as implied by the informants in the Afar communities. These include material culture and Sennan Ari (100%), Doma (45%), and medicinal value (32%). The use preference ranking of the species revealed that material culture and making Sennan Ari were ranked first with 100% of the key informants confirming the information. Conclusions: The present study investigated the indigenous knowledge of the desert Palm, Hyphaene thebaica, and found the plant is multipurpose and is utilized for material culture production, temporary shelter/house (Sennan Ari) making, extraction of an alcohol/liquor, medicinal value, and income-generation. Advancing the material culture production by integrating current knowledge and phytochemical investigation on the alcohol extract and determining its efficacy is recommended. Keywords: Desert palm, Herbal medicine, Hyphaene, Indigenous knowledge, Material culture, Pastoralism

Female Genital Mutilation in the Afar Community: A Practice Against Female’s Human Rights

Female Genital Mutilation in the Afar Community: A Practice Against Female’s Human Rights

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) Assessment on LifeStyle, Public Health Measures Practiced by Society and Their Impact to Contain COVID-19 Transmission Among Afar Community in Selected Parts of Afar Region, Ethiopia.

IntroductionCoronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, RNA family. It has continued to spread across the world after its first outbreak in China in 2019. On 11 March 2020 the WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic given its global public health and economic impacts.ObjectiveTo assess knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) on lifestyle, public health measures practiced by society and their impact to contain COVID-19 transmission in the Afar community, Afar Region, Ethiopia.MethodsCommunity-based cross-sectional study design was conducted from May to July, 2020, on purposively selected districts and the Peasant Association (PA). Simple random sampling was applied to select households and study participants. Structured and semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect information from study participants. The collected data were entered into Microsoft Excel and transferred to SPSS version 20 for analysis. Both descriptive and analytical analysis was provided and a p-value of less than 0.05 was considered as statistically significant.ResultsOf the total (266) study participants, most of them had no formal education (61.7%) and were aged from 35–40 (34.2%). More than half, 67.7% and 56.8%, of participants did not know chewing chat and smoking cigarettes as a risk factor for COVID-19, respectively. Almost half, 49.6%, of participants live in a house which is non-partitioned and without ventilation. The participants were took part in public gatherings such as funerals (27.1%), weddings (13.9%), meetings (13.5%) and went to a market (9%) during the pandemic. Nearly half (47.7%) of the study participants did not wear facemasks. Of the total, 27.4% and 71.4% participants lost their daily income more than and less than half, respectively.ConclusionThis study revealed knowledge, attitude and practice of the community in the area to contain COVID-19 spread were minimal. Therefore, more improvement of public health measures will be required.

Indigenous weather and climate forecasting knowledge among Afar pastoralists of north eastern Ethiopia: Role in adaptation to weather and climate variability

Traditional weather and climate forecasting is used by many indigenous communities worldwide as a guide in making important decisions that enable them cope and adapt to climate change-induced extreme weather variation. In many pastoral communities in Africa, traditional weather and climate forecasting remains the most accessible and affordable source of weather and climate information. In this study, we used individual interviews and focused group discussions to systematically document indigenous weather and climate forecasting knowledge among Afar pastoralists, with the aim of making such information available, and enhance use of this knowledge in climate change adaptation and explore synergies with modern weather forecasting system. The Afar pastoralists traditionally predict weather and climate variation through the observation of diverse bio-physical entities including livestock, insects, birds, trees and wildlife. No single indicator is taken at face value; weather forecasting is undertaken in a dynamic process where information collected from different sources, including weather information from the modern weather forecasting system, is triangulated to make the safest livelihood decisions. Before any forecasting information is used, it is evaluated through three traditional institutions that collect, share and analyse the information. These institutions include (1) the Edo or range scouting where traditional rangeland scouts are sent on a mission to assess weather and other spatially and temporally variable attributes on rangelands; (2) the Dagu, a traditional secured and reputable network, where weather information is shared among users; and (3) the Adda or the traditional Afar governance system, which analyses traditional weather information before community decisions are made. This first-time systematic documentation of indigenous weather and climate forecasting knowledge among the Afar communities demonstrated the dynamic process of indigenous weather and climate knowledge production, analysis and communication. This shows the value of indigenous knowledge in contemporary pastoral communities, while highlighting synergies with the modern weather and climate knowledge system for co-production of knowledge that serves the objectives of local people.

Exploring the implications of formal and informal social protection practices among the Afar communities in Ethiopia

Evaluating the real impact of social protection instruments on social welfare is an important concern for governments, policymakers, and donors. This review explores social protection practices and the associated social institutional arrangements in the pastoral communities of Afar region, Ethiopia. Social capital in Ethiopia has involved different mechanisms and institutions and is implemented through various modalities. Traditional forms of social capital have made strong contributions, enabling people to mitigate crises. In the Afar community, the role of informal social networks is crucial and involves the sharing of food, animals and money during crises. Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP) has wider developmental aims, but its impact on pastoral communities has not gone beyond consumption smoothing. Climate change, which is associated with high rainfall variability, frequent drought and the fragile nature of the land, with serious degradation of natural resources, have presented severe problems for the pastoral community. And the effects are felt more by female-led households. The unequal treatment of women in social and economic affairs in these communities limits the ability of women to contribute to appropriate responses and adaptation. To cope with climate-related shocks, pastoralists pursue the traditional strategy of seasonal migration in search of pasture and water, and other strategies such as reducing the number of animals, selling of animals and herd diversification and conversion. Establishing efficient disaster prevention mechanisms, empowering women, enhancing local PSNP implementation capacity, strengthening and formalizing local networks, providing alternative employment and strengthening and introducing agricultural practices are all important in efforts to increase the effectiveness of the program, and complement efforts to improve pastoral livelihoods. JEL codes: I31, I38, P46, R11

Taming requirements in the domestication process of donkeys: The methods and concepts of the training among the Afar pastoralists in Ethiopia

To clarify the system involved in the initial domestication of asses, this study explores breaking and the consequent establishment of tameness through focusing on a human ecological approach based on reports of the epigenetic inheritance of human-induced stress in animals. The research subjects are Afar pastoralists who use donkeys for packing loads in two areas (A and B) in the Afar Regional State of Ethiopia; both areas are home to an endangered species of wild ass. Interviews were conducted on the methods of wild ass capture that caused initial human-induced stress. Next, the method currently adopted for breaking donkeys for packing which the Afar pastoralists considered to promote tameness was investigated. The number of informants from Community (A) who answered in the negative to the possibility of capturing wild asses for domestication was significantly greater than those who replied in the positive. However, four suggestions were made for capturing wild asses for domestication. In both areas, the target age for breaking the donkeys for packing was 1 to 3 years inclusively. Differences, however, were seen between Afar communities with regard to whether training for packing should happen in a series of processes and with regard to the number of days needed for the process. The training methods characteristically used in both areas includes forelimbs tying, jaw tying, and ears tying. A combination of these methods was observed to be a neuro-physiologically effective approach, promoting obedience while controlling stress; stress caused by jaw and forelimbs tying was nullified by ears tying, which produced an analgesic effect. Therefore, for domestication during the ancient period and maintaining the tame status of donkeys, the age for training for packing and controlling stress by tying the forelimbs, jaws, and ears might have been the effective techniques in taming the animal through epigenetic mutations.

Ethnography of Afar Koeso in Depth Study and Documentation

Games are none formalized and formalized expressions of playing which allow people to go beyond immediate imagination and direct physical activity. Generally they will classify in two major groups like, low organized and minor (cultural) games and major games. Games have a power to capture the ideas and behaviors of people `imagination at one period of time and carry that through time to their descendants. Objectives of the study: - To assessing, organizing and documenting of Afar Koeso traditional sport games. Method: - descriptive method has been implemented on this study because of the study nature is inventory, the major sampling techniques was non-probability such assnow ball (networking) (for different groups) and purposive techniques (for different offices). The data collecting materials are in-depth interview, field observation, close and open ended questionnaires, oral information. The main data sources were clan leaders, elders, former and current Afar Koeso players, and different offices. Findings:- the major findings of this research are:- Afar Koeso; (History, types, Nature, Rules and Regulations, Necessary materials, Facilities, Equipment, Socio-cultural values, Team Classifications positions, Risks and benefits, Officials, faults and punishments, etc have been assessed. Conclusion:- According to in depth interview, different sources and practical observation of different Afar Koeso games, there is no clear bench mark about Afar Koeso when, how and who began it but it has long relation with Afar Community. Right now Afar Koeso game is not practicing more compared with previous time. In general Afar Koeso game is famous and has great social impact in the community according to social interaction, recreational activities, leisure time, physical strength etc.

Understanding the Effect of Community‐Based Health and Nutrition Program on Uptake of Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation and Breastfeeding Practices in a Pastoralist Community in Rural Ethiopia

Maternal and child health and nutrition are important issues to address in Ethiopia. Poor socioeconomic context and inadequate healthcare affects availability, access, and utilization of health services. The Community‐Based Maternal and Neonatal Health and Nutrition (CBMNH‐N) project by the Micronutrient Initiative aimed at strengthening the health system capacity to improve access and quality of maternal and newborn health and nutrition services by increasing the knowledge and skill of community health workers, traditional birth attendants, and health care providers. We undertook a qualitative inquiry from the endline data from four intervention and six comparison woredas to understand the effect of CBMNH‐N project on iron and folic acid supplementation and breastfeeding practices in the Afar community in Ethiopia. We used open coding to identifying themes and analyzed 46 key informant interviews from fathers, health extension workers, midwives, traditional birth attendants, and clan leaders, and 11 focus‐group discussions with pregnant and lactating mothers. Overall, mothers, health workers, and community members in the intervention woredas were more knowledgeable about the use of iron and folic acid supplementation and showed improvement in early initiation and exclusively breastfeeding practices as compared to the comparison woredas. Mothers noted that health extension workers were instrumental in increasing knowledge and awareness of iron and folic acid supplements, and trained traditional birth attendants helped with follow‐up and compliance in taking the supplements. Program efforts helped the community, including clan leaders to be more aware and supportive of the importance of iron and folic acid supplementation during pregnancy and the post‐partum period. Community members and clan leaders also noted the importance of early initiation and exclusive breastfeeding. Most respondents also discussed the change from traditional feeding practices such as providing the baby with goat milk to putting the baby to the breast immediately after birth and exclusively breastfeeding. Mothers, health extension workers, and traditional birth attendants were aware of the health benefits of exclusively breastfeeding. Several respondents attributed their knowledge of infant feeding to health education provided by the health extension workers and traditional birth attendants. Our findings suggest that community‐based programs can build capacity, increase knowledge, and improve health practices that can ultimately promote maternal and child health and nutrition.Support or Funding InformationFunding: Micronutrient Initiative

Assessing the distribution and impacts of Prosopis juliflora through participatory approaches

Invasive species pose global biological and economic challenges. Over the past four decades, Prosopis taxa have emerged as a major invader of the arid and semi-arid regions of the world. Prosopis juliflora, one of the highly invasive Prosopis species, is dominantly present in the Afar region of Ethiopia and continues to spread into the surrounding areas. The objective of this study was to aid the mapping, utilization, and management of the invasive P. juliflora in Afar, by employing participatory research techniques. We assessed the introduction history, impacts, uses, and control strategies of invasive P. juliflora by interviewing 108 pastoralists and agro-pastoralists. In addition, we used Participatory Mapping (PM), Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Global Positioning System (GPS), and remote sensing technologies and approaches to map sites invaded by P. juliflora. Sketch maps were produced by men, women, pastoralist and agro-pastoralist groups. Experts aggregated, scaled and reproduced the sketch maps with support from the Afar communities. We provided GPS and GIS trainings to selected community members who assisted us in collecting the GPS locations of more than 70 key features and landmarks. The sketch maps were digitized and geo-referenced by experts using the 70 GPS records as control points. Geo-referenced community maps were superimposed on pan-sharpened Landsat 8 satellite images and presented to the communities for verification. We overlaid the verified community maps on ancillary land-cover layers, and detected the land-cover classes that were most affected by P. juliflora invasion. Despite its uses as source of fire wood, charcoal, and animal fodder, the species has adverse impacts on native species and livestock resources. Afar communities mapped P. juliflora infestations, particularly those that occurred near their villages, using high and moderate density classes. The two highly invaded land-cover categories were dense grassland, and exposed sand & soils. Participants collaborated in creating the produced maps, suggesting that participatory research approaches are another tool for early detection of invasive species and guiding fine-scale management strategies.

‘They were about to take out their guns on us’: accessing rural Afar communities in Ethiopia with HIV-related interventions

Although pastoralists are a significant proportion of the rural population in many African countries, they are often underserved with regard to health-related interventions. This paper presents data on an effort to provide information about HIV prevention and treatment to Afar people living in remote, northeastern Ethiopia. Using an evidence-based approach, we worked together with the National Network of Positive Women Ethiopians to build relations with Afar communities to design and test an intervention to improve HIV awareness. In this study we observed how multi-directional, local level perceptions – of Afar regarding HIV and existing health-related interventions, of staff from organisations regarding Afar and of the researchers conducting this study regarding Afar – shape the ways in which health-related interventions are offered to Afar and how these are understood by them. While the Afar people express a desire for culturally appropriate HIV-related interventions, few such initiatives have reached them to date. Organisations working in the area often believed that Afar people did not want to accept HIV and were therefore not responsive to their interventions. We argue that the specific history of the Afar people and how this affects their understanding of HIV needs to be better understood and integrated into HIV interventions.

POTENTIAL OF DATE PALM PLANTATION IN AFAR REGION, ETHIOPIA AND ITS MARKET

The Afar Region in Ethiopia is home to a vast area of virgin land that is suitable for date plantation. The region is located within the Danakil depression and experiences the harshest climate in Ethiopia with temperatures reaching up to 50°C. The area is occupied by the Afar people who are primarily semi-nomadic. Historically the Afars have established date farms in areas around the Awsa delta and Afambo region. These farms produce date fruits mainly for local consumption. The main source of irrigation in the Afar Region is from the Awash River. The Awash River runs from the Ethiopian highlands, fed by a number of tributaries, through the Afar desert land. Producing date fruit in the Afar region will have a mutual benefit for both the investor and the local population. There is currently a shortage of supply for date fruit in Ethiopia where the demand for the produce is at its peak during the month of Ramadan. Current statistics show about a third of the Ethiopian population to be muslims, creating a large market for date fruits locally. Labour cost in Ethiopia is significantly low compared with date producing countries such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It is therefore attractive to produce locally at lower cost to meet this high demand throughout Ethiopia and possibly beyond. Date fruit contains essential vitamins and minerals that are required for a balanced diet. Setting up date plantations in this region in sufficiently large quantity will ensure a source of date fruit for the local community. This has the potential to improve the health and food security for the nomadic Afar community. Jobs that will be filled by local farmers will create a source of income and can help develop and transfer the whole community as a whole. Large scale date plantation in this desert land will have a significant contribution towards the fight against climate change.

Utilization of Institutional Delivery Service in a Predominantly Pastoralist Community of Northeast Ethiopia.

Maternal mortality is high in sub-Saharan Africa, and most deaths occur around childbirth. In Ethiopia, most births happen at home without skilled delivery attendants, and particularly, the least utilization of skilled delivery is recorded in Afar Region. The factors that influence this utilization are not well documented in the region where utilization has been low. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of utilization of institutional delivery and associated factors. A cross-section study with pretested structural questionnaire was conducted from August 5 to September 27, 2015, among women who gave birth within 24 months preceding the survey. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was done to identify factors associated with utilization of institutional delivery. Out of the total 1842 women, only 339(18.4%) of mothers reported having delivered their youngest child at a health facility. Home delivery was preferred due to cultural norms, low-risk perception, and distance from a health facility. The odds of delivering in a health facility were higher for mothers who attended at least four antenatal visits during the index pregnancy (AOR=3.08,95%CI=1.91-4.96), those whose husbands were educated to secondary school (AOR= 1.86, 95% CI=1.34-2.60), and those that had at least secondary school level education themselves (AOR=1.52, 95% CI=1.03-2.23). Utilization of institution delivery among Afar communities is very low, and less educated mothers are lagging behind. Women's education and full attendance to antenatal care can help increase utilization of skilled delivery services. Qualitative studies to identify socio-cultural barriers are also essential.