Presentation Transcript
The Multiple Dimensions of Poverty in Pastoral Areas of East Africa : The Multiple Dimensions of Poverty in Pastoral Areas of East Africa Peter Little, John McPeak, Chris Barrett, Patti Kristjanson Overview Presentation for ‘Pastoralism and Poverty Reduction in East Africa: A Policy Research Conference’, June 27-28th, Safari Park Hotel, Nairobi
Slide2: The Setting Recent drought
Calls to transform mobile pastoralism
Poor understanding of complex relationships and causes of poverty in pastoral areas
Slide3: Objectives of Overview Summarize different understandings and analyses of pastoral poverty that are generaly comparative across different settings
Highlight major issues associated with poverty in pastoral areas, especially new issues
Discuss what can be done about the problem
Slide4: What is meant by pastoral poverty? Poverty among pastoralists, or poverty among those who live in pastoral areas
Economic activity in pastoral areas much more than just livestock
Development programs aimed at transforming, rather than strengthening or complementing pastoralism have largely failed
Slide5: Figure 1: Income sources for the northern Kenya PARIMA sample
Slide6: Income sources in shares, by quintile, 2000-2002 (N. Kenya)
Slide7: How are we defining poverty? Income versus Assets
Chronic versus transitory poverty
Example: Confuse transitory food insecurity with chronic poverty—development failures.
Different types of poverty each call for different policies to address them – i.e. ‘safety net’ versus other interventions
Existence of ‘poverty traps’ below certain asset (livestock) holdings?’
Slide8: Income-Herd Size Relationship in northern Kenya PARIMA sample (Barrett and McPeak 2005)
Slide9: Local Definitions Community-level perceptions (center on livestock and similar to asset definition)
Poverty as poor access to social services
Often based in towns where herds are not
Old and new forms of poverty
Spatial aspects
Settlement/peri-urban growth
Uneven population distribution
Social aspects
Slide10: Pressures on pastoralism Loss of land
Complex land use/herder cultivators
Stagnant livestock prices
Capture < 50 percent of terminal mkt prices
Conflict
Political marginalization
Declining per capita livestock holdings
Slide11: What can be done? Avoid creating another stereotype: e.g., pastoralism=poverty!
Recognize land rights and need to maintain mobility
Production improvements
Improved marketing
Restocking
Slide12: What can be done? New income generating activities—e.g., some can emerge from strengthened pastoral livestock production
Improved access to, and quality of, health and education services
Safety nets in short-term emergencies
Political empowerment
Slide13: Asante sana