Oxfam calls for more investment to support pastoralists to adapt to climate change

Oxfam International Press Release
19 August 2008

Pastoralists – among the most marginalised groups of people in East Africa – could adapt to climate change and support others in the face of unpredictable weather, but are continuing to be ignored, according to Oxfam.

A new report, Survival of the Fittest, shows how climate change is an added burden for the millions of pastoralists living in the hot, arid areas of East Africa and calls on the governments and development partners in the region to overhaul their policies and funding.

The report focuses on pastoralists living in Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya who strengthen the region’s economy yet remain politically and economically marginalised. The report also decries years of inappropriate development policies, an increase in resource competition and abnormal climatic events that have reduced the ability of some pastoralists to maintain a sustainable livelihood., as long rains come later, droughts occur more frequently and flash floods devastate both crops and infrastructure.

“All too often the direct economic value generated by pastoralists is not retained in their communities, and the indirect value is un-rewarded and even unacknowledged by decision-makers,” Paul Smith-Lomas, Oxfam’s Regional Director said.

Kenya’s Minister for the Development of Northern Kenya and other Arid Lands, Hon. Mohamed Elmi, agrees with the findings of the report, adding “pastoralists provide the majority of the meat consumed and provide a livelihood for tens of millions of people who live in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs). They have been adapting to climate variability for millennia and their adaptability ought to enable them to cope with this growing challenge. However, their adaptability cannot be realised without government support and investment.”

Beyond the provision of basic services like health care and education, there must also be an injection of investment into the pastoral economy across East Africa. Improving market access for pastoral products and developing marketing opportunities are essential to the ability of pastoralists to get the best value for their products.

Oxfam is calling for more appropriate development policies, and for those who are no longer able to make a living from pastoralism, there must be a social welfare system in place. “Cash payments in place of food aid will enable the members of pastoralist communities to meet their basic needs and empower pastoralists and ex-pastoralists to make their own investment choices. For example, a household might choose between restocking themselves with livestock, investing in alternative livelihoods such as fishing, or experimenting with more cultivation. Climate change adaptation is inherently local. It will only work if local people are leading the process,” Paul Smith-Lomas said.

Responsibility for funding increased investment in arid areas lies with both national governments and the international community. The Kenyan, Tanzanian, and Ugandan governments can afford to fund some of the much-needed investment. Developed countries, especially those most responsible for causing climate change, must also take immediate action to finance adaptation programmes in East Africa.

The report further asserts that adaptation to climate change also involves the movement of some people out of pastoralism and into other livelihoods, to alleviate the growing population pressure on the land, as well as to increase the range of cash sources available to pastoralist families.

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Notes to Editor

Oxfam Ireland is an independent member of Oxfam International- a group of thirteen non-governmental agencies dedicated to fighting poverty and related injustice around the world.

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