A study using participatory epidemiology (PE) methodologies was conducted in West Pokot and Baringo districts, Northern Rift Valley, Kenya to assess the status of East Coast Fever (ECF) and obtain livestock keepers’ perceptions of how the disease impacts on their livelihoods. A total of 658 livestock keepers comprising of 480 men and 178 women were invited to participate in community meetings held in twenty two purposively selected locations each in West Pokot and Baringo.

A cross-sectional survey was done in two Districts in Western Kenya to determine the socio-economic characteristics and perceptions of the cattle types kept. This involved socio-economic profiles of households, herd structure, reasons for keeping specific types of cattle and production and marketing constraints together with desired policy interventions to address the constraints. A total of 210 farmers randomly selected were interviewed. The data was analysed using Statistical Analysis System program. The majority of farmers (84%) were males.

Historically, pastoral people were able to more freely use the services their semi-arid and arid ecosystems provide, and they adapted to changes in ways that improved their well-being. More recently, their ability to adapt has been constrained due to changes from within and from outside their communities. To compare possible responses by pastoral communities, we modeled ecosystem services and tied those services to decisions that people make at the household level.

Climate related shocks are among the leading cause of production and efficiency losses in smallholder crop and livestock production in rural Africa. Consequently, the identification of tools to help manage the risks associated with climactic extremities is increasingly considered to be amongst the key pillars of any agenda to enhance agricultural growth and welfare in rural Africa.

Ian Scoones from the Institute of Development Studies and the Future Agricultures Consortium reflects on some key issues emerging from a recent conference on the future of pastoralism in Africa. His overwhelming conclusion: Pastoralism is "alive and well" in some parts of the continent. But there are downsides: constraints caused by pressures on land, as well as recurring conflicts. This leads to a division between those who are "really making it" and those who are "really struggling." This poses major policy issues at the two ends of these extremes.

ILRI's Augustine Ayantunde reflects on the recent conference in Addis Ababa on the future of pastoralism in Africa. He draws attention to the two major conference strands - on one side, the optimists, on the other 'doom and gloom.' One thing is clear, it is not really possible to generalise across regions. He concludes by suggesting that the future will lie in pastoralist communities being able to take advantage of present opportunities while also taking care of their traditions.