ABSTRACT
An analysis of constraints hindering the transition of the Maasai pastoral economy to a market oriented production system requires an understanding of both the basic components of pastoralism and the problems which have been encountered in the implementation of pastoral interventions. This chapter presents the elements and interactions that are keys to this understanding, and discusses the traditional economic objectives of pastoral producers. The historical development of pastoral interventionism is addressed in terms of the Kenyan, and particularly the Maasai, experience. Pastoralism involves the subsistence oriented management of livestock grazing a natural resource base. Viability is the pastoralist’s principal concern, while secondary objectives generally contribute--and rarely contradict--strategies for its maintenance. The overexploitation of the range due to rising population pressures has been fostered by the pastoral institution of common access to range resources. Communal grazing practices have been the norm in many parts of the world where livestock have been grazed extensively.
