Drylands Coordination Group

Frequent droughts, epidemics and the ravages of civil war in the south and the current civil strife in Darfur have their negative impact on pastoralism. Moreover, the expansion of traditional and mechanized rainfed agriculture in the southern parts of the region have gradually reduced grazing areas and migration routes distances and numbers and consequently increased conflicts over resources. The situation is further accentuated by the shifting of the agro-climatic zones southward as a result of climate change (average annual rainfall have declined from 425 mm/year during 1941-1970 to about 360 mm/year in 1970-2000 period) rendering small scale farmers and pastoralistist unable to sustain production levels necessary to secure food for their households.

Information regarding the changes in pastoralism is very meager. Therefore, an in depth study surveying the current situation of nomads will increase knowledge on the changes and threats facing their livelihood. This can better help planners and policy makers in formulating poverty and conflict reduction and food security policies for these vulnerable communities under the dry land conditions.

This project is expected to capacitate the DCG members, policy makers and other stakeholders with knowledge on pastoral (nomadic) communities’ livelihoods for ensuring proper application of food security and risk aversion policies/strategies in the dry areas of North Kordofan. This would help in creating a better understanding of the nomadic household economy and coping strategies under fluctuating bio-socio-economic systems. The project aims at an in depth studying and surveying the current situation of nomads in light of the current changing situations (environment, security, food situation). The objective is to help policey makers, local communities and technicians to take necessary steps and actions to improve food security and socio-economic conditions of these vulnerable groups in the dry areas. This will be done through answering the following research questions:

1. Assessing range condition and composition.

2. Determining herds structures, composition and productivity.

3. Defining constraints and threats to livelihoods of nomads and their livestock.

4. Determining enviromental and socio-economic changes and strategies followed to cope with these changes.

5. Outlining suitable interventions needed to improve productivity and food security situation in nomadic systems.

A study will be conducted to survey nomadic communities in the drylands of western Sudan, taking Shanabla/Kababish nomadic tribe case. Planned activities will include:

a. Direct field measurements will be undertaken for:

i. Range condition and productivity assessment: Transects along the migration routes of a Shanabla and/or a Kababish tribe will be randomly chosen and range components and attributes be measured.

ii. Some nomadic herds and flocks will be randomly chosen and herd/flock structure and composition determined.

iii. Some productivity estmates on milk production, offspring, offtake, etc will be collected and compared with baseline data (available).

b. Survey: Participatory approaches using focused group discussion and key informants surveys will be used to collected data on:

i. Roles of different household/farig members (men and women) in overall activities and tasks pertaining and contritbuting to food security (herding, milking, marketing, processing, off-farig activities, etc)

ii. Nomads views on changes in indicators. These indicators could be disappearance of some palatable range plants, changes in animal productivity, depleted water sources, migration routes width and distance, off-farig activities (both women and men), .etc.

iii. Indigenous knowledge on herding tactics, grazing mangement, animal health, food preservation and processing, etc.

iv. Constraints facing their livelihoods.

v. Coping strategies to adapt to or mitigate changes (environmental, scio-economic)

c. A workshop will be held at the end of the study to present results and come up with a workplan for activities and interventions. The results will be used through increasing awareness of policy makers, technicians, NGOs, development projects, and local leaders.

a. Information on range condition and composition, herd's structure; composition and productivity, constraints and threats, changes and coping strategies. Range attributes and condition indicators (vegetation compsotion, cover, productivity, browse species density, etc,), herds and flocks productivity indicators (production, mortality, structures and composition, offtake, etc) will be matched with baseline data to assess change and direction.

b. Defining constraints facing nomads and suggesting possible ways of overcoming these constraints.These constraints could be enviromental (climate change), man made (population increase and behavior), policey (increased cultivated land at the expense of rangeland and migration routes), etc. The current situation will be matched with baseline data to assess the degree of change and how coping strategies were able to mitigate these negative impacts.

c. Influence policy makers to formulate policies that contribute to solving of the problems of these communities (Workshops, dissemination of findings through local radio station, extension workers, etc.)