PhD thesis Title Page Final _Richard Juma - Victoria University ...

CHAPTER 7 FACTORS THAT IMPINGE ON ADAPTABILITY IN THE
TURKANA DISTRICT
7.1 Introduction.
The previous chapter described livelihoods in the two study villages by
focusing on the impact of the 2005-2006 drought and famine, local
people’s perception and awareness of the situation, and subsequent
indigenous responses through their social networks. It was pointed out
that the ultimate purpose in cultivating relationships is to gain access to
economic opportunities that enable Turkana pastoralists suffering from
food shortages to obtain additional food supplies to top up their household
food reserves. Some of these responses are explicitly recognised in the
livelihood framework, while others are less obvious, yet still relate to the
Turkana people’s livelihood situation.
In this chapter, it is argued that responses to drought and famine as
discussed in Chapter 6 do not take place in a vacuum. Turkana people
respond to such situations in complex and creative ways based on the
resources accessible to them. For instance, issues relating to the ability of
households with different resource endowment to undertake the activities,
and the types of resources required are quite important in understanding a
community’s livelihood response. Swift (1989), Chambers (1989), Moser
(1998), Siegel and Alwang (1999) and Ellis (2000) have presented
arguments that closely link vulnerability to asset ownership and generally
suggest that, if a person’s livelihood platform is weak, his or her livelihood
strategies are limited, and the outcome may be poverty. On the other
hand, a person with a strong livelihood platform has many strings to play,
and may be able to secure his or her livelihood, even in crisis. Therefore, a
critical analysis of some of the socio-economic resources that impede
Turkana people’s adaptability would help to deepen our understanding of
their situation and enlighten us on what can be done to strengthen their
adaptability.
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