African Pastoralism: Conflict, Institutions and Government

Although many countries in Africa are devastated by poverty and famine, and are desperately in need of aid, it is generally recognized that programmes of aid and development in Africa are imposed upon local communities with little regard for their traditional values and way of life. This is true of development schemes imposed by national African governments, just as it is true of international aid schemes. This book provides a look at these intricate issues, and explores the way in which farming and traditional pastoral livelihoods have strengthened rather than weakened in the face of government reforms. It reveals how traditional institutions and resource management strategies within local African communities continue to endure, in spite of the enormous pressure that development programmes assert, as pastoralists resolve to confront coercive state policies designed to privilege the interests of the wealthy and powerful elite. Revealing the link between the structure of power relations in pastoral societies and the shrinking of environmental space, the contributors demonstrate the intractable problems of the sustainability of pastoral development in situations characterized by increasing land appropriation and conflicts over resources. The book introduces 13 case studies from Botswana, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan and Uganda and various other parts of the African continent.