Pastoral Livelihoods and Climate Adaptation in East Africa

Pastoral livelihoods in East Africa encompass a spectrum of extensive livestock‐based systems shaped by mobility, communal land tenure and diversified herd compositions to cope with spatial and temporal variability in water and forage. Communities across the semi‐arid rangelands of Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Uganda have long relied on cattle, goats, sheep and increasingly camels to exploit seasonally available pastures. Recent climatic trends—characterised by rising temperatures, erratic rainfall patterns and more frequent droughts—have intensified pressure on traditional coping strategies. In response, pastoralists are refining mobility routes, adjusting herd mixes, engaging with wildlife conservancies and experimenting with land enclosures for fodder cultivation. Commercial developments, infrastructure projects and governance reforms further influence adaptive capacity by altering resource access, introducing market linkages and reshaping social institutions. Effective adaptation therefore rests on nested governance arrangements that integrate indigenous knowledge, enhance early warning systems and secure communal land rights. Lessons from East African drylands carry global significance for climate adaptation in arid and semi‐arid zones, demonstrating the importance of flexible land use, diversified income streams and participatory management of ecosystem services to bolster resilience and safeguard food security.

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Technical terms

Pastoralism: Livelihood system based on extensive herding of livestock across variable drylands.

Rangeland: Open land, often unsown, used for grazing livestock and supporting native vegetation.

Livestock mobility: Seasonal or opportunistic movement of herds to optimise access to pasture and water.

Drought resilience: Capacity of a system to absorb, recover and adapt to periods of water scarcity.

Ecosystem services: Natural processes and functions that provide benefits such as forage production, water filtration and climate regulation.

References

1. Social-ecological change in the Omo-Turkana basin: A synthesis of current developments. Ambio (2019).
2. Trade-offs for climate-resilient pastoral livelihoods in wildlife conservancies in the Mara ecosystem, Kenya. Pastoralism (2017).
3. Camels and Climate Resilience: Adaptation in Northern Kenya. Human Ecology (2016).
4. Climate change perception and impacts on cattle production in pastoral communities of northern Tanzania. Pastoralism (2018).
5. The value of pastoralism in Kenya: Application of total economic value approach. Pastoralism (2019).
6. Enclosures in West Pokot, Kenya: Transforming land, livestock and livelihoods in drylands. Pastoralism (2015).