Pastoral Pathways? Understanding sustainable adaptation

Transcription

1 Pastoral Pathways? Understanding sustainable adaptation Gitte Motzfeldt Climate advisor The Development Fund

2 Lessons from the Afar region of North-Eastern Ethiopia 1. Increase the ability for pastoralist to adopt to the long term changes what could it imply? 2. Give input to strategies and way forward in program and policy work The report explores the concept and understanding og sustainable adaptation in this particular pastoral context. The study look at practical adaptation measures and its linkages to policy and governance issues that contextualizes their livelihood.

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4 Afar are camels..

5 and goats herders

6 Afar houses

7 Straw mats - essential

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11 Women trading butter and milk

12 Local decision making: Mabilo

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15 Bush taking over grazing land after flood

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20 Recent History of Natural Disasters Year Natural Disaster 1999 Drought of thirst 2002/ 03 Drought: thirst, animals died 2004/05 Severe drought/ earthquake 2006 Drought 2007 Acute watery diarrhea (AWD) outbreak, drought 2008 AWD outbreak 2008 Drought/ volcano 2008 Onset of severe acute malnutrition 2009 AWD outbreak 2009 Drought 2009 Drought 2010 Flood July 2011 flooding in Ami Bara that killed 1,861 cattle End of flood poor nutrition Drought/ volcano

21 Multiple stressors: 1. Conflict over resources 2. «Development» intervention by the Government (DAM (flood and changing the pasture in the river flood plain, diseases, and SUGAR FACTORY) 3. Cut off from grazing land and water access 4. Agricultural livelihood strategies (along rivers, and share cropping) 5. Marginalization in decision-making and governnace 6. Change in weather pattern

22 The reality and urgency: Patoralists are loosing access and control to critical natural resources, such as dry season grazing areas, cut off from water points, tress, shrubs etc The Afar are pushed from all sides because of many reasons beyond their ability to solve. i.e. conflict Issa, national policies. Destitute people change in herd and mobility (forced to move far away new conflicts) Crises after crises not able to even recover Assets base declining fast urgent need for actions not in control over their life!

23 3. Mobility: single most important adaptation strategy among the pastoral communities Unpredictable weather opportunistic and flexible system Splitting herd and people, water and pasture Strenghten and transformed (animal marketing, trade) Extrem weather changes are normal to their life (rain can keep on.) The Afar are proud of their culture and history (reciprocity and safety net, communal access to grazing, law protecting the environment)

24 This report: - Provoque discussions, but end up with actions - Revisit strategies from conventional development to sustainable adaptation - There is a disconnect between local pastoral values and aspirations and national policy ambitions to modernise through farming - Vuln. Driven by social, environm. Pol, and econ. Processes. - Business as usual is not enought and would make the past. More vuln! - We need to address the root courses of pastoral vulnerability, not only threat the symptoms

25 Opportunities: Supporting livestock development (i.e. vet. Services, restocking, animal marketing and trade, pasture and tree regeneration) Local policy dialogs (i.e. engange regional authorities, mobile health and education systems) Traditional knowledge needs to be recognised and strenghtened. Traditional environmental law, the communal and social social system (clan etc) (Law conferance) All Afar Conference (Eritrea, Djubuti, Ethiopia, diaspora) Policy dialogs (CSO involvment?) in adaptation/development policy planning and implementation Pastoral Forum Ethiopia (joint actions towards government policy. And National Pastoral day)

26 Adaptation is a two-way process, limitations DF objective need to work at all level and support civil society/local institutions 1. There is a very urgent need for improved policy dialogs between the community and the people. 2. There is an urgent need to develop adaptation approachers that ensure social equity and environmental integrity (Pastoral Pathways)

27 6. Summary: 1. More involvement and inclusion of local peoples knowledge and identification of exposure, impacts and possible adaptations is needed. (GOVERNANCE) 2. Vulnerability differ within groups. Women and children particularly vulnerable (AWD; Lack of milk in the hh) 3. Multiple stressors: policy decisions, conflicts, lack of resource access, etc (Conflict beyond their ability to solve) 4. Multistakeholder approach and collaboration.

28 Thank you Further information: