How do pastoralists cope with increasing pressure on land?

As human and animal populations increase, competition for land also increases. The effects of this pressure are both ecological and social. Soil degrades, farming systems change and the laws and customs which govern land rights are stretched to breaking point. Nowhere are these issues more pressing than the marginal pastoralist areas of southern Kenya.

Maasai pastoralists have a range of responses toincreased pressure on land and to minimise risk and uncertainty in their foodproduction. Research from the Department of Economics, University of Nairobi, Kenya, looks at three suchresponses: adoption of land cultivation, investment in land improvements andmigration with livestock. The research examines the important determinants of howhouseholds choose strategies. Understanding these factors is important in preventingthe overgrazing that results from increased pressure on land.

East African pastoralists have always movedtheir livestock in response to erratic rainfall conditions and to protect theenvironment. However, they are increasingly choosing cultivation to sustaintheir livelihoods under increased land scarcity. Under certain circumstances,they also invest in improvements to land, such as planting trees and adoptionof techniques to control soil erosion. A major factor affecting this decisionis the nature of existing land rights. The definition of land rights has astrong influence on the way that communities choose to cope with increasingland pressures.

The research shows:

• Educatedpastoralists who own small amounts of land are most likely to adoptcultivation.
• Pastoralistswho own land privately are more likely to cultivate than those who hold land aspart of a common property resource.
• Alack of water discourages crop cultivation.
• Anincrease in the distance travelled to the source of water reduces theprobability of crop cultivation.
• Private land ownership is anincentive for land improvements, especially compared to common propertyownership. Available labour is also an important factor affecting landimprovements.
• Peoplewho hold land under common property ownership and who are not well educated aremore likely to migrate.
• Householdsthat own lands privately are less likely to migrate, and are likely to practicemore non-herding activities.
• Owninga large livestock herd makes a household more likely to migrate. Those withsmaller herds are more likely to send livestock to search for grazing land withrelatives or friends.

Given these results, it is important to design policyoptions for supporting all pastoralists. The research argues that richer andpoorer pastoralists will not have the same access to any opportunities createdby policy change.

Important policy recommendations include:

• Privatisingcommon property resources will help in adoption of alternative livelihoodstrategies, but well-connected pastoralists are likely to benefit more fromthis at the expense of poorer pastoralists. The implementation of privatisationpolicies is also vulnerable to local political interference.
• Improvingthe level of education in the region would encourage farmers to adoptstrategies to manage the impacts of increasing land pressure.
• Thereis a need to explore ways of increasing water availability, and understand howgovernment can assist pastoralists to increase the productivity of available water.