Community-based Animal Health and Participatory Epidemiology unit AU/IBAR/CAPE Background

In Ethiopia, pastoralism is extensively practiced in almost two-thirds of the national land area. The primary livelihood of pastoral communities is the management of livestock – cattle, goats, sheep and camels. Livestock are critical to the well being of pastoral households in terms of income, savings, food security and employment. The sector is also important to the national economy, contributing sixteen percent of total GDP, one-third of agricultural GDP, and eight percent of export earnings. Improvements in the sector, therefore, have the potential to contribute significantly to national income and to the welfare of many poor pastoral families. The nomadic or transhumant way of life of pastoralists is the mode of production best suited to an unstable environment, enabling strategic exploitation of seasonally available water sources and pasture. The arid climate in the lowlands is characterized by periodic droughts that may be increasing in frequency. A substantial portion of the pastoral populations, however, are food insecure even in normal rainfall years. Environmental degradation, water scarcity, increasing human and livestock population, and expanding areas under cultivation have contributed to a reduction in the quantity and quality of productive rangeland, which, combined with poor animal and human health, place enormous stress on the traditional pastoral and land management practices. These tensions increasingly result in conflicts between groups competing over scarce resources