The Use of Random Geographic Cluster Sampling to Survey Pastoralists (original) (raw)

Pastoralism and Development: Fifty Years of Dynamic Change

IDS Bulletin, 2020

This archive IDS Bulletin reflects on 50 years of research on pastoralism at IDS. Thirteen articles are introduced around six themes that have characterised IDS-linked research over this period. These are: pastoral livelihoods; institutions and common property resource management; climate change and ecological dynamics; food security, early warning, and livelihood vulnerability; pastoral marketing; and conflict and governance. Across these themes, IDS research has challenged mainstream development thinking and practice, highlighting the importance of mobility and living with uncertainty. This introductory article concludes with some reflections on research gaps and new challenges, including: the effects of climate change; new forms of pastoral mobility and livelihood; increasing pattern of commoditisation and social differentiation; and changing conflict dynamics. Although massively changed over 50 years, and despite repeated proclamations of crisis and collapse, pastoralism remains...

Recent results from pastoralism research and development practice

In conventional views, pastoralism was classified as a stage of civilisation that needed to be abolished and transcended in order to reach a higher level of development. At the same time interventions in pastoral spaces secured control over vast territories and unexplored resources. In this context, global approaches to modernize a rural society have been ubiquitous phenomena independent of ideological contexts. The 20th century experienced a variety of concepts to sedentarise nomads and to transfer their lifestyles to modern perceptions. Permanent settlements have been the vivid expression of an ideology-driven approach. Modernisation theory captured all walks of life and sub-sequent development packages and programmes tried to optimize breeding techniques, pasture utilisation, transport and processing concepts. The aspect of input-output-oriented cost-efficiency tended to be neglected when the modernisation of animal husbandry was at stake according to a general purpose of increasing animal production yields. 2 New insights into other aspects of pastoralism such as its role as an adaptive strategy to use marginal resources in remote locations with difficult access could only be understood as a critique of capitalist and communist concepts of modernisation. The rejection of input-dominated theories that triggered enhancement of outputs but neglected ecological considerations regarding sustainability opened up a new field for research combining ecology, economy and society. This perception might gain further in importance when mitigation strategies coping with climate change and societal transformation are debated. 3 Pastoralism can be perceived as a flexible strategy to adapt to changing survival conditions, rather than a transitory stage on the path to modern development only. Pastoralism was adopted by people when opportunities arose, when it was economically sound and when the challenges posed by ecological and socio-political environments could be managed. 4 Central Asia poses a unique arena for understanding the spectrum of mountain pastoralism and rangeland management. In a similar ecological environment of desert-steppe conditions, the cases of different communities can be compared in order to illustrate variegating paths of socio-economic and politico-historical developments that are the result of inner-communal dynamics and external interventions. The societal and political transformations during the 20th century significantly modified the economic frame conditions, possibilities of political participation in decision-making processes, and cross-border exchange relations. Former commonalities among the studied communities have been transformed by inner-societal processes and by external linkages in response to decoupled exchange options. 5 The Tibetan Plateau is a huge ecological arena perfectly predisposed for mountain pastoralism. Debates about pastoral practices, common property regimes and rangeland management have gained pace in recent years since the environmental challenges and economic returns have been discussed in the framework of climate and global change. Initially the remote lifestyles of Tibetan nomads in peripheral regions were highlighted on account of sustenance from their own produce and subsistence economies. Even then mountain pastoralists were embedded in a network of mutual exchange relations that enabled them to survive in remote mountain plateaux and valleys. Their command of yak-breeding, their abilities to adapt to harsh environmental conditions and to cover huge distances between extensive natural pastures and market centres brought admiration from outside observers. Their “traditional lifestyle” seemed to be the perfect adaptation to environmental conditions.

Household dynamics in pastoral communities and implications for humanitarian aid interventions

2019

Household dynamics in pastoral communities and implications for humanitarian aid interventions 4. Relationship between the social and physical landscapes related to aid delivery 4.1 Giving of food aid to another HH 4.2 Receiving of food aid from another HH 4.3 Two-way transactions 4.4 Giving other kinds of assistance 4.5 Receiving of other kinds of assistance from another HH 4.6 Mapping of transactions through SNA 4.7 Mapping the physical landscape 4.8 The relationship between HHs in the physical landscape and their resilience to drought 5 Structures, relations and dynamics of pastoralist HHs 5.1 Foundations of pastoralist HHs 5.2 HH sizes, definitions and structures 5.3 Traditional "HH" definitions and practices 5.4 Authority in the HH 5.5 Relevance of the term "HH" 5.6 Transactions-the giving and receiving of assistance 5.7 Other types of assistance 5.8 Coping with drought 6. Discussion, conclusions and recommendations 6.1 Discussion and conclusions 6.2 Recommendations References Annex Annex 1: Questionnaire sent to NGOs Annex 2: List of key informant interviews Annex 3: Checklists for key informant interviews Annex 4: HH survey questionnaire 2018 Annex 5: Checklists and tools for in-depth case study interviews Annex 6: Background information on case study woreda and kebele Annex 7: Social network analysis maps x Household dynamics in pastoral communities and implications for humanitarian aid interventions Acknowledgements This study contributes to the European Union (EU) supported Strengthening Institutionalized Sub-National Coordination Structures and Harmonization Mechanisms project of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). The study also contributes to the CGIAR Research Program on Policies, Institutions and Markets (PIM) Flagship 5 on governance of natural resources and the Livestock CRP Flagship 4 on environment. ILRI would like to thank the donors, programs and projects who contributed to this report. The CGIAR Research Program on Livestock provides research-based solutions to help smallholder farmers, pastoralists and agropastoralists transition to sustainable, resilient livelihoods and to productive enterprises that will help feed future generations. It aims to increase the productivity and profitability of livestock agri-food systems in sustainable ways, making meat, milk and eggs more available and affordable across the developing world. livestock. cgiar.org The CGIAR Research Program on Policies, Institutions and Markets (PIM) leads action-oriented research to equip decisionmakers with the evidence required to develop food and agricultural policies that better serve the interests of poor producers and consumers, both men and women. PIM combines the resources of CGIAR centres and numerous international, regional and national partners. The program is led by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). pim.cgiar.org Livestock and PIM CRP would also like to thank all the donors and organizations which globally support their work through their contributions to the CGIAR Trust Fund. Specific funding support for this study was provided by the European Union through FAO, and by the PIM Flagship project on governance of natural resources. In addition, ILRI thanks the advisory group of this study for their valuable time and input to the research design, development and analysis of results

Discontinuity in pastoral development: time to update the method

Most off-the-shelf basic methodological tools currently used in pastoral development (e.g. technical de nitions and conventional scales of observation) retain underlying assumptions about stability and uniformity being the norm (i.e. ‘equilibrium thinking’). Such assumptions re ect a theoretical framework which had been questioned since the 1970s and was openly disproved in scienti c circles during the 1990s, when it was shown to be fundamentally inadequate. Today, lingering equilibrium assumptions in the methodological legacy of pastoral development get in the way of operationalising state-of-the-art understanding of pastoral systems and drylands. Unless these barriers are identi ed, unpacked and managed, even increasing the rigour and intensity of data collection will not deliver a realistic representation of pastoral systems in statistics and policy- making. This article provides a range of examples of such ‘barriers’, where equilibrium assumptions persist in the methodology, including classi cations of livestock systems, conventional scales of observation, key parameters in animal production, indicators in the measurement of ecological ef ciency, and the concepts of ‘fragile environment’, natural resources, and pastoral risk.

Resource Mlanageement and Pastoral Institution Building in the WIest African Sahel

www-wds.worldbank.org

Discussion Papers present results of country analysis or research that is circulated to encourage discussion and comment within the development community. To present these results with the least possible delay, the typescript of this paper has not been prepared in accordance with the procedures appropriate to fornal printed texts, and the World Bank accepts no responsibility for errors. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper are entirely those of the author(s) and should not be attributed in any manner to the World Bank, to its affiliated organiations, or to members of its Board of Executive Directors or the countries they represent. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this publication and accepts no responsibility whatsoever for any consequence of their use. Any maps that accompany the text have been prepared solely for the convenience of readers; the designations and presentation of material in them do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the World Bank, its affiliates, or its Board or member countries concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city, or area or of the authorities thereof or concerning the delimitation of its boundaries or its national affiliation.

Sampling Nomads: A New Technique for Remote, Hard-to-Reach, and Mobile Populations

Journal of Official Statistics, 2014

Livestock are an important component of rural livelihoods in developing countries, but data about this source of income and wealth are difficult to collect due to the nomadic and seminomadic nature of many pastoralist populations. Most household surveys exclude those without permanent dwellings, leading to undercoverage. In this study, we explore the use of a random geographic cluster sample (RGCS) as an alternative to the household-based sample. In this design, points are randomly selected and all eligible respondents found inside circles drawn around the selected points are interviewed. This approach should eliminate undercoverage of mobile populations. We present results of an RGCS survey with a total sample size of 784 households to measure livestock ownership in the Afar region of Ethiopia in 2012. We explore the RGCS data quality relative to a recent household survey, and discuss the implementation challenges.

Making Pastoralists Count: Geospatial Methods for the Health Surveillance of Nomadic Populations

2019

Nomadic pastoralists are among the worlds hardest-to-reach and least-served populations. Pastoralist communities are notoriously difficult to capture in household surveys due to factors including their high degree of mobility, remote terrain, fluid domestic arrangements, and cultural barriers. Most surveys utilize census-based sampling frames which do not accurately capture the demographic and health parameters of nomadic populations. As a result, pastoralists are largely invisible in population data such as the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS). By combining remote sensing and geospatial analysis, we developed a sampling strategy designed to capture the current distribution of nomadic populations. We then implemented this sampling frame to survey a population of mobile pastoralists in southwest Ethiopia, focusing on maternal and child health (MCH) indicators. Using standardized instruments from DHS questionnaires, we surveyed this population in order to draw comparisons with reg...