Impact of Conflict on Pastoral Communities' Resilience in the Horn of Africa: Case Studies From Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda

FAO has commissioned a regional study on the impact of conflict on the resilience of pastoral communities and on their coping strategies, which is being undertaken through case studies of three 'pastoral conflict' sites in Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia. The study shall demonstrate how conflict impacts on the opportunistic use of pastures and other strategic pastoral resources, especially when it renders such resources inaccessible to some or all pastoral groups, denying communities the opportunity to use the specific resources thereby increasing pressures on other resources that are accessible, and which are then effectively overused and degraded - thereby engendering even more conflict. The study also seeks to establish and analyze the ripple effects of primary conflict on other areas, resources and communities that support the population and their livestock once access to primary resources are hampered and/or restricted. It shall demonstrate and map the interrelated nature of conflict in the pastoral areas and its effects in the overall resilience of the said population, and make the case of a holistic approach in addressing the challenges to their livelihoods. Read more