ABSTRACT
Pastoralism is one of the main rural livelihood strategies in arid and semi-arid Africa, with more than 20 million people deriving their livelihoods from it in the Horn of Africa alone (IRIN Web Specials, 2002). Broadly, it comprises people living primarily off the products of their domestic animals in environments characterized by resource scarcity (Fratkin, 1997, p235). Pastoralists engage in seasonal migration with their livestock according to the availability of pasture and water, thereby maximizing their access to these resources and facilitating regeneration. There are, however, variations in typologies of pastoralism depending on degrees of mobility, dependence upon nonlivestock-based strategies, as well as the purpose of livestock production (Galaty and Johnson, 1990). Furthermore, pastoralism is today undergoing significant transformations, one of which is the increasing permanent settlement of pastoralists in and around urban centres (Fratkin, 1997, p246). Yet, little is known about the nature of pastoralists’ livelihoods in these spaces or the impact of such settlement on their well-being. Therefore, this chapter examines the livelihoods of pastoralists permanently settled in the peri-urban interface (PUI) and the extent to which they are able to construct sustainable livelihood options in this space.
