Research, Policy and Practice
Table 3 Pastoralist’s use of peri-urban resources in adaptation strategies
From: Suburban pastoralists: Pastoral adaptation strategies at the rural-urban interface in Nairobi, Kenya
Adaptation strategy | Use of peri-urban resources | Adaptation rationale |
|---|---|---|
Mobility | • Converting peri-urban land capital to finance rural land acquisition | • Expands access to private pasture and water in both peri-urban and rural context • Allows herds to be rotated/split according to rainfall patterns |
• Using easy access to transport for road movement of livestock | • Facilitates livestock movement to opportune pasture | |
• Exploiting grazing “niches” on non-pastoral land | • Provides informal access to unexploited pasture in a peri-urban context | |
Diversification | • Engaging urban markets for milk, meat, and other livestock products | • Spreads climate risk across livestock products, incomes, and breeds |
• Drawing on land capital to undertake non-pastoral business ventures • Seeking employment in the service sector/industrial complexes • Engaging markets for small-scale sale of non-livestock products • Investing in children’s education | • Expands income portfolio and provides short- and long-term alternatives when climate hazards and other factors impact livestock | |
Market exchange | • Using urban demand to convert livestock products to cash, consumables, veterinary inputs | • Allows quick/flexible response to household and livestock emergencies |
• Exploiting proximity of markets to quickly sell/buy livestock at opportune time | • Enhances flexible herd management as drought response | |
• Benefitting from proximity of markets to minimise risks and costs of moving livestock | • Reduces risks and emaciation during long-distance livestock movement to market | |
Storage | • Using easy access to markets for hay and other fodder | • Enhances access to fodder during drought/insufficient pasture |
• Using private water providers and mobile water lorries • Drawing on public water supply for household and livestock | • Enhances permanent/alternative water supply during drought and dry season | |
Communal pooling | • Pooling of pasture and water across peri-urban/rural space through reciprocal relationships | • Enhances scope for access to rural pasture and water while also benefitting from peri-urban resources |