The pastoral areas of the Horn of Africa are some of the most dynamic economically on the continent, with a combined export and domestic livestock trade surpassing $1 billion per annum. Livestock marketing is driving urban and small town growth, employment and a system of trade that stretches across the region.
Yet, in spite of the significant contributions of pastoralism for livelihoods and local and national economies, levels of poverty and vulnerability remain unacceptably high amongst pastoral populations.
Ambitions for growth and transformation in the region will depend in part on the continued success and expansion of livestock trade, coupled with investments to expand infrastructure, basic services and social assistance.
The new Policy Briefs explore how to promote inclusive growth in pastoralist areas of Ethiopia and neighbouring countries. Social protection, food security, trade and growth are discussed in the briefings, which will be presented at a regional dialogue event in Addis Ababa on 10 June.
Download the Policy Briefs
- Social protection in pastoral areas: promoting inclusive growth at the margins (pdf) Policy Brief 70 byJeremy Lind and Izzy Birch
- Investment in drylands: widening the benefits for food security and development (pdf) Policy Brief 71 by Izzy Birch and Jeremy Lind
- Pastoral Livestock Trade and Growth in Ethiopia (pdf) Policy Brief 72 by Yacob Aklilu and Andy Catley
Regional dialogue on Pastoralism and the New Alliance
The event in June 2014 explored how the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition can be harnessed to strengthen food security and nutrition for populations living in pastoral areas. While the New Alliance agenda to date has little to say about pastoralism, investments in livestock and energy in the rangelands are a cornerstone of current and planned national development strategies in the region.
View details and presentations from the event
Related publications
- Into the fold: what pastoral responses to crisis tell us about the future of pastoralism in the Horn (pdf) Future Agriculture Working Paper 91 by Jeremy Lind and Lina Rivera Barrero
- Jostling for Trade: The Politics of Livestock Marketing on the Ethiopia-Somaliland Border (pdf) Future Agricultures Working Paper 75 by Abdurehman Eid
Image: Camel trader by USAID on Flickr (by-nc-2.0)