The North-East Rangelands Development Project(NERDU)

The Current Situation in the Horn of Africa: Statements from the Uppsala Forum

Researcher: Z. Fre,
Ref No: 016
Funding Source: SIAS, Uppsala

In the region as a whole there are at present a number of problems which need to be addressed: food security, environmental degradation, economic stagnation, and the question of displaced people.

Eritrea and Ethiopia are moving towards resolving their differences and have begun cooperating with each other.The task of reconstruction and rehabilitation is immense but both peoples are willing to work together. Nevertheless, the question of democratic nation building needs to be faced. This will include building secular states in an area where fundamentalism has a strong influence, resettling refugees, reestablishing a viable economy.

The end of the war in Eritrea and Ethiopia is already affecting other countries. Sudan now recognises both administrations. One would wish to see this example of conflict resolution being followed by others.

Land Use Planning in Eritrea.

K. Ghebru, Ref No 054

Land is an important resource for Eritrean people and it is necessary to protect it against improper use.To rehabilitate and protect existing natural resources land use planning is essential. This should give an answer to the following decisions with regard to land use:

• which land is to be left uncultivated,
• which land is to be planted with permanent vegetation,
• which land is to be cultivated and what farming systems are to be used.

However before implementing land use planning activities it is necessary to make an inventory of land use land cover types.

Eritrea can be divided into four agro-ecological regions: semi-desert zone, steppe zone, woodland savanna and coniferous forest region.

Land use land cover types vary in proportion between the cultivated land, grazing and browsing areas, forest and bush land, unproductive land etc. Judicious use of the land is achieved through carrying out land capability classification which helps farmers make the best choice of land use types and stresses practices based on long term use. The paper concludes with recommendations for the preparation of a land use plan of Eritrea.

In addition it is suggested that the national capability in land use planning should be strengthened and that cartographic capacity and aerial photograph and satellite imagery interpretation of land use plans be established.

Pastoral Development in the Sudan

Abu Sin, Ref No 134

The paper outlines the changes of pastoralism as a mode of living and as a production system since 1956. Pastoralism has not been the subject of systematic documentation even though it occupies 1/4 of the population of Sudan.

Traditional pastoralism is being replaced by agro-pastoralism in some parts, by a form of transhumance in others and is being maintained in western and southern states of the country.

As pastoralists are caught between adverse environmental change and equally adverse government development policies, they have been forced to devise their own survival strategies. The paper lists these strategies and analyses their effectiveness and sustainability. While pastoralists have responded to change thus showing that their production system is not static, they remain the weakest section of the population.

Government intervention for its part has taken three forms: water provision from hafirs, sendentarisation and a livestock route between which has mostly benefited traders and pastoralists have only benefited indirectly.

The author suggests that under the present trend of free market economy the future of pastoralism is likely to be short-lived in western parts where open investment policy pursued will not only marginalise pastoralists but all rural population. Pastoralism will remain in the areas which are unsuitable for any other form of activity and in the savanna belt pastoralists will probably move from a traditional form and will incorporate some agricultural activity.

The Kohr Baraka Wadi system in North East Sudan: a fragile ecology and the Beja who protect it.

Z. Fre, Ref. No 132

The Red Sea province of the Sudan was particularly severely affected by the 1984-85 drought and pastoralists incurred losses of great magnitude. This paper concentrates on a study of the Khor Baraka area and is based in part on interviews carried out among Beja people. The population is divided between agropastoralists and drought victims who are landless.

The area is endowed with thick vegetation and an extensive system of seasonal streams. Millet is widely grown and is said to have supported people and livestock during the drought. The pattern of livestock rearing has changed over time and people now seem to favour smaller livestock and combine this activity with millet farming. Veterinary services do not reach people in Khor Baraka and they rely on traditional medicines for cures.

Khor Baraka has a fragile ecosystem which has been under stress because of recurrent droughts and human pressure. Pests have devastated crops and people are increasingly dependent on forest resources. More unpalatable plants are growing because of overgrazing. In some parts of Khor Baraka plant population has changed. Muskit which was introduced 10 years ago has taken the place of more economically important trees such as Tamarix and Dum Palm. Water and wind erosion are also stopping trees from rooting and at the same time are accelerating the spreading of Muskit.

Government bodies are not concerned with development in the region. Only the Forestry Department has some involvement but its actions are limited by poor facilities. OXFAM has done extensive work in researching human, natural, livestock and agricultural resources since it began its intervention after the 1985 drought. The paper concludes that one suitable option for the future would be to revive indigenous tree species in the Khors and to integrate Beja conservation laws in order to achieve sustainable development.

Report on the Workshop on Pastoral and Agropastoral Women in the Horn of Africa.

Ref. No 172

The paper acknowledges that women in the Horn are culturally diverse within as well as across countries. However the paper is concerned with drawing together the common experiences of pastoral and agropastoral women.

Women have been drawn into wars whether as direct participants or because they shoulder increased burden when men are away. Pastoral women have lost herds and land and also help and protection which they got from male kin. A large number of them become refugees. Women have come together in order to establish networks to prevent physical or sexual harassment and the loss of their economic means. Traditional women's associations operate in rural and urban areas. They have always played a strong role in allowing women an outlet for their physical and psychological stress. These and other social survival strategies can be observed in several countries although some attempt to suppress them have been made at various times.

Discussions papers concerning women and health, women and livestock, women and environment and peace and development were presented. Recommendations were made on those topics as well as a suggestion that more research be carried out each of these spheres. The Gender Committee further wants to establish links with leaders of women's associations in order to ensure that development projects can be linked through them.

Establishing a Pastoral and Environmental Network in the Horn of Africa (PENHA).

Ref. No 011

PENHA was established as a research institution to help mobilise indigenous research capacity on pastoralism within the Horn and to focus on the issues of indigenous knowledge, land tenure and the health of pastoralist people. A number of papers were presented by guest speakers and time was given for a brief discussion and comments.

PENHA concept paper was discussed in detail and comments were minuted in order to help PENHA in its future work. The report gives a summary of these under 12 different headings.

The workshop ended with brief closing remarks emphasising how successful the event had been. The workshop had made a great contribution in helping to highlight areas where PENHA's work would be important to further pastoralist research.

Environment, Political Conflict, Sustainability and Resource Management in the Horn of Africa: an African Perspective.

Seyoum Gebre Selassie (Ed.) Ref. No. 027

The collection of six papers which form this document attempt to give a good overview of the problems of environmental security in the Horn of Africa.

Abusin's paper argues that environmental security should ensure adequate means of survival for the human population, enjoyment of cultural and social rights and the safeguarding and maintenance of the ecosystem. The scarcity of natural resources is a critical factor for the Horn region as a whole as is interstate conflict arising over commonly-shared resources.

In order to restore security, a sound identification of the main parameters is required: i.e. what are the social, political, cultural and economic factors which threaten environmental viability. The author concludes that urgent attention needs to be given to the declining quality of life due to rapid degradation of resources which governments thus far have done little to counteract.

Mesfin Woldemariam’s contribution suggests that a number of perceptions regarding the cause of environmental degradation are flawed. He argues that history and the socio-economic and administrative systems play an important role. Secondly, food shortages and famine often attributed to natural conditions will remain unchanged until such times that governments accountable to the people are established in the Horn countries. However, the question of displaced people also has a part. But, according to the author, the question that remains is whether environmental protection should be given priority over people’s struggle for survival. His conclusion is that conservation cannot precede development but only follow it.

Daniel Gemetchu’s paper states that it cannot provide a comprehensive survey of natural resources in the Horn but only highlights the various climatic zones and potential for producing life-sustaining resources. In spite of being endowed with rich resources the highlands of Ethiopia have to accommodate a large population and this pressure threatens bio-diversity. He concludes with a discussion of two alternative approaches to preserving genetic resources.

Seyoum Gebre Selassie’s paper looks at the relationship between population and resources with a study of the demographic characteristics of the different countries. The author gives an analysis of the sectorial distribution of the labour force and shows that in almost all countries people are involved in similar activities. This has a detrimental effect on the economy of the whole region. Indeed as most people are engaged in the agricultural sector it also has a detrimental impact on natural resources. Given that the different countries have many features in common the paper suggests that solutions to problems have to be devised in a cooperative way that will benefit all countries.

The next paper deals with resource management and uses Ethiopia as a case study. The author shows how terracing and afforestation programs have been less successful than predicted partly because they often clashed with the farmers planting season and reclaimed land which would otherwise have been productive and of grazing areas. The study offers of a number of sustainable approaches in designing resource management programmes. But, the author concludes, sustainability will only work if resource management systems recognise the complexity and dynamism of the whole of the environment and resolve the conflicts of the various social groups and land use systems.

The final paper looks at environmental development strategies in Uganda. Unlike a number of countries Uganda does not have excessively dry (or wet) areas and its agricultural potential is very high. Nevertheless it too has been affected by unrest and is only beginning to recover from a period in which the economy and the environment suffered greatly. Since 1970s food production and livestock rearing have continued to decline. The creation of the Ministry of the Environment in 1986 is a step forward and is trying to act in a concerted manner on urgent solutions to halt environmental degradation. The paper offers a number of recommendations that would help to ensure sustainable development and the rehabilitation of the environment in the country.