Pastoral Groups Research Articles

Joint Human and Animal Health Campaigns in Chad

Abstract Providing basic health services to nomadic populations is challenging mainly because of their mobility affecting geographical access to essential services but also due to their particular cultural habits and beliefs, influencing health intervention acceptance. The strategy of joint human and animal health campaigns applied in Chad for over 30 years has helped to improve coverage of childhood and livestock vaccination and increased access to disease prevention. The campaigns are organized by the Chadian ministries for public health and livestock, supported by the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) and its local partners. The use of synergies across sectors intends to reduce costs compared to independent sectoral interventions. The gain lies not only in shared logistics but also in better trust in essential services by pastoralists. Planning of joint interventions should start with a careful assessment of the context through a transdisciplinary approach identifying possible access barriers. This allows multidisciplinary development of mitigation measures such as a locally adapted awareness strategy. The multi-disciplinary approach also provides information on the seasonal movements of the different pastoral groups, which is crucial for the timing and location of interventions. Administrative and technical preparation of the field visits needs concerted efforts by all ministries and partners involved to maximize the benefits. To facilitate the uptake and sustainability of joint campaigns in Chad, the involved partners together developed an implementation guide based on their long-standing experience. This case report draws on this guiding document and showcases it for other actors interested in implementing similar One Health strategies. Information © The Authors 2024

Beliefs of Pentecostal pastors concerning the use of antiretroviral treatment among Pentecostal Christians living with HIV in a suburb of Cape Town-South Africa: a community health systems lens.

The global public health community accepts antiretroviral therapy (ART) for controlling and managing HIV. However, within some communities, claims of faith or miraculous healing of HIV and AIDS by Pentecostal pastors continue to spark controversies. This paper reports on an exploratory qualitative study to explore the beliefs held by Pentecostal pastors regarding the use of ART among Pentecostal Christians who are living with HIV (PCLH). Twenty Pentecostal pastors from two informal settlements in Cape Town, South Africa, were purposefully selected. Open-ended, semi-structured, in-depth individual interviews were conducted on their religious beliefs concerning ART adherence. Interviews were conducted in English, audiotaped, and transcribed verbatim before being imported to the Atlas-ti 2023 software program for thematic data analysis. Since our study was guided by the relational community health system (CHS) model a hybrid deductive-inductive thematic analysis was used. Two contrasting themes about the influence of the religious beliefs of Pentecostal pastors were identified: The first theme and its associated subthemes highlight the lack of basic HIV and ART knowledge among pastors. Consequently, these pastors tend to nudge their Christians to rely more on faith and spiritual healing at the expense of adherence to ART. The second theme and the associated sub-themes suggest that some pastors possess some basic HIV knowledge and understand the role of ART and how it works. This group of pastors advise their congregants to use ART and other healthcare services in tandem with spiritual rituals, faith, and prayers. Our findings highlight the need for functional community-based structures, such as community health committees (CHCs) and health facility management committees (HFMCs), in settings where complex interaction within the belief systems, practices, and norms of some stakeholders can influence people's health-seeking behaviours such as adhering to chronic medications like ART.

Efficacy of Specialized Security Agencies in Curbing Cattle Rustling in Sotik and Borabu Sub-Counties in Kenya

Kenya has faced a wide scale threat of cattle rustling. The menace has been occurring mainly in counties populated by pastoralist groups including the Turkana, Samburu, Maasai, Pokot as well as Kipsigis and Kisii among others. People have been killed, their property lost; some mutilated, injured, and displaced. Security organizations such as the General Service Unit (GSU) and the Anti-Stock Theft Unit (ASTU) among others were mobilized to help curb the danger of cattle rustling yet it has continued to occur in Kenya including Sotik and Borabu Sub counties. The purpose of this study was thus to investigate how effective security agencies were in curbing cattle rustling in the counties of Bomet and Nyamira, Kenya. This study therefore investigated the effectiveness of specialized security agencies in curbing cattle rustling in the Sotik and Borabu Sub-Counties in Bomet and Nyamira Counties in Kenya. A sequential exploratory mixed methods design was used. The target population was all the residents of Sotik and Borabu Sub-Counties (18 years and above) who had information regarding the topic under discourse. They were 284,379 in number. A total of 156 respondents participated. The respondents were drawn through purposive sampling. A questionnaire was used to gather quantitative information while key informant interview guides were used to gather qualitative information from the respondents. The hypothesis was tested using Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient (r) at α =0.05 level of significance. The results obtained from the two sub-counties determined that the deployment of specialized security agencies had a statistically significant effect on curbing cattle rustling. This means that before the deployment of security agencies, the frequency of cattle rustling was relatively high as compared to the periods after their deployment. The reduction was therefore attributed to the constant pursuit and deployment of specialized units such as the ASTU, GSU and Administration Police in the region. The study recommends that the national government should expand the presence and activities of specialized security agencies in regions with a history of high cattle rustling rates, focusing on areas with the highest correlation between agency presence and rustling reduction. The government should also implement targeted training programs for specialized security personnel to equip them with the necessary skills and knowledge for addressing the unique challenges associated with cattle rustling.

Climate migration and well-being: a study on ex-pastoralists in northern Kenya

As the impacts of climate change intensify globally, scholars and policymakers are increasingly interested in determining the factors that lead to the success or failure of climate adaptation strategies. This paper investigates the well-being outcomes of ex-pastoralists in northern Kenya who have migrated to towns in response to severe droughts. Focusing on Marsabit Town, the study employs a comparative design with primary survey data to analyze the well-being outcomes resulting from migration as an adaptation strategy. We contrast two heterogeneous groups of former pastoralists: a “settled group” that was already residing in Marsabit Town before ending their pastoral activities and a “migrant group” that relocated to Marsabit Town at the time of abandoning pastoralism. Our analysis reveals significant differences in well-being outcomes between these groups, with the migrant group often experiencing deterioration in their well-being levels. Key predictors of poorer well-being outcomes include the loss of all livestock, informal housing, and failure to transition into agricultural work, which often results in dependence on casual labor. Additionally, many migrants continue to experience poor subjective well-being—referring to their personal satisfaction with the quality of life—years after their livelihood transition. These insights offer a nuanced understanding of the well-being outcomes of migration-as-adaptation among heterogeneous groups of ex-pastoralists and underscore the need for customized livelihood support strategies for the most at-risk populations.

Global diversity, recurrent evolution, and recent selection on amylase structural haplotypes in humans.

The adoption of agriculture, first documented ~12,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent, triggered a rapid shift toward starch-rich diets in human populations. Amylase genes facilitate starch digestion and increased salivary amylase copy number has been observed in some modern human populations with high starch intake, though evidence of recent selection is lacking. Here, using 52 long-read diploid assemblies and short read data from ~5,600 contemporary and ancient humans, we resolve the diversity, evolutionary history, and selective impact of structural variation at the amylase locus. We find that amylase genes have higher copy numbers in populations with agricultural subsistence compared to fishing, hunting, and pastoral groups. We identify 28 distinct amylase structural architectures and demonstrate that nearly identical structures have arisen recurrently on different haplotype backgrounds throughout recent human history. AMY1 and AMY2A genes each exhibit multiple duplications/deletions with mutation rates >10,000-fold the SNP mutation rate, whereas AMY2B gene duplications share a single origin. Using a pangenome graph-based approach to infer structural haplotypes across thousands of humans, we identify extensively duplicated haplotypes present at higher frequencies in modern day populations with traditionally agricultural diets. Leveraging 533 ancient human genomes we find that duplication-containing haplotypes (i.e. haplotypes with more amylase gene copies than the ancestral haplotype) have increased in frequency more than seven-fold over the last 12,000 years providing evidence for recent selection in West Eurasians. Together, our study highlights the potential impacts of the agricultural revolution on human genomes and the importance of long-read sequencing in identifying signatures of selection at structurally complex loci.

Privatisation of the commons: land ownership, access, and exclusion among the Karrayu pastoralists of eastern Ethiopia

ABSTRACT This study critically examines the effects of communal land privatisation and certification linked to the state-sponsored irrigation project in the pastoral area. It is based on ethnographic fieldwork among the Karrayu pastoralists in eastern Ethiopia. The findings indicate that subdivision and certification excluded many pastoral individuals and groups from accessing their ancestral land. Some were not allocated land; all, including those who were allocated a parcel, lost access to the rest of the land to which they previously had access; and some of those who were granted ownership rights were also unable to reap the full benefits of their holding due to structural-relational factors constraining their power to do so. Thus, the article suggests the importance of monitoring the process to protect the rights of disadvantaged groups as well as strengthening the customary tenure rather than rushing to replace it.

Land Tenure Policies and Property Rights Affecting Livestock Production in Bangladesh

Purpose: The aim of the study was to investigate land tenure policies and property rights affecting livestock production in Bangladesh. Methodology: This study adopted a desk methodology. A desk study research design is commonly known as secondary data collection. This is basically collecting data from existing resources preferably because of its low cost advantage as compared to a field research. Our current study looked into already published studies and reports as the data was easily accessed through online journals and libraries. Findings: The study revealed a significant influence of secure land tenure on livestock productivity, investment decisions, and sustainability. Secure property rights are consistently associated with higher levels of livestock productivity, increased investment in animal husbandry practices, and improved land management strategies among rural households. Moreover, tenure security facilitates long-term investments in livestock genetic improvement programs, leading to higher milk yields and improved household incomes among dairy farmers. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Institutional Theory & Property Rights Theory may be used to anchor future studies on land tenure policies and property rights affecting livestock production in Bangladesh. Promote community-based natural resource management approaches that recognize customary land tenure systems. Empowering local communities to manage their grazing lands can enhance ecological sustainability, reduce conflicts, and improve livelihoods among pastoralist groups. Advocate for the legal recognition of customary land rights and indigenous knowledge systems in national land tenure policies. Acknowledging traditional tenure arrangements can strengthen tenure security, promote social equity, and enhance the resilience of livestock production systems.

Cattle, conflict, and climate variability: explaining pastoralist conflict intensity in the Karamoja region of Uganda

Conflicts between pastoralist groups in Africa are rampant and cause numerous deaths each year, but their intensity exhibits significant spatial and temporal variations. Under what conditions do some pastoralist conflicts turn more violent than others? Previous research has shown that climate variability may be a relevant explanatory factor under certain conditions, yet little is known about how specific combinations of conditions jointly affect pastoralist conflict intensity. Moreover, many studies have investigated the link between resource scarcity and conflict, but few have examined how asymmetrical distribution of resources between groups affects levels of violence. This article contributes to filling these gaps through a qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) of pastoralist conflicts in Karamoja, Uganda—a region characterized by cattle husbandry, communal conflict, and a highly variable climate. Five conditions that are related either to incentives for taking to violence or to opportunity structures are examined and three pathways to high-intensity conflict are identified. The results show that an asymmetrical distribution of resources between pastoralist groups during a drought incentivizes conflict, particularly in remote areas with nearby armed conflicts. The article highlights some implications for future research and policy. First, it shows that this type of conflict cannot be reduced to simple “resource scarcity conflicts” since climate variability only has an effect in combination with other conditions. Second, it emphasizes the need for policy approaches that consider both environmental variability and political contexts in addressing pastoralist violence.

PASTORALIST MOBILITY ALONG THE SUDANESE ETHIOPIAN BORDERLAND: TOWARDS COOPERATIVE LAND MANAGEMENT

This study followed an interdisciplinary mixed approach that consisted of social research methods and geospatial technology to investigate the livestock mobility of four pastoralist groups from Sudan and two Ethiopian pastoralist groups who fled to Sudan due to the conflict in the Tigray region. The study area is a shared borderland located between the two countries and is part of Gadarif State in Sudan and the Tigray and Amhara regions in Ethiopia. The findings of the study showed that there are diverse types of pastoral mobility in the borderland, ranging from short and circular movement to wide and directional type of mobility in response to seasonal variations, the spread of mechanised farming and the eruption of insecurity events. Despite facing numerous challenges including the governments’ restrictions on cross-border movement and the prevalence of looting and rustling, trans-boundary mobility is practised by most pastoralist groups in the borderland. Pastoralist leaders are playing an important role in facilitating cross-border mobility. The recent conflict in the Tigray region forced many Ethiopian pastoralists to flee to Sudan with their animals, and they have had to cope with this situation by reducing the number of head they own and limiting their mobility to a more confined area. Despite competing claims by both governments, there is a pressing need for a cooperative land management policy applying soft border arrangements that incorporate customary land use rights for pastoralists from both sides, instead of the hardline border policies currently in place. This article was published open access under a CC BY-NC 4.0 licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ .

Transhumant Pastoralism, Climate Change, and Conflict in Africa

Abstract We consider the effects of climate change on seasonally migrant populations that herd livestock—i.e. transhumant pastoralists—in Africa. Traditionally, transhumant pastoralists benefit from a cooperative relationship with sedentary agriculturalists whereby arable land is used for crop farming in the wet season and animal grazing in the dry season. Rainfall scarcity can disrupt this arrangement by inducing pastoral groups to migrate to agricultural lands before the harvest, causing conflict to emerge. We examine this hypothesis by combining ethnographic information on the traditional locations of transhumant pastoralists and sedentary agriculturalists with high-resolution data on the location and timing of rainfall and violent conflict events in Africa from 1989 to 2018. We find that reduced rainfall in the territory of transhumant pastoralists leads to conflict in neighbouring areas. Consistent with the proposed mechanism, the conflicts are concentrated in agricultural areas; they occur during the wet season and not the dry season; and they are due to rainfall’s impact on plant biomass growth. Since pastoralists tend to be Muslim and agriculturalists Christian, this mechanism accounts for a sizable proportion of the rapid rise in religious conflict observed in recent decades. Regarding policy responses, we find that development aid projects tend not to mitigate the effects that we document. By contrast, the effects are reduced when transhumant pastoralists have greater power in national government, suggesting that more equal political representation is conducive to peace.

Energetic and Monetary Analysis of Efficiency in Family-Owned Dairy Goat Production Systems in Andalusia (Southern Spain).

The family-owned dairy goat sector in Andalusia presents great diversity. Taking into account the particularities of their economic strategies, which are focused on generating net value added and a stable long-term remuneration for family labor, this work aims to expand the scarce existing knowledge on the energetic and economic profiles of the different caprine management systems in a context of climate and energy crisis. For this purpose, twenty-one farms, representatives of the four typologies of the Andalusian dairy goat system, were monitored for one year: pastoral systems, grazing systems with high feed supply, indoor systems with associated crops, and indoor systems without associated crops. Technical-economic information was obtained that allowed the calculation of energy and economic indicators. In terms of socialized output, the differences found were due to the energy derived from milk sales, which was clearly lower in pastoral systems. The higher proportion of energy output obtained from manure with respect to edible products (milk and meat) highlights the importance of the former in energetic terms. High values for external inputs are found in the intensive group (111.22 GJ LSU-1), while the lowest results correspond to the pastoral group (36.96 GJ LSU-1). The main external input is the energy proceeding from purchased feed, which accounts for over 79% of the total external energy input in all four groups. The highest energy efficiency corresponds to the pastoral group, which is also the most efficient one in the use of non-renewable energy to produce milk and meat. Additionally, the level of eco-efficiency is higher in pastoral systems. Common Agricultural Policy funds contribute to increasing the remuneration of family work in pastoral systems, assimilating it to the rest of the systems. Therefore, intensification does not imply an absolute monetary advantage in all cases, while extensification can be remunerative for family-owned dairy farming.

The Western Aramaic Context of a Famous Lullaby

Abstract The present text concerns a traditional lullaby, sung throughout the Levant in various versions, of which the most famous was produced by the Rahbani brothers and sung by Fairouz. The framing story surrounding the lullaby, which is only implicit in the Rahbani version, concerns themes such as kidnapping and the age-old conflict between transhumant pastoral groups and sedentary agriculturalists. Despite the perennial widespread popularity of the lullaby, aspects of its framing story point to its origins in Maaloula.

A VIEW FROM THE COUNTRYSIDE: RADIOCARBON CHRONOLOGY FOR ZAOLINHETAN OF THE PRE-ZHOU CULTURE IN EARLY DYNASTIC CHINA

ABSTRACTThe conquest of the Shang Dynasty at Anyang around 1046 BCE by the Zhou is one of the major events for not only Chinese Bronze Age but also early interaction between the pastoralist groups from the Eurasian Steppes and agriculture ones in the Central Plains of China. It is well-known from historical texts that the pre-Zhou people lived in the ancient Bin region (豳), the exact location of which is unclear, but most likely in the Jing River valley. At some point the leader Gugong Danfu (古公亶父) moved from Bin to the capital Qi (Zhouyuan), which preceded the Zhou invasion of Anyang. We have produced a new high resolution radiocarbon chronology for Zaolinhetan, a small settlement in the pre-Zhou heartland. This shows not only an exceptionally long chronological span for the site, but also a different phasing compared to the traditional pottery typology, which raises new questions regarding the regional variation of pottery typologies. Intriguingly, the analysis also reveals a rapid abandonment of Zaolinhetan around 1100 BCE, at the same time many larger sites, such as Zhouyuan, which later became the capital of the Western Zhou dynasty, were significantly expanding. We argue that the drastic decline of Zaolinhetan as revealed by the substantial number of radiocarbon dates and probably also the movement of pre-Zhou political center from Bin to Qin, was part of bigger picture that involved a range of social and environmental factors.

Diet and subsistence in the Alps in Late Antiquity: Organic residue analysis of pottery from an upland site in the Dolomites (Busa delle Vette, Veneto, Italy)

The Busa delle Vette site was investigated as part of the UPLanD project, focused on the archaeology of pastoralism, to shed light on the lifeways of pastoral groups during the summer months. The site is composed of a hut and some enclosures located on a glacial cirque at 1850 m asl, in the Dolomites (Veneto, Italy), dating back from the Late Antiquity to the Early Middle Ages (5th to the 11th century CE). Initial data suggested that the hut was used by groups of shepherds for transhumance, but new evidence began to point to a possible different function.Thirty ceramic sherds of cooking pots dated to the Early Middle Ages (6th to 9th century CE), were analysed through organic residues analysis to identify their use and reconstruct the dietary habits of the people living at the site. The results of the analysis were discussed in relation to unpublished archaeozoological and archaeobotanical evidence to shed some light on the activities that were carried out in the investigated hut and the function of the site. The findings suggest that the cooking pots were mainly used to prepare soups and stews. Ruminant adipose products were identified in most of the investigated pots, sometimes associated with ruminant dairy products and millet. These data are consistent with the archaeozoological and archaeobotanical records, suggesting an intense use of this structure, not limited to seasonal pastoral practices but also associated to the mobility of troops and travellers through the local mountain passes. More research is necessary to validate this fascinating hypothesis, as comparable sites have never been identified in the Alps.

Participatory evaluation and demonstration of productive performance of Bovans Brown chicken under village production system in Menit Shasha Woreda, West Omo Zone, Ethiopia

The study was conducted in Charuhurit kebele in Menit Shasha woreda West Omo Zone, south west region (SWR) Ethiopia. Beforethe commencement of the study need assessment was done on existing livestock production system and their constraints throughconducting group discussion with pastoralists, then the pastoralists were prioritized poultry production system as major problem needimmediate intervention. A pastoralist and agro-pastoralist extension research group (PAPREG) which containing 25 pastoralists wereestablished and randomly assigned to different production system (10 intensive productions, 10 semi intensive and five extensiveproduction system). 125 pullets of Bovan Brown chicken breed age 75 days purchased from Bushoftu Alema farm were distributed andbefore distribution training on housing, feeding, health and overall handling system of animals were given for pastoralists. The studyrevealed that high mortality rate or low survivability rate was observed before the onset egg production in the study area. There wereno significant differences in age of animals before onset of egg lying, but number of egg produced every month was significantly (p< 0.05) higher between production systems. The average age at onset of egg lying was 22.10 weeks. The result shown that significantly(p < 0.05) higher number (23.77) of eggs per month per hen was recorded for intensive production system. Finally, the authors concludedthat Bovan Brown chicken breed under village production in terms of their egg production performance were feasible in the study areato enhance family nutrition and income generations.

Participatory rangeland management: A vehicle for pastoralist women’s empowerment in Ethiopia

Pastoralist tenure systems are highly complex. Where customary institutions are functioning well, pastoralist women access and use resources as a member of a pastoralist group. Although policy and legislation call for more equity across societies, providing individual titles to women is not necessarily the answer. Strengthening women’s rights within the collective society while also supporting women’s capacities and abilities to participate meaningfully in decision-making processes and hold leadership positions will support more sustainable gender equality outcomes. Participatory rangeland management (PRM) is an approach developed in Ethiopia in 2010 that was then piloted by non-governmental organisations in several parts of the country in a bid to improve the security of tenure and good governance of rangelands, more inclusive participation of pastoralists in decisions pertaining to their lands and improve rangeland productivity. While not an explicit aim, it also sought women’s empowerment as part of the participatory process. A review of PRM implementation in Oromia and Afar regions, Ethiopia, showed that in the majority of cases, women participated equally with men in the PRM process. Women’s and men’s opinions on the involvement and satisfaction of PRM implementation activities were compared favourably. Overall, community members believed that PRM has improved women’s roles in rangeland management leadership and decision-making processes and their access to rangeland resources, thereby encouraging a transformative process of improving gender equality and women’s empowerment in pastoralist societies. This article considers the implications of these results for pastoral women and to what degree they have contributed to their empowerment. A conceptualised women’s empowerment framework is used for the analysis.

Distinguishing between sheep and goat in archaeological fumiers through faecal lipid biomarkers: The case of Belmaco Cave (Canary Islands, Spain)

Lipid biomarker analysis focused on steroids has shown to have great potential for discriminating between animal faecal inputs in archaeology. This is particularly interesting when applied to stabling deposits to assess herding strategies and livestock composition. Here we present the results of a sedimentary faecal biomarker study conducted at Belmaco Cave, a pre-European archaeological site in La Palma (Canary Islands). The site was occupied by indigenous pastoralist groups over the course of five centuries prior to the first arrival of the Europeans in the 15th century. Previous soil micromorphological data indicates recurrent sheep and/or goat penning and periodic burning of the pen in the central area of the cave. We selected bulk sediment samples from unburned, charred and ashed dung layers and carried out sterol, stanol and bile acid analysis. Our results suggest that the main source of faecal matter is sheep. We also found that even though charred and dung ash layers contained lower concentrations of the biomarker compounds, these were still sufficient to provide information on the origin of the faecal remains. These data add to our current knowledge of the aboriginal Canary Island pastoralist economy.

Pastoralist Transhumance and Conflicts in the Sahelian zone of the Nigeria-Niger Borderlands

Pastoralism has been an old practice in the Sahel region of West Africa. In recent years, pastoralists in Nigeria have increasingly been migrating on seasonal transhumance southward from the neighboring countries especially Niger Republic in search of better grazing conditions. This has increased pressure on farmlands which instigate farmer-herder conflicts. These conflicts occur mainly between farmers and pastoralists, but also between pastoralist groups themselves. However, there has been a shift in these conflicts recently to involve traditional institutions and in some cases the local authorities along the borderlands. The involvement of local institutions in the conflict has created an incentive for local actors, particularly pastoral community-based groups in responding to these violent threats. As pastoralists are mobile, these conflicts became difficult to contain and thus, spill across borders. Consequently, the conflict has now transformed into an urbanized regional conflict that involves some major cities along the Nigeria-Niger borderlands; Sokoto, Zamfara, and Katsina on the Nigerian side and Dosso, Tahoa, and Maradi in the Niger Republic. These areas are now experiencing an unprecedented growing wave of violence that has become complex and escalated into a hydra-social conflict. This research aims to investigate how the fluidities of the Nigeria-Niger borderland intensified armed conflicts between the local pastoral organizations and the sedentary population spreading to some urban cities along the borderlands.

A REVIEW OF FARMERS-HERDERS CONFLICT AND IMPLICATIONS ON FOOD SECURITY, ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS AND ECONOMY OF IBARAPA, OYO STATE, NIGERIA

In Nigeria, thousands of people die in violent clashes between groups of farmers and nomadic pastoralists. Due to better access to weapons and communication tools, the war has been worse in recent years. The old and the well-established systems of negotiation between the groups have mostly broken down. Thus, those with superior tools try to acquire what they want without speaking to other parties. The lack of resources, however, did not suddenly appear in the region and is also a result of several other factors that were discussed in this study, such as ineffective state mechanisms, the Nigerian oil boom, late effects of colonialism, climate change, constantly rising non-state group armament, e. t. c. To demonstrate effects of the conflict, the socioeconomic implications will be discussed. This research focuses on the crisis between the farmers and the Fulani herdsmen in the Ibarapa community of Oyo State as a review case study. The Ibarapa community is made up of various socioeconomic groups who have lived together for a long time, even though this coexistence has both beneficial and negative effects. Yoruba people, that are primarily farmers, and Fulani herdsmen, who are primarily herders, make up the majority of those leaving the Ibarapa community. In recent years, tension and hostility between farmers and herdsmen have emerged due to the battle for land and other scarce resources. Insecurity and food crisis have also resulted from the conflict, which have escalated into fights between the two groups. The connection between the two groups has soured, though, and this is a serious matter that warrants attention on a worldwide scale. Hence this review is apt.

Early contact between late farming and pastoralist societies in southeastern Europe.

Archaeogenetic studies have described two main genetic turnover events in prehistoric western Eurasia: one associated with the spread of farming and a sedentary lifestyle starting around 7000-6000 BC (refs. 1-3) and a second with the expansion of pastoralist groups from the Eurasian steppes starting around 3300 BC (refs. 4,5). The period between these events saw new economies emerging on the basis of key innovations, including metallurgy, wheel and wagon and horse domestication6-9. However, what happened between the demise of the Copper Age settlements around 4250 BC and the expansion of pastoralists remains poorly understood. To address this question, we analysed genome-wide data from 135 ancient individuals from the contact zone between southeastern Europe and the northwestern Black Sea region spanning this critical time period. While we observe genetic continuity between Neolithic and Copper Age groups from major sites in the same region, from around 4500 BC on, groups from the northwestern Black Sea region carried varying amounts of mixed ancestries derived from Copper Age groups and those from the forest/steppe zones, indicating genetic and cultural contact over a period of around 1,000 years earlier than anticipated. We propose that the transfer of critical innovations between farmers and transitional foragers/herders from different ecogeographic zones during this early contact was integral to the formation, rise and expansion of pastoralist groups around 3300 BC.