Policy framework for Pastoralism in Africa

In Burundi where population pressure was evident even in the colonial period, intensive sedentarylivestock production systems were imposed on pastoral communities. Local cattle breeds were replacedor crossbred with imported breeds, which were poorly adapted to local conditions. These policiesfailed for similar reasons to those observed in livestock development programmes many years laterviz., the limited of ownership by pastoralists, who were not consulted, and the management ofimported livestock breeds and crossbred animals required training and more investments in terms ofinput supply, veterinary care, equipment and other resources which could not be sustained.In southern African countries, colonial administrations allowed the co-existence of traditionalauthority and power structures with western-style administrations. Pastoralists remained in theirancestral pastoral homelands where resources, mainly pasture land and water were held in commonand shared tenure according to traditional rules and conflict resolution systems. This wasparticularly true in Botswana which was placed under British rule as a British protectorate in1885. The British policy of indirect rule allowed existing powerful chiefdoms who ruled pastoralcommunities to keep a large percentage of tribal land as communal pastoral land.In Eastern Africa, with the exception of Ethiopia (which was never colonized), pastoral developmentpolicy in British colonies, mainly Kenya, was influenced by the widely held view that pastoralismusing communal rangelands was inefficient, with low productivity, and perceived environmentaldegradation. Thus, a sedentary life was imposed on pastoral communities, confined onpermanent rangelands where they were supposed to benefit from public services more easily.Pastoralists were stripped of their property rights on large portions of rangelands, which weregiven to the British colonial administration for ranching. These negative views on pastoralismwere misguided but proved to be remarkably persistent, with apparently unproductive pastoralland still being appropriated up to the modern day.In North Africa, colonization had less influence on livestock development policies, which were mainlyshaped by pastoral societies and their traditional power structures. The socio-economic life of thesesocieties depended on extensive and mobile livestock husbandry practices, and commonly-owned aridrangelands and water resources were shared according to strict traditional rules, inspired by Islamiclaws. However, in Mauritania the French colonial administration influenced livestock developmentpolicy in a similar manner to other former French colonies of western and central Africa.3.2 The post-colonial policy environmentIn the post-colonial period and up to the present day, the pastoral development policies and strategiesof African governments have varied considerably. However, the policy and institutional environmentcontinues to have a major influence on pastoralist vulnerability and the options today forimproving pastoral rights and their economic growth. Important early factors included the politicsof the Cold War period, and the relationships between many African governments and the countriesof the eastern block, with their state-led, centralized development policies and strategies, andemphasis on citizen control. After the Cold War period, attention moved towards good governance,market liberalization and decentralization, which created opportunities to address the plight ofpastoral communities.Decolonisation of many African countries was followed by the processes of nation building andmodernization. Former colonies inherited models of development from Europe and America withSecuring, Protecting and Improving the Lives, Livelihoods and Rights of Pastoralist Communities21