This strategy takes into account the new market opportunities being created for small-scale livestock producers by increasing local and global demand for high-quality livestock products (termed the Livestock Revolution) and the many pathways by which livestock has traditionally reduced poverty.

This book documents a decade of research, methodological innovation, and lessons learned in an eco-regional research-for-development program operating in the eastern African highlands, the African Highlands Initiative (AHI). It does this through reflections of the protagonists themselves—AHI site teams and partners applying action research to development innovation as a means to enhance the impact of their research.

This presentation starts with a discussion on the need of this study and outlines its framework. It then assesses in detail how to attack poverty, and tries to answer the question where do livestock and their diseases fit in? Then it presents the study design and how it is achieved. It then presents a quantitative assessment of poverty, and looks into qualitative approach, poverty indicators, livestock production systems, priority species for the poor along with their objectives and step to achieving them. It then presents an assessment of disease impact with examples.

Pastoralism is the dominant livelihood activity in the North Eastern Province (NEP) of Kenya. It is supplemented only by a limited amount of agriculture along the rivers. The province faces various developmental challenges including chronic poverty and food insecurity, low human capital and poor health standards, high vulnerability to climate change, poor infrastructure, insecurity and low crop and livestock productivity.