Discusses biological options available for improvement in the productivity of pastoral systems, particularly referring to problems arising from aridity and under-nutrition, and problems of particular systems such as mortality of young stock, bush encroachment, epidemic diseases and management systems.

A survey was undertaken to understand sheep management, breeding practices and selection criteria for Red Maasai sheep in Maasai pastoralist communities in Kajiado District, Kenya. Differences between North and South Kajiado District were investigated to gain knowledge about farmers having different prerequisites and how it can affect the sheep production. The reason for keeping sheep and the specific breeds show the multiple objectives of the Maasai farmers.

This film describes the experience of Index-Based Livestock Insurance payouts in Borana, southern Ethiopia, in 2014, with interviews of livestock keepers, providers and partners.

La Politique cadre pour le pastoralisme en Afrique, présentée dans ce rapport, est la première initiative de politique à l’échelle d’un continent ayant pour but de sécuriser, protéger et améliorer la vie des pasteurs africains. Les pasteurs effectuent des contributions cruciales – mais souvent sous-estimées – aux économies africaines, grâce à leurs systèmes de production, leur culture, ainsi que leurs ressources animales et végétales. Pourtant, les indicateurs de développement humain et de sécurité alimentaire dans de nombreuses zones pastorales sont parmi les plus bas du continent.

A study to determine carbon sequestration potentials and soil attributes was conducted in Borana rangelands of southern Ethiopia under communally grazed areas, grazing enclosures (rangelands enclosed for 20 years for dry season grazing) and rangelands managed by prescribed fire for more than five years after fire application. Soil attributes were collected from three soil depths (0–10 cm, 10–20 cm and 20–30 cm) and both aboveground and belowground carbon were estimated in all treatments.

Etude ayant pour objet de determiner, en partant d'observations cliniques faites tout au long de l'annee 1983 au niveau des troupeaux de petits ruminants suivis par le CIPEA, les causes de mortalite les plus connues avant sevrage afin de pouvoir entreprendre des essais visant a leur reduction au niveau des memes troupeaux.

This report reviews key issues in pastoral systems research in tropical areas of sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia with the goal of identifying a ten-year research strategy for pastoral systems research for ILRI.