Experts Defend Way of Life for Herders in East Africa

12 September 2011

A young boy with food from a government-sponsored feeding center in central Turkana, Kenya, on August 30

This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.

Pastoralism remains a way of life in East Africa. Herders travel from place to place in the dry, dusty deserts to find food and water for their animals. But some people think this movement of livestock is bad for the environment. They say pastoralists should settle on farms and grow their own food, especially in times of shortages.

Not everyone agrees. Experts recently met in Nairobi to discuss what to do about food shortages caused by drought. They say pastoralists make the best use of resources.

David Mwangi at the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute says grasslands have time to recover.

DAVID MWANGI: “Pastoralists would move in search for pasture and also water. Because what then would happen, if you are in a small area, the moment the water is exhausted, you would have to move to the next area where there is water. It gives the area you have left time to regenerate. And by the time you come back through the loop, this area now has pasture to graze.”

A woman walks past remains of cattle in the drought-stricken Eladow area in Wajir, northeastern Kenya, last month

Mr. Mwangi says the land used for animals is often not good enough for farming, especially during droughts. He and other experts say pastoralism makes the most sense for dry and semi-dry lands.