Policy framework for Pastoralism in Africa

with resident farmers. These problems are exacerbated by ready access to modern small arms. Tosome extent, conflict and poverty are inter-related and mutually reinforcing. For example, youngmen without livestock but wanting to marry, may be more likely to raid livestock from others orresort to banditry.Therefore, peace and security remains fundamental to protecting and developing pastoralism inAfrica. Part of the policy challenge here is the position of pastoralists in remote areas, often on theedges of states, and their mobility. Therefore, pastoralists can be regarded as contributing to conflictand insecurity, for example, by supporting armed insurgency groups or perpetrators of organisedcrimes. Similarly, although pastoral movements have a strong economic and ecological rationale,these benefits are easily outweighed by national security concerns. As proposed in the policy framework,dialogue with pastoral communities is central to the process of improved security, as isintegrating pastoral areas into mainstream development policies and plans.3.3.2 Demographic trendsIn general, population growth in pastoralist areas is estimated at 2.5 to 3.5 percent per year, whichequates to a doubling of population every 25 to 35 years. Historical analyses indicate that globally,pastoral areas are unable to absorb or sustain a growing human population and that as populationgrows, at some point ‘excess’ people move away from pastoralism as a way of life and a means oflivelihood. These push factors in pastoral areas can combine with pull factors from urban centres,which may offer alternative and less risky or easier lifestyles and job opportunities. Town and citiesalso tend to offer better education and health services. As people leave pastoralism, other peopleremain very much in the system and continue to rear livestock as the main means of livelihood. Inpart, pastoralism survives because there are so few alternative ways of living in arid and semi-aridareas. However, in areas with relatively higher rainfall and the option of crop production, pastoralistsare under increasing pressure from farmers and in the absence of land tenure, lose their landand way of life.In theory, job creation in pastoral areas might be linked to commercial exploitation of naturalresources such as oil, minerals or natural gas. Very often however, pastoral areas remain undeveloped(e.g. due to insecurity) or when investment does occur, few jobs fall to pastoralists (e.g. becauseof low levels of education) and revenues are rarely re-invested locally. These trends cause furtherresentment and at times, trigger conflicts.As human population grows in pastoral areas, the impacts of natural or other disasters are amplifiedas more people are affected. Various and potentially damaging livelihood strategies are usedby those who fall out of pastoralism. These strategies include: non-sustainable use of naturalresources, such as cutting trees for charcoal production and sale; sending daughters to work ashouse servants in towns, thereby exposing them to risk of abuse; engaging in illegal contrabandtrade; and criminal activity such as ‘organized livestock raiding’ or banditry.Demographic trends are very much linked with other trends in pastoral areas, especially loss ofrangeland and commercialization of livestock production and marketing. For example, the ‘highexport’ and relatively commercialized pastoral areas of Sudan and Somalia are characterized by agradual transfer of livestock from smaller/poorer herders to larger/richer herders, with the formerfalling out of pastoralism and the latter expanding their herds and selling more animals into theSecuring, Protecting and Improving the Lives, Livelihoods and Rights of Pastoralist Communities25