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Supporting Pastoralism and Agriculture
in Recurrent and Protracted Crises

With a population of around 52.5 million people, around 90% of Kenya’s land area is arid or semi-arid. Almost 6 out of 10 of working Kenyans depend on agriculture for a living. As in other Arid and Semi-arid Lands (ASALs), mixes of pastoralism and agriculture dominate rural areas. Similarly to other countries in the region, Kenya is a major exporter of livestock to the Gulf. Around 11 per cent of Kenyans are between the ages of 17 and 19.

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Transporting water containers from distribution point. Credit: Photo by Jonathan Kalan (p-KEN0646)/ IFRC Publications

A review of tenure and governance in the pastoral lands of East and West Africa

This report looks at how increased pressures and competition for natural resources and pastoral lands in East and West Africa have affected pastoralists' governance and tenure systems.
Credit: S. Sheridan - Ethiopia, 05/2016 Publications

Innovations for pastoralists and agro-pastoralists in fragile and conflict-affected settings

This scoping paper presents key findings from the SPARC review of the innovation landscape specific to the contexts of fragile and conflict-affected settings.
Woman Tending to the goats in Kenya. Credit: Jakob Dall - Danish Red Cross (p-KEN0534) Publications

Financing livestock trade: Formal and informal finance in Kenya, Mali and Somalia

This report looks at the degree to which traders marketing livestock from the rangelands use formal financial services, and examines the development of these financial services.
The people of Ta Kuti village (Niger State) are pastoralists and beneficiaries of Nigeria’s Fadama II project. Photo: Arne Hoel/World Bank Publications

Transboundary climate and adaptation risks in Africa: perceptions from 2021

This report documents how African policy-makers and experts perceive climate change and adaptation risks that have the potential for multi-country to regional consequences.

Latest news and features

Delegates at the conference ‘Inclusive Investment Opportunities for Unleashing the Power of the Pastoral Sector’. Credit: Joshua Wanyama. News

Unleashing the power of the pastoral sector: new perspectives

Pastoralism is a critical part of Africa’s food system. Yet it is overlooked and urgently requires more support, according to speakers at a recent conference.
Female pastoralist pictured in drylands Features

Social Media: Potential to Harness the Power of Influencers for Impactful Campaigns in the Drylands

This blog reflects on our recent webinar in which we explored how pastoralists use social media, what the recent trends are in mobile use, and how these are informing livelihoods in dryland regions.
The drought in Kenya has exacerbated the water shortage. People carry water with donkeys./ Credit:Bünyamin Aygun/ Milfoto (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) Features

Severe drought continues to threaten livelihoods in the drylands of the Horn of Africa

Reflecting on how drought has affected the livelihoods of pastoralists in the Horn of Africa, and looking forward. Read more here.

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