Differences in diversification for Maasai pastoralists

Increasing pressure on land from conservation, agriculture and tourism is pushing Maasai pastoralists to the margins of land. This is forcing many away from traditional livelihood activities. Once they lose their foothold in pastoralism, opportunities to re-enter are rare and alternative livelihoods are hard to access, especially for poorer pastoralists.

Livelihood diversification is common among pastoralists. However, those who stop practising pastoralism completely find themselves cut off from support services and research. Little is known about their specific needs and the strategies they adopt to cope with declining available land. Research from the University College London, UK, looks at whether livelihood diversification among Maasai differs significantly from other social groups. The research compares information about Maasai living on the edge of the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem, which crosses the Kenya-Tanzania border, with information about other ethnic groups.

The research shows:

• Land value has increased around the Serengeti-Mara and people owning land can continue pastoral activities whilst gaining income from leasing land. However, for poor people, access to owning land is increasingly difficult and ownership is often contested.
• Livestock farming and crop cultivation, with some trading, remain the primary activities of Maasai. People who are landless sometimes work as herders, but without land or livestock, their involvement in pastoralism is insecure.
• Collecting, processing and selling natural resources are important income-generating activities for landless people, but this can involve illegal collection from state-owned or recently privatised land.
• Trade is important to most pastoralists in these marginal areas. Trade ranges from large-scale livestock trading to making and selling charcoal.
• In trading centres, casual waged labour tends to go to immigrants, who are more experienced in such work, rather than Maasai. Many Maasai see this as ‘unacceptable’ work and prefer to leave and seek work in towns.
• Despite the importance of tourism in this area, few people living close to major tourism sites make a significant income from the industry, which tends to employ skilled outsiders

Similar to many people in sub-Saharan Africa, pastoralists’ motivation for diversification varies according to wealth. Poor people diversify out of need, into a wide range of insecure and poorly paid occupations. Wealthier people diversify to reduce the risks of agriculture or to increase profit through investment. Diversification of livelihood activities is becoming a feature of most pastoralists’ livelihoods, but for poor people, it is characterised by unstable activities that only provide low incomes. The constraints that limit the potential of Maasai people to access alternative income-generating activities must be addressed:

• Education is necessary for entry into stable, skilled employment but compared with other groups, education is low among Maasai around the Serengeti-Mara. The exclusion of Maasai, especially girls, from education must be addressed to increase opportunities for skilled work.
• Cultural differences and lack of skills in the national language make it difficult for these Maasai to access stable income-generating activities.
• Governments and non-governmental organisations must focus on creating opportunities for successful income diversification, as well as addressing the pressures forcing people away from pastoralism.
• Better understanding and knowledge of rights is helping to address the exclusion of Maasai from common rangelands, especially in Tanzania, where this exclusion is more of a problem.
• Tourism has the potential to benefit Maasai, but strong local institutions are needed to support Maasai involvement over outside workers.

Source(s):
‘Maasai Pastoralists? Livelihoods at the margins’. Paper presented at the ‘Livelihoods at the Margins’ conference at the School of Oriental and African Studies, UK, July 2004
‘Community- and State-based natural resource management and local livelihoods in Maasailand’ by K. Homewood , M. Thompson, P. Trench, S.Kiruswa and E. Coast, paper presented at King’s Workshop on CBNRM, London, February 2005 Full document.

id21 Research Highlight: 27 April 2005

Further Information:
Katherine Homewood
Department of Anthropology
University College London
London
UK

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7679 7856
Fax: +44 (0) 20 7679 7728
Contact the contributor: k.homewood@ucl.ac.uk

Department of Anthropology, University College London, UK

Other related links:
'Reducing conflict and improving resource management for Kenyan pastoralists'

'Meeting the different needs of livestock farmers in Tanzania'

'Moving in the right direction? New approaches to nomadic education in Ghana'

'Has the aid industry disempowered Tanzanian pastoralists?'

The Pastoral Development Network, ODI

The Eldis Pastoralism Resource Guide