Securing Sahelian pastoralism by using a remunerated workforce for livestock keeping activities: the ambivalence of commodification

Abstract

Sahelian pastoralists use mobility, diversification, and even pluriactivity as main adaptation strategies to the asymmetrical distribution of multifaceted resources. Complex relations vis-à-vis this risky environment hide slowing transitions from a traditional inward-looking to an outward-looking economy, which is characterised by increasing use of a remunerated workforce. The growing commodification of the economy of Sahelian pastoralists could generate new forms of uncertainty. The authors of this paper use a principal-agent model to analyse the remunerated workforce and demonstrate the mixed results of this strategy in the context of structural risk in the Sahel. The authors then highlight the conditions under which trust and reputation are developed to stabilise employment relations and better cope with and/or mitigate various shocks.

The economics of pastoralism in Argentina, Chad and Mongolia

“…Empirical analyses of the economic contributions of animal production systems mostly focus on isolated aspects. Several studies in different parts of Africa have, for instance, measured the important effects of livestock sectors on household revenue generation (Little et al, 2001;Wane et al, 2009a), poverty reduction (Pica-Ciamarra, 2005;Alary et al, 2011), sectoral job creation (Wane et al, 2018a), and inter and intra-household inequality reduction (Little et al, 2001;Wane et al, 2009b).…”