Role of camel milk in pastoral livelihoods in Kenya: contribution to household diet and income

Elhadi, Yazan Ahmed; Nyariki, Dickson M.; Wasonga, Oliver Vivian

doi:10.1186/s13570-015-0028-7

Cited by 39 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…These findings reiterate those of other studies which demonstrate increasing uncertainty about livestock-based livelihoods (McCabe et al 2014). Pastoralists in East Africa are diversifying toward other animals such as camels (Elhadi et al 2015) and hybrid or different breeds of livestock, shifting toward agriculture and agro-pastoralism (McCabe 2003), and seeking wage jobs outside of pastoral communities entirely (Opiyo et al 2015;Watete et al 2016). These jobs, including professional herding jobs, represent important opportunities and sources of cash income.…”

Section: Pastoral Transitionssupporting

confidence: 79%

Herders and herdsmen: The remaking of pastoral livelihoods in Laikipia, Kenya

Yurco

2017

Pastoralism

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Pastoralists have long overlapped with wildlife in rangelands of sub-Saharan Africa. With growing recognition of the importance of wildlife outside of protected areas, conservation efforts are increasingly managed through hybrid governance activities worldwide, activities which often involve pastoralists. These efforts are especially prevalent in East African rangelands where pastoralists, livestock, and wildlife commonly overlap outside of formal protected areas. Laikipia County, Kenya, is one region renowned for abundant and diverse wildlife species sustained outside protected areas through a collective of conservation activities among private landowners and pastoral group ranches. Little research has considered pastoralists' roles in the region's conservation efforts or the ways that those efforts shape local livelihoods. Based on data from interviews, surveys, and participant observation, this article uses a case study approach to demonstrate how some of Laikipia's pastoralists are increasingly drawn into professional herding jobs with powerful landowners involved in joint commercial ranching and wildlife conservation activities. This has caused many pastoralists to shift from traditional livestock ownership in favour of livestock caretaking for other owners, with substantial implications for livelihoods. This study offers empirical evidence for the importance of considering how diversifying pastoral livelihoods entwine with hybrid conservation processes outside protected areas.

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Section: Pastoral Transitionssupporting

confidence: 79%

Herders and herdsmen: The remaking of pastoral livelihoods in Laikipia, Kenya

Yurco

2017

Pastoralism

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“…“People consumed butter and milk like it was water” (Male elder, Kebri Beyah, 15 August 2015). Consumed raw or converted into butter ( subagga ), milk, camel milk in particular, sustains Somali pastoralists moving through areas with limited water and food and provides varied nutritional and medical benefits (Carruth, ; Elhadi et al, ). “When you're a pure pastoralist and you have enough animals … their milk and butter mean that you don't need extra food and farming” (Male elder, Kebri Beyah, 21 July 2015).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Commodity individuation of milk in the Somali Region, Ethiopia

Pearson

Schmidt

2017

Area

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Funding information Graduate Academy of Leibniz Universitaet HannoverLivestock is traditionally the central commodity for the Somali pastoralists of Ethiopia, a commodity that fulfils numerous purposes required to sustain livelihoods. Livestock commodification, however, is not limited to animal sales. Milk is a fundamental element of Somali life, used as a primary source of food for young animals and for human consumption. In the Somali Region, herders now sell milk, an act that was traditionally taboo, to supplement their income. Thus commodity individuation, processes that detach a thing from its traditional context and purpose and convert it into a commodity, has occurred. This paper deals with the recent phenomenon of commodification processes by identifying the degree of and reasons for milk individuation in the Somali Region of Ethiopia. The analysis shows the extent milk has been separated from its traditional context and addresses the cultural and economic impacts of milk individuation.

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“…This experience could have influenced the rising adoption of camels. The role of camel milk as a source of food and family income is likely to rise with increase in climate variability (Elhadi et al 2015). Increased trade in livestock, facilitated by proximity to two markets (Kimanjo and Oldo Ng'iro) where livestock is the main trade commodity, will influence livestock dynamics in the future.…”

Section: Sand and Stone Miningmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tracing innovation pathways in the management of natural and social capital on Laikipia Maasai Group Ranches, Kenya

et al. 2016

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Group ranches (GRs) were established in Kenya in the 1960s and 1970s; their objectives included the increase of pastoral land productivity and the control of land degradation. Since their establishment, GRs have evolved and new trends have emerged in resource management with significant impact on socio-ecological systems (SESs). Little is known about these changes on the GRs in Laikipia County. The central thesis for this study was that GRlevel-driven and/or collective action innovations are socio-ecologically more resilient compared to household/ individual-level strategies. This study investigated emerging innovations, their drivers and perceived and felt impacts, using Il Motiok GR as a case study. Tools used included semi-structured interviews, key informant interviews, focus group discussions and second order cybernetics. Qualitative analysis using SPSS software was done. The results showed that emerging innovations could be divided into either household/individual-or community-level-driven processes. Some of the innovations in natural capital management included the trading of grazing rights, expansion of traditional enclosures, adoption of 'new' livestock species and/or breeds, and crop cultivation. Household-level-driven innovations were influenced by wealth status, age and level of education. Economic returns and to some extent the greater good influenced community-driven initiatives. Formal groupings such as self-help groups and business associations were replacing declining traditional social networks based on clans and age sets/groups. Climate change, development agencies, cultural and technological change and neighbourhood social learning are perceived as having inspired the innovations. Innovations that fragmented natural and social capital were inclined to limit socio-ecological resilience. Implementation of new interventions among communities must factor in the possibilities of transformation and/or emergence of new innovations beyond those initially conceptualised as implementation progresses. Supportive policies that recognise the increasing complexity of common property use are needed to address emerging 'new' land use changes. Furthermore, there is need to nurture emergent promising innovations and stop those considered detrimental to the sustainability of SESs.

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Role of camel milk in pastoral livelihoods in Kenya: contribution to household diet and income

Cited by 39 publications

References 17 publications

Herders and herdsmen: The remaking of pastoral livelihoods in Laikipia, Kenya

Herders and herdsmen: The remaking of pastoral livelihoods in Laikipia, Kenya

Commodity individuation of milk in the Somali Region, Ethiopia

Tracing innovation pathways in the management of natural and social capital on Laikipia Maasai Group Ranches, Kenya

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