Nomadic pastoralism/ True pastoralism
Nomadic pastoralism involves continual movement of pastoralists with large numbers of animals from place to place in search of pasture and water. People involved in this practise are called nomads or pastoralists. Tribes which practise nomadic pastoralism include the Maasai, Barbaig, Kwavi and Karamajong. Nomadic pastoralism is mostly practised in sparsely populated areas where the natural vegetation is mainly grass and bushes and, sometimes, scattered trees. In these areas, rainfall is very low and unreliable. The pastoralists follow specific routes in their movements. Figure 2.10 shows a large herd of cattle. The animals kept by pastoralists are a source of food and income through the selling of animals and their products. Major products from animals are meat and milk. The pastoralists spend the money they earn to meet family needs such as buying cereals, paying school fees and meeting health expenses. In addition, the cattle raised are used for paying bride price and giving gifts as well as slaughtering during cultural festivals. To the nomads, animals are a symbol of wealth and prestige..
Figure 2.10 A large herd of cattle
Characteristics of nomadic pastoralism: The nomads normally move in groups. These groups are formed through the integration of families or members of a given ethnic group. A group involves a chief or elders who make decisions for the entire group.
Indeed, large herd tend to cause overgrazing. Overgrazing is a situation where the number of cattle is greater than the carrying capacity of the grazing land. As a result, overgrazing causes soil erosion, land degradation and loss of valuable species.
Another feature of the nomadic pastoralists is the breeding process, which is uncontrolled. This situation may lead to the spread and outbreak of animal diseases, hence low animal quality and deaths.
In addition, there is poor control of pests and other diseases, which result to poor quality of animal products. Furthermore, nomadic pastoralism takes place where the population is scarce as the animals are grazed in open range, which needs a lot of space.
Advantages of nomadic pastoralism: Generally, managing livestock using traditional methods under nomadic pastoralism is cheap. It also ensures the availability of food to the family. In addition, indigenous species of cattle such as Zebu, Boran and Ankole are resistant to diseases. Furthermore, the animals can tolerate walking over long distances and withstanding other environmental hardships such as high temperatures. They can also stay for a long time without water. Likewise, the cattle are cheap to manage in terms of shelter.
Disadvantages of nomadic pastoralism: Nomadic pastoralism suffers from lack of processing and storage facilities, hence causing a significant loss of the products. Also, over-grazing under nomadic pastoralism leads to soil erosion. Moreover, the control of diseases is difficult since animals are always on the move, which can affect the health of the animals and lower productivity in the process. For example, there have been cases of loss of large numbers of livestock due to lack of water and pasture. This situation affects the economy of the pastoralists. Furthermore, the practise of nomadic pastoralism tends to cause conflicts as they interfere with crop cultivators’ land. Because of their nomadic nature, many of the pastoralists’ children fail to attend formal education. As such, their periodic movements result in many of these children being denied their right to education and associated opportunities.
Semi-nomadism: Semi-nomadism is a transition between total nomadism and sedentary animal keeping. It involves keeping a large number of animals especially cattle. Tribes which practise semi-nomadism include the Turkana of northern Kenya. The people involved in semi-nomadism usually travel away from their home for long periods during the dry season in search of pasture and water. This season is associated with scarcity of grass and water. Also, the semi-nomads’ movements contribute to the spread of diseases among their livestock. Semi-nomads usually cultivate crops during the rainy season to sustain their lives.
Transhumance: Transhumance is a seasonal movement of livestock from one grazing ground to another, specifically to lowlands in winter and highlands in summer. It is a form of semi-nomadic pastoralism in which domestic animals play a predominant but not an exclusive role in shaping the economic and cultural life of the people who depend on them.
Under transhumance, pastoralism is a predominant economic activity with varying emphasis on agriculture as a supplementary activity. Countries that practise transhumance include Switzerland, Morocco, Kosovo and the Sudan-Sahelian zone of Mali.
Advantages of transhumance: Transhumance has several advantages including an attempt to maximise productivity by exploiting annual grazing imbalances. This ensures the availability of pasture to feed the animals throughout the year. It also enhances income earning from the sale of pastoral products. In addition, it stimulates considerable national, regional and international trade. Transhumance provides raw materials such as dairy and non-wood forest products for local industries. Moreover, it provides services to other sectors of the economy, thus serving as a complementary resource for the country’s overall economy. It also offers many jobs for pastoral communities and a diversity of actors involved in the livestock marketing circuit and value chain for other products.
Disadvantages of transhumance: Transhumance has disadvantages as it accelerates deforestation (as the case of southern regions of Mali), causes damage to crops, increases conflicts and contributes to natural resource degradation.
Sedentary livestock-keeping: Sedentary livestock-keeping involves keeping animals in a permanent place. In fact, this type of keeping animals is called sedentary when livestock are permanently held in an area. Sedentary
livestock-keeping is also known as zero grazing. This type livestock-keeping is characterised by a small number of animals that are kept in sheds.
Advantages of sedentary livestock- keeping: The size of the livestock makes it easy to control diseases since livestock- keepers use modern methods of treatment. Sedentary livestock-keeping also takes place in places where the population prevents the movement of animals from one place to another in search of food and water. Keeping animals in barns also enables the keepers to engage in other economic activities such as trade. Sedentary livestock-keeping can either be for food or commercial purposes.
Disadvantages of sedentary livestock- keeping: Despite the advantages sedentary livestock-keeping presents, it is labour-intensive and can be time- consuming. It is also expensive in terms of building barns, feeding and taking care of the animals. In fact, livestock- keepers under the sedentary system sometimes have to deal with scarcity of animal feeds. This shortage may lower productivity particularly due to change of weather conditions such as prolonged drought.
In Tanzania, sedentary livestock- keeping is commonly practised among the Chagga of Kilimanjaro, Meru of Arusha and the Bena of Njombe. In Kenya, sedentary livestock keeping is commonly practised by the Kikuyu and to some extent the Kamba. Figure 2.11 exemplifies sedentary livestock-keeping.
Figure 2.11 Sedentary livestock-keeping