Examines the productivity of East African pastoral systems in terms of animal protein & energy production, milk offtake and livestock production parameters such as calving percentage, calf mortality and herd structure; compares the productivity of East African pastoral systems to those of commercial ranches and to pastoral systems in other parts of the world.

Pastoralism supports tens of millions of people, makes the best use of harsh environments and provides many economic and social benefits. At the Brussels Development Briefing on ‘New Challenges and Opportunities for Pastoralism in ACP Countries’, experts highlighted policies to improve the welfare of livestock herding communities.

Le pastoralisme subvient aux besoins de dizaines de millions de personnes. Il utilise au mieux des environnements difficiles et offre de nombreux avantages économiques et sociaux. Lors du Briefing de Bruxelles sur le développement portant sur « Les nouveaux défis et opportunités pour le pastoralisme dans les pays ACP », les experts ont souligné les politiques à adopter en vue d'améliorer le bien-être des communautés pastorales dépendant de l'élevage de cheptel.

Jan de Leeuw from ILRI reflects on the impacts of droughts and hazards on pastoral communities in Africa. He argues that pastoralists are often well-adapted to short term hazards and droughts. A single-season drought weakens livestock and communities. When rains fail repeatedly however, the problems start, and the impacts can be long-lasting. He was talking in the margins of the recent conference in Addis Ababa on the future of pastoralism in Africa. The Addis Ababa conference (21-23 March 2011) was organized by the Future Agricultures Consortium with Tufts University.

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.