LAND TENURE IN PASTORALIST SOCIETY

Presentation to the District stakeholders: On Land use and Natural resource Access for pastoralist

By: Loupa PiusFor DADO and ELLALand Into Action

BRIEF INTRODUCTION

Dodoth Agro-Pastoralist Development Organization (DADO) is a local, non-Governmental, non-political non-profit making organization founded in July 1996 by the agro-pastoralist communities in Kaabong district. DADO in partnership and funding from practical Action (PAC) is implementing a five month pilot project of designing the land use grazing plans and establishing temporal access rights. The project targets pastoralist communities along the Eastern pastoral zones of Kaabong –Kenya border in target of the sub counties of Loyoro , Kamion and Kaabong East which are identifies as the host and hot spot grazing corridor of two pastoral societies of East Africa (Turkana and Karamojong).Vision DADO envisages prosperous and sustainable agro-pastoral communities

with access to enough food and livelihood options to fulfill their potential in harmony.

Mission To improve food and nutritional security; animal health, including natural

resources rights to reduce poverty and conflict through building community resilience and capabilities, securing better lives and sustainable livelihoods

Project Goals and Objectives

The main goal: Promote sustainable access to land, which is

critical in providing pasture and water to pastoral communities

Objectives: Engage pastoralist on land tenure

governance in the eastern pastoral corridors To enhance pastoral mobility through access

rights establishment

PROJECT LOCATION AND SCOPE

Target location: Hot spot areas include Loyoro rangelands Kaabong East Rangelands

Description of Scope Loyoro sub county is located in the Eastern Part of Kaabong

District, bordering Moroto and Kotido from the South, Kenya republic from the East, internally borders Sidok sub county from the West and Lodiko, Kamion from the North.

Currently the largest hotspot and host of Turkana pastoralists in Kaabong.

Also hosts the wildlife reserve at least in the Eastern part of district.

Also the mining zones for local people. Loyoro is also the pastoralisst livelihood zone shared by

three pastoralists communities (Turkana, Dodoth, and Jie). The vegetation cover over there is expected or it is

deteriorating because of un managed grazing and kraal and homestead construction.

Main Activities

Mobilization and sensitization of the kraal leaders and CLAs on grazing planning

Participatory mapping of wet season and dry season grazing areas in the shared cattle corridor

Participatory Land use grazing planning and access rights

Review of maps and grazing plans with the District and pastoralist stakeholders

Validation of the grazing plans and access rights Dissemination of the plans and access rights to the

pastoral communities.

Issues to Tackle

Land tenure security: As a result of under utilization of customary land

Over grazing: As a result of unplanned grazing

Deforestation: As a result of kraal construction

Conflicts: As a result of struggle to share resources

Trans boundary resource sharing

Expected Outcomes

Land use grazing plans designed and developed

Customary led bylaws on Natural resource management

Sensitization of pastoralists Drafts and Sketch maps of the

community seasonal and non seasonal grazing zones

Recommendations to the district

Pastoralism and Economic Development

PRESENTATION, WHY NOW PASTORALISM?

PASTORALISM IN UGANDA

Can pastoralism be a viable way of life for future generations?

Broadly, Pastoralism refers to symbiotic relationship between local ecology, domesticated livestock and people in resource-scare and highly variable conditions (??).

In short, pastoralism is extensive livestock production in the rangelands (IUCN & UNEP)

Cattle corridor (Mbarara to Kaabong) is specialized for pastoral production, covering approx. 42 percent of Uganda’s land mass (11% is karamoja

KEY QUESTIONS, ISSUES AND CONCERNS

This project presentation seeks to address the following concerns:

The ecological, economic, social and political context of pastoralism

Pastoralism in the development context Harnessing Pastoralism for climate

resilient and land tenure in green growth Strengthening pastoralism to support

transition to a middle income country status

INTRODUCTION Pastoralists are People whose livelihoods

depends mainly on raising of domestic animals –

cattle, camels, goats, sheep, horses & donkeys.

These are mainly kept for: Milk Meat skin and hides Transport and Trade.

PASTORALISM AND ECOLOGICAL ENV”T

Ecological context Drylands/rangelands;

characterized by wide rainfall variability and unpredictability (500-1000mm) per year

crop production is extremely risky and only adaptable grasses, shrubs and tree can grow with certainty

concentrated in the ‘cattle corridor’ which occupy 51% of total land area of Uganda

degraded land areas Vulnerability of pastoralists to climate change

PASTORALISM AND ECONOMIC ENVT

Economic context Pastoralism is the dominant activity Abundant but declining natural endowments e.g.,

livestock, wildlife, woodlands, medicinal plants, minerals, scenic landscapes

low investment in drylands/rangelands, limited social and economic infrastructure

Poor marketing infrastructure for pastoral products, Low value addition to products from rangelands limited integration of pastoralists into the national

economy

PASTORALISM AND SOCIAL CONTEXT

Social Context Changing land ownership from common

property system to individualization leading to; Increasing incidences of resource use

conflicts e.g. water conflicts and conflicts with protected area

management e.g. Game parks, forest and wetland reserves.

Inadequate access to socioeconomic services

THREATENING TRENDS ON LAND TENURE IN KARAMOJA

• Threat to land security e.g UWA, NFA and Mega projectsState led

initiatives

• Mismanagement of customary land,

• Inequality in land access and use

Land boards/CLAs,

ALCs• Change and intensification of land use

• Proximity to Urban areas Urban Planners

, land boards

• Individualization of communal (Customary land)

• Grabing

Elites • Privatization and Investors and developersInvestors and

mine companies

17

Competing Land UsesPastoralism, Agriculture, Mining, Conservation or Settlement?

62 percent of total land area of Karamoja is licensed for mineral exploration and exploitation activities (HRW, 2014)

Pastoralists constitute approx. 22 percent of the population (2006)

Agro-pastoralism is the dominate livelihood for the region but continues to encounter problems of restriction in mobility since extensive acreage is devoted to exploration.

More so, mining is depriving communities vast amounts of scare water and posing pollution risks.

Interesting to note is that approx. 50% of land in Karamoja is under conservation (both wildlife +forest areas) (MLHUD, 2013)

18

Subsistence and

opportunistic farming; by the Agro-

pastoralists and Ex

pastoralists

Small scale mining;

By the ex-pastoralists

Livestock keeping; by

the pastoralists.Main

source (rangelan

d)

Kaabong Pastoralists income sources

Land tenure matters to pastoralism

Food and Nutrition improves Environmental protection Mitigation of land conflicts The growing population poses a threat

.

PASTORALISM CONTRIBUTION

Design of ICUN; Multiple benefits of sustainable rangelands management.

21

At Cross roads: Sedentarise OR Mobility

Should the Karamojong sedentarise and change their livelihoods towards crop farming?

Pastoralism, once sustainable, can:Maintain soil fertility and soil carbon,

Promote water regulation, pest and disease regulation, biodiversity conservation and fire management

Grazing lands sequester between 0.2-0.5t of carbon per hectare per year, playing a leading role in climate change mitigation.

1.7billion people defend on livestock for a living among which 1 billion poor, and over 1million people live in KaramojaA large proportion of poor livestock keepers are highly exposed to climate change risks and some are in Karamoja region.Only economic activity in the ASALs/ DrylandsLow capital inputs required Less labour intensiveResilient to pastoralist livelihood systems

Pastoralism Maters to us

GRAZING PLAN, ACCESS RIGHTS MATTER PASTORALISM AND NATURAL RESOURCES

Climate change Million tones of wood used for kraal

construction Grazing land is diminishing Pastoral Land individualization Desertification is now the bottleneck

for both Pastoralists and farmers Food insecurity situation is worst in

the arid lands of Kaabong Rangelands degrading taking place Conflicts for pasture and water is

now the bottle neck for pastoralists Conflict Mitigation Trans-boundary Natural resources

Mgt Livestock diseases mgt.

‘Nomadic cattle farmers are one of the most vulnerable communities, because their lifestyle is not productive from an industrial perspective.’

MAJOR TRANSFORMATION FACING PASTORALIST

Pastoralist

Restricted livestock Mobility

Commoditization of livestock

economy

Social service delivery

Restriction of land

rights

THE CHALLENGE VIEW Studies on the economic value of pastoral production and livelihood

systems, and their development potential, show that they usually make a substantial contribution to GDP, and in many countries supply most of livestock exports. 

A recent study from the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) found that ‘pastoralism is still the dominant source of income and employment [and] undoubtedly a sector of comparative advantage in the semi-arid lowland regions of the Horn [of Africa].’

The Karimojong are livestock keepers; livestock is more likely to survive on dry lands than crops. When rains fail, one can move livestock in search for water and pasture but you cannot move crops in search of water.

The African Union Policy Framework on Pastoralism re-affirms this by stating that “pastoralist communities are not static and resisting change but they are adapting to change based on available socio-economic.

Pastoralism makes a significant contribution to gross domestic product (GDP) in many East African countries (around ten per cent in Kenya); it provides the majority of meat consumed in those countries; and provides a livelihood for tens of millions of people who live there (Oxfam, briefing paper-2008).

CONT’N Pastoralists are the custodians of dryland

environments, providing services through good rangeland management including biodiversity conservation, and wildlife tourism.

As Minority Rights Group states, “pastoralists are made to fit into services, instead of services made to fit into the pastoralists livelihood system’ (MRG, 2013).

Rural or urban, rich or poor, keeping livestock in pastoral systems is often the best investment option for drylands populations.

The highest concentration of vulnerable rural people is believed to live in the drylands and most are pastoralists.

PICTORIALS RELATED TO THISLand tenure and pastoralism

Cattle dip constructed later neglected belonging to the Agro-pastoralist community of Kawalakol .

Who is accountable to this destruction? heavily fenced with tones of wood homestead fencing, the village in Kamion sub county, Nawadou

Bush Burning

Bush burning is too dangerous to any ecosystem, affects lives of many species etc

Bush burning all in such of fresh grass for animals mostly towards the end of dry season.

Than using wood for kraal fencing why not encourage use of any other materials, such as this which has taken now 20 years in Namibia.

Narengepak Parish, Kathile sub county heading into a desert. The cattle striving for the dry grasses

A thousands of people in Kaabong depend on livestock for their livelihoods even in dry situations, The pastoral herdsmen in Kaabong East sub county (Morulem/Lodwar parish)

Timu forest reserve also a dry season grazing area for pastoralist in Kalapata, Kaabong East and Lodiko, at risk of destruction as the charcoal, brick layers and institutions such as schools hunt for firewood.

Some technical measures such as this one here can arrest water shortages and supports several livelihood activities. If shared in the national development plans.

A mobile abattoir in Namibia, operated by licensed company to assist pastoralist who are on grasslands to participate in the beef marketing

RECOMMENDATION TO KAABONG DISTRICT LOCAL GOVERNMENT Assist pastoralists develop sustainable land use grazing plans for the

betterment of the natural ecosystems. Establish a global development framework for sustainable

pastoralismThis framework should reinforce existing commitments, address sub-national development disparities, and respond to the current under-representation of pastoralism in the global discourse, whilst protecting against harmful investments, such as land grabbing for biofuel production.

Connect pastoralists to domestic and international livestock marketsPolicies and investments are needed to connect pastoralists to markets. Greater investment is needed in local-level processing and value addition, both to improve local revenue capture and to provide employment opportunities in pastoral areas.

Capitalize on the environmental benefits of pastoralism and expand green niche marketsGenetically diverse livestock raised on natural rangelands produce goods that cannot be replicated by intensive production systems. Growing consumer demand for such goods has created niche marketing opportunities that can be capitalized upon.

CONT’N Strengthen property rights and governance over

rangeland resourcesRights and governance over rangeland resources should be strengthened through capacity building and awareness-raising for better application of national laws, building institutions for natural resource management, and empowering pastoralists through knowledge sharing and respect for Free, Prior and Informed Consent.

Integrate pastoralists into the development mainstream Pastoralists should be integrated into the development mainstream by improving representation in decision making and promoting innovation in the provision of basic services—including education, health, communications, safe water, and renewable energy.

THANKS FOR LISTENING

Loupa Pius

DISCUSSIONS