Cattle-rangeland management practices and perceptions of pastoralists towards rangeland degradation in the Borana zone of southern Ethiopia

Solomon, Tamirat; Snyman, H.A.; Smit, G.N.

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2006.01.008

Cited by 134 publications

(105 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…The rainfall is bimodally distributed with long rain occurring between March and June, and short rains between August and October (Solomon and Coppock 2004). The elevation ranges between 1000 m above sea level on the plains to 1500 m in the highlands (Solomon et al 2007).…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

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Adaptation of agriculture to climate change in semi-arid Borena, Ethiopia

Ng’ang’a

Wijk

Rufino³

2016

Reg Environ Change

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Livestock production is very risky due to climate variability in semi-arid Sub-Saharan Africa. Using data collected from 400 households in the Borena zone of the Oromia Region, we explored what drives adoption of agricultural practices that can decrease the vulnerability of agro-pastoralists to climate change. Households with more adaptive capacity adopted a larger number of practices. The households' adaptive capacity was stronger when the quality of local institutions was high. However, adaptive capacity had less explanatory power in explaining adoption of adaptation options than household socio-economic characteristics, suggesting that aggregating information into one indicator of adaptive capacity for site-specific studies may not help to explain the adoption behaviour of households. Strong local institutions lead to changes in key household-level characteristics (like membership to community groups, years lived in a village, access to credit, financial savings and crop income) which positively affect adoption of agricultural practices. In addition, better local institutions were also positively related to adoption of livestock-related adaptation practices. Poor access to a tarmac road was positively related to intensification and diversification of crop production, whereas it was negatively related to the intensification of livestock production, an important activity for generating cash in the region. Our findings suggest that better local institutions lead to changes in household characteristics, which positively affect adoption of adaptation practices, suggesting that policies should aim to strengthen local institutions.

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Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Areas with good quality pastures are reserved as enclosures for use in dry periods by calves and to a lesser extent milking cows. Croplands, pastures and watering points are communally owned, and access to them is regulated through local institutions (Solomon et al 2007).…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Adaptation of agriculture to climate change in semi-arid Borena, Ethiopia

Ng’ang’a

Wijk

Rufino³

2016

Reg Environ Change

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“…The Borana clans are one of the Oromo-Borana migrant groups from the southern highlands of Ethiopia who are believed to have reached Kenya in the 15 th Century (Schlee, 1989). Over the last 500 years the Borana people have maintained a complex indigenous socio/political structure, their traditional gada system, that governs their pasture management (see Coppock, 1994 andSolomon et al, 2007 for more details on the Borana society).…”

Section: The Research Area -Environmental and Social Changesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Further, the Borana culture, particularly in Ethiopia, is built around cattle husbandry and, in some Borana clans, crop farming is associated with poverty (because the herd is not large enough to support the family) (see Solomon et al, 2007). The knowledge of crop farming might also be lacking because it is not embedded in the Borana tradition.…”

Section: Controversies About Breeding With Exotic Cattle In the Boranmentioning

confidence: 99%

Attitudes of Livestock Keepers to Breeding Strategies – Threats and Opportunities for on-farm Conservation of the Borana Cattle Breed

Zander¹

2011

JAS

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Environmental and market pressures strongly affect cattle breeding in East Africa. While optimising breeding with diverse genetic material can improve income from cattle production, it can also lead to a loss and depletion of valuable animal genetic resources. This study assesses livestock-keepers perceptions of breeding strategies for the Borana breed and provides empirical evidence for livestock-keepers' awareness of different factors related to the improvement and survival of the breed. Knowledge of breeding with exotic cattle breeds was found to be relatively poor, particularly in Ethiopia, with livestock-keepers in Kenya being more receptive to the practise. In Kenya, crossing with exotic breeds is the main threat to survival of the Borana breed while in Ethiopia the major threat is dilution of Borana genetic material with that of other locally available breeds. Overall the breeding preferences of Ethiopian livestock-keepers' seem most conducive to de-facto or on-farm conservation programmes for the Borana breed.

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“…The lack of water and continued grazing stresses the ecosystem and causes its disintegration and a serious food security situation. The Borana tribe in Ethiopia, for instance, is currently undergoing this phenomenon (Homann et al, 2008;Solomon et al, 2007). As food sources become more limited, the lack of nutrition exacerbates health (Wakabi, 2006) by causing immune suppression and making the population more prone to illness.…”

Section: The Food Security Milieumentioning

confidence: 99%

Food security: its components and challenges

Havas¹,

Salman²

2011

IJFSNPH

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Food security relates directly to nutrition and health. Typically food security is thought of as being related to availability and access of foodstuffs. Yet, the threat to food security also lies with urbanisation, income disparity, overpopulation, ecosystem degradation, animal health, and food wholesomeness. Food wholesomeness is also an important aspect of nutrition. Wholesomeness is monitored via food safety and food defence programmes, making them critical components of a food security programme as well. This article discusses these interrelations and concepts for future scientific and humanitarian development programmes.

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Cattle-rangeland management practices and perceptions of pastoralists towards rangeland degradation in the Borana zone of southern Ethiopia

Cited by 134 publications

References 20 publications

Adaptation of agriculture to climate change in semi-arid Borena, Ethiopia

Adaptation of agriculture to climate change in semi-arid Borena, Ethiopia

Attitudes of Livestock Keepers to Breeding Strategies – Threats and Opportunities for on-farm Conservation of the Borana Cattle Breed

Food security: its components and challenges

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