Discusses pastoral systems research (PSR) within the framework of the experience of livestock and pastoral development in Africa during the last 50 years, analyzing data on livestock population & productivity in relation to the welfare of pastoralists; and examines previous efforts in pastoral development relevant to PSR approach.
Discusses the importance of wealth differences among producers in traditional pastoral production systems, describing a rapid method, dependent on informants, for determining the wealth rank of producers within a given community in order to stratify a population of producers before sampling.
Discusses the need for identifying sociological and economic possibilities for improvement in pastoral production systems, mentioning the major steps involved, particularly, identification of potential improvements, prediction of their likely impact on net production & quality of life; prediction of the probability of adoption; and assessment of the rapidity with which the improvements will bear fruit.
Describes the dif. phases in the ILCA research framework, w. regard to Livestock Systems Research (LSR), particularly the descriptive, diagnostic, design, testing & extension phases, using examples of field research on pastoral & agropastoral systems in the arid & semi arid zones of Mali, Ethiopia and Kenya.
Describes the research approach adopted by an interdisciplinary ILCA team to study a pastoralist production system, summarizing the methodology & results of research on small ruminants' productivity in the Maasai pastoral system, and outlining dif. features of current smallstock research in Kenya; w. an analysis of flock productivity, mortality, animal nutrition & behaviour at the Elangata Wuas group ranch.
Discusses the Kenya Rangeland Ecological Monitoring Unit (KREMU), mentioning its objectives, initial tasks related to identifying ecological units, testing survey methods, training of staff & designing appropriate computer programmes; describes the Unit's achievements, with emphasis on ecological surveys & censuses carried out within the framework of on-going ecological monitoring programmes; outlines problems encountered.
Examines basic constraints to pastoral development. Looks into project financing, design and implementation. Discusses manpower development and training procedures. Includes notes on monitoring concepts and ILCA's monitoring activities.
Synthesis of discussion on the design and implementation of pastoral development projects, particularly with reference to the project concept, basic constraints and information needs, organizational aspects and monitoring, w. recommendations.
Description of the socioeconomic organization of the Borana pastoralists with particular reference to the Gada System and the traditional well organization.
Organizational and management problems associated w. development of grazing blocks in north eastern kenya w. spec. ref. to the Somali pastoralists and their socioeconomic organization.
Describes the monitoring Programme carried out by ILCA covering phase II of the Kenya Livestock Development Project, and the six components included. Also describes a two-tiered monitoring system consisting of intensive studies of carefully selected samples and an extensive data collection network concentrating on key indicators. Discusses initial results from the Kenya monitoring Programme.