Biodiversity in Agricultural Productive Systems
Conservation in Kitengela: keeping land open for people, livestock and wildlife
Destocking as an emergency drought mitigation measure: lessons learned from the 2005 'Turkana emergency livestock off-take' intervention
This report describes an emergency drought mitigation program executed by the non-governmental organization (NGO) Vétérinaires Sans Frontières Belgium (VSF-Belgium) in Turkana District, northwestern Kenya, in early 2005. It consisted of purchasing drought-affected goats from pastoralists in the worse affected parts of the district and donating them to local schools and health centres, where the resulting meat was to be used to supplement the diet of students and in-patients.
Life beyond pastoralism: livelihood diversification opportunities for pastoralists in Turkana District, Kenya
This report characterises the extent of livelihood diversification in Turkana District, briefly surveys a range of options, identifies their relative strengths and weaknesses, and makes recommendations for supportive interventions by development actors. It relies on three main sources of information: a literature review, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions. A case study approach was used to gain further insights into selected diversification opportunities. The study team, however, noted that, when applying an agreed selection criteria (i.e.
Livestock marketing in Turkana District, Kenya: opportunities and constraints
This report focuses on the issues surrounding livestock marketing in Turkana District. The report 's authors undertook an extensive literature review and conducted field work in Turkana in early 2006. They characterized and described the livestock marketing systems operating in the district, identified problems and constraints, and made a series of recommendations intended to increase the number of pastoralists profitably accessing livestock markets. Finally, they identified researchable issues which would enable a better understanding of livestock marketing in Turkana District.
Microsatellite DNA polymorphism of the Long Horned Ankole cattle in Uganda
Nineteen microsatellite markers were used to investigate the genetic diversity, phylogenetic
relationships and herd structure of Ugandan Ankole cattle. A total of 304 animals from 8 herds in
Mbarara District were characterised. Across all loci, 200 alleles were observed. A high mean
number of alleles (MNA) per locus, ranging from 5.89 to 6.79 per herd, was observed. Polymorphic
information content (PIC) ranged from 0.403 (ILSTS013) to 0.817 (ILSTS036), with an overall
Pastoralists preferences for cattle traits: Letting them be heard
This paper investigates preferences for cattle traits among a pastoral community in a trypanosomosis prevalent area in Kenya. Choice experiments and mixed logit models are employed to estimate economic values of preferred traits which could be introduced through systematic breeding in breed improvement programs that utilise trypanotolerance trait. The findings suggest preference for traits linked to drought tolerance, high live weight, trypanotolerance and fecundity.
Perspectives on development in Arid and Semi-Arid areas: Results of a ranking exercise
State-of-the-art ‘participatory mapping’ helps stop the decline of unique wildlife-rich pastoral lands
The potential benefits and challenges of agricultural animal biotechnology to pastoralists
The livelihoods of pastoralists revolve around their indigenous livestock. Combining high
production with disease resistance using genetic engineering is a biotechnological intervention
hailed by some as a promising avenue to mitigate food insecurity and poverty. Considerable
human and financial resources have already been devoted to exploring this option. However, the
challenges are enormous. It is unlikely that such livestock would survive in the harsh ecosystems