ABSTRACT
The Integrated Project in Arid Lands (IPAL) was initiated in Kenya in 1976 by the United Nations as a response to the Sahelian Drought which devastated West African between 1968-1973. In 1976, IPAL established a station of prefabricated buildings near the Africa Inland Church mission at Gatab high on Mt. Kulal in Marsabit District. To most observers, Mt. Kulal, which is a cold, windy and isolated location, is an unlikely place to "monitor desert encroachment." It is uninhabited by pastoralists, and is only utilized by Rendille, Samburu, and Boran for and cattle grazing during severe dry periods. An independent project later affiliated to IPAL, the Traditional Livestock Management Program was initiated in 1978 by the veterinary biologist H. J. Schwartz with funding from the Federal Republic of Germany, Schwartz and his associates were interested in studying pastoral camel production and making relevant and low cost veterinary improvements in productivity.
