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, thosewho stop practising pastoralism completely find themselves cut off from supportservices and research. Little is known about their specific needs and thestrategies they adopt to cope with declining available land. Research from theUniversity College London, UK, looks at whether livelihood diversificationamong Maasai differs significantly from other social groups. The researchcompares information about Maasai living on the edge of the Serengeti-Maraecosystem, which crosses the Kenya-Tanzania border, with information aboutother ethnic groups.

The research shows:

• Land value hasincreased around the Serengeti-Mara and people owning land can continuepastoral activities whilst gaining income from leasing land. However, for poorpeople, access to owning land is increasingly difficult and ownership is oftencontested.
• Livestockfarming and crop cultivation, with some trading, remain the primary activitiesof Maasai. People who are landless sometimes work as herders, but without landor livestock, their involvement in pastoralism is insecure.
• Collecting,processing and selling natural resources are important income-generatingactivities for landless people, but this can involve illegal collection from state-ownedor recently privatised land.
• Trade isimportant to most pastoralists in these marginal areas. Trade ranges fromlarge-scale livestock trading to making and selling charcoal.
• In tradingcentres, casual waged labour tends to go to immigrants, who are moreexperienced in such work, rather than Maasai. Many Maasai see this as‘unacceptable’ work and prefer to leave and seek work in towns.
• Despite theimportance of tourism in this area, few people living close to major tourismsites make a significant income from the industry, which tends to employskilled outsiders

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

• Education isnecessary for entry into stable, skilled employment but compared with othergroups, education is low among Maasai around the Serengeti-Mara. The exclusionof Maasai, especially girls, from education must be addressed to increaseopportunities for skilled work.
• Culturaldifferences and lack of skills in the national language make it difficult forthese Maasai to access stable income-generating activities.
• Governments andnon-governmental organisations must focus on creating opportunities forsuccessful income diversification, as well as addressing the pressures forcingpeople away from pastoralism.
• Betterunderstanding and knowledge of rights is helping to address the exclusion ofMaasai from common rangelands, especially in Tanzania, where this exclusion ismore of a problem.
• Tourism has thepotential to benefit Maasai, but strong local institutions are needed tosupport Maasai involvement over outside workers.