J. Terrence McCabe

Turkana pastoralism: a case against the tragedy of the commons.

This paper examines land-use practice among the Turkana pastoralists of Kenya. Drawing on work of both ecologists and anthropologists, it examines the argument that posits that pastoralism is inherently destructive to the environment, commonly referred to as the “Tragedy of the Commons.” Results of this research suggest that the livestock management practices of East African pastoralists do not degrade the environment, that livestock numbers do not exceed the carrying capacity of the land, and that social institutions successfully function to cope with environmental problems.

Drought and recovery: Livestock dynamics among the Ngisonyoka Turkana of Kenya

From 1980–1985, the Turkana District of Kenya experienced both drought and above average rainfall. The effects of a 2-year drought on the livestock population of the nomadic pastoral Ngisonyoka are discussed. Detailed data on mortality rates and offtake are presented for the animals of four herd owners, and the recovery process is followed for the 5-year period for one herd owner. It is concluded that during the drought, 63% of the cattle, 45% of the camels, and 55% of the small stock left the sample herds. The livestock population of one herd had recovered to pre-drought levels 3 years after the drought.

Response Diversity and Resilience in Social-Ecological Systems

Recent work in ecology suggests that the diversity of responses to environmental change among species contributing to the same ecosystem function can strongly influence ecosystem resilience. To render this important realization more useful for understanding coupled human-natural systems, we broaden the concept of response diversity to include heterogeneity in human decisions and action. Simply put, not all actors respond the same way to challenges, opportunities, and risks. The range, prevalence, and spatial and temporal distributions of different responses may be crucial to the resilience or the transformation of a social-ecological system and thus have a bearing on human vulnerability and well-being in the face of environmental, socioeconomic, and political change. Response diversity can be seen at multiple scales (e.g., household, village, region), and response diversity at one scale may act synergistically with or contrary to the effects of diversity at another scale. Although considerable research on the sources of response diversity has been done, our argument is that the consequences of response diversity warrant closer attention. We illustrate this argument with examples drawn from our studies of two East African pastoral populations and discuss the relationship of response diversity to characteristics of social-ecological systems that can promote or diminish resilience.

Drought, Local Institutional Contexts, and Support for Violence in Kenya

We address two questions on the effects of climate change for social instability. First, do droughts and their associated environmental impacts affect support for the use of violence? Second, do local-level formal and informal institutions moderate support for violence when and where droughts worsen? To answer these questions, we conducted a national survey of 1,400 Kenyans in 2014. Respondents were asked about patterns of rainfall and the presence of rules regulating natural resource use and access. Survey data are joined to spatially disaggregated observed rainfall trends. The survey uses endorsement experiments to elicit honest responses about support for using violence. There is some evidence of a direct, though limited, link between observed drought and violent attitudes. Certain local-level natural resource use rules have moderating effects on support for violence where drought is reported and precipitation is less frequent. This conditional and contextual effect is an important modification of overly simplistic narratives of universal climate change effects.

The role of agroforestry in building livelihood resilience to floods and drought in semiarid Kenya

Climate change may create serious problems for farmers by increasing precipitation variability and drought and flood events. Understanding how to build livelihood resilience to these effects is a pressing need. Agroforestry is one potential solution. Although many people intuitively link agroforestry with livelihood resilience to floods and drought, little comprehensive empirical evidence exists. Here, we strive to answer the call for more empirical evidence by drawing on field work in Isiolo County, Kenya to ask the research question: How does agroforestry help smallholder farmers build livelihood resilience to floods and drought? We used a mixed-methods approach that included 20 qualitative case study households and 338 quantitative household surveys. Our major findings are: (1) practicing agroforestry can influence perceptions of floods and drought, (2) specific environmental and livelihood benefits of agroforestry contribute to livelihood resilience, and (3) agroforestry directly and indirectly builds livelihood resilience to floods and drought. Identifying potential climate change adaptation strategies is crucial for smallholder farmers. Our research indicates that agroforestry is one promising option.

Well-being and conservation: diversity and change in visions of a good life among the Maasai of northern Tanzania

The Simanjiro plains, east of Tarangire National Park in Northern Tanzania are a key dispersal area for wildlife, and are of vital importance to Maasai pastoral livelihoods, which are rapidly diversifying. Diversification is coupled with fragmentation of the rangelands as agriculture expands and multiple actors compete for land. These changes reflect transformations occurring across pastoral rangelands, and pose the broader challenge of reconciling conservation and development objectives. We propose that qualitative research using a three-dimensional human well-being framework, encompassing material, relational, and subjective aspects, can inform locally legitimate and socially just conservation. Through semistructured group interviews across four villages, we explore well-being conceptions of Maasai men and women in Simanjiro. In particular we focus on the value of understanding social complexity for conservation research in the form of (i) the heterogeneity of conceptions of well-being across gender, age groups, and villages; (ii) temporal dynamics in notions and experiences. Material assets, namely land (for grazing and agriculture) and livestock are important to people but are intertwined with other aspects of well-being. Subjective well-being is centered on concerns about future security, especially with regards to land. Autonomy and social unity (relational dimension) are key priorities. We reflect on the implications for conservation at the study site, and more broadly on how well-being can better be incorporated into policy and practice that takes social justice seriously. The diversity we find in well-being priorities and experiences shows the importance of taking a disaggregated approach that conceptualizes benefits and burdens across a range of locally important well-being components ensuring the priorities of the most marginalized groups are represented.

Building livelihood resilience: what role does agroforestry play?

Understanding how to build livelihood resilience to an uncertain future is critical as livelihood systems must adapt to local and regional climatic change. Agroforestry, the integration of trees into an agricultural landscape, is one potential solution. However, while many intuitively link agroforestry with livelihood resilience, there is little factual evidence. This paper utilizes data from semi-arid Isiolo County, Kenya to explore if and how agroforestry is building livelihood resilience for smallholder farmers. This study included 20 qualitative case study households, 339 quantitative household surveys, and key informant interviews. In order to measure livelihood resilience, we drew from the five livelihood capital assets of the sustainable livelihoods approach: financial, human, social, physical, and natural capital. The major benefits of agroforestry were shade and fruit; the main tree species planted included mango, papaya, banana, guava, and neem. The average of all five livelihood capital scores was 10% higher for households practising agroforestry, indicating that those households may have more resilient livelihoods. Livelihood capitals were improved by both on-farm diversification and off-farm livelihood diversification. Agroforestry improved the overall quality of life for respondents. This paper provides four major findings that may be applied to build livelihood resilience through agroforestry.

A Review of: “Steinhart, Edward I. Black Poachers, White Hunters: A Social History of Hunting in Colonial Kenya.”

The appropriation and management of natural resources by governments and international conservation organizations away from local control have been a topic of considerable interest for the last few...

El impacto y la respuesta a la sequía entre los pastores turkanas. Implicaciones para la teoría antropológica y la investigación de riesgos

This article considers the impact and response to drought among the Turkana pastoral people of northwestern Kenya and argues that in the desert regions of East Africa drought should be considered a part of the normal climatic pattern, instead of an unusual event.The author uses case studies to demonstrate the importance of understanding the social relevance of drought. Mobility is a key adaptive strategy to mitigate the effects of droughts. However, in a severe drought, shepherds may loose most of their livestock and it is only through a system of social relations that livestock is redistributed to those who are most in need.Thus, the social organization of the Turkana is impossible to understand without appreciating how they respond and recover from droughts.