Livestock Marketing Decisions Among Pastoral Communities: The Influence of Cattle Rustling in Baringo District, Kenya
محورهای موضوعی : Environmental policy and management
Kaimba George Kinyua
1
(
Chuka University College, Kenya
)
Guliye Abdi Yakub
2
(
Egerton University, Kenya
)
Njehia Bernard Kamau
3
(
Kenyatta University, Kenya
)
Hillary Kiplangat Bett
4
(
Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany
)
کلید واژه: poverty, Cattle Rustling, Livestock Sale Decisions, Livelihood Pastoralists,
چکیده مقاله :
The study sought to determine whether pastoralists have resorted to sale of livestock as a form of insurance against commercialization of cattle rustling in which well structured and managed cartels have organised more intense and frequent cattle raids on pastoralist, and how their decisions have affected their herd size. The study was conducted among the pastoral Baringo community of Kenya. A sample size of 110 households was selected using multi-stage sampling procedures and interviewed using a questionnaire. Binary Probit Model and Ordinary Least Squares were used in the analysis. Results indicated that cattle rustling, particularly in its predatory state significantly contributes to spontaneous sale of livestock even under very low prices that in themselves could be described as raiding. The results further indicated that the number of livestock lost through cattle rustling dominated livestock sale and hence reduced herd size and the numbers of livestock available for sale. The insecurity generated by cattle rustling, coupled with the poor marketing infrastructure make market inaccessible by both buyers and sellers, resulting to increased poverty and dependency amongst the pastoralists. Consequently, pastoralism has become a source of misery rather than source of livelihood.
The study sought to determine whether pastoralists have resorted to sale of livestock as a form of insurance against commercialization of cattle rustling in which well structured and managed cartels have organised more intense and frequent cattle raids on pastoralist, and how their decisions have affected their herd size. The study was conducted among the pastoral Baringo community of Kenya. A sample size of 110 households was selected using multi-stage sampling procedures and interviewed using a questionnaire. Binary Probit Model and Ordinary Least Squares were used in the analysis. Results indicated that cattle rustling, particularly in its predatory state significantly contributes to spontaneous sale of livestock even under very low prices that in themselves could be described as raiding. The results further indicated that the number of livestock lost through cattle rustling dominated livestock sale and hence reduced herd size and the numbers of livestock available for sale. The insecurity generated by cattle rustling, coupled with the poor marketing infrastructure make market inaccessible by both buyers and sellers, resulting to increased poverty and dependency amongst the pastoralists. Consequently, pastoralism has become a source of misery rather than source of livelihood.
| 1- Adams, J. (1999). Management of Risk and Uncertainty.Adam smith institute, London. Accessedonline at: http://www.adamsmith.org/ | ||||
| 2- Ahuja, V. (1998). Land degradation, AgriculturalProductivity and Common Property: Evidence fromCote d'Ivoire: Environment and DevelopmentEconomies 3: 7-34. | ||||
| 3- Bailey, D. V., Barrett, C. B., Little, P. D., &Chabari F. (1999). "Livestock Markets and RiskManagement among East African Pastoralists: A reviewand Research Agenda". GL-CRSP PastoralRisk Management Project Technical Report No03/99. Logan, Utah: Utah State University. Availableat: http://www.aem.cornell.educ/ | ||||
| 4-Barrett, C. (2001). Livestock pricing and marketperformance. Cornell University, Pastoral Risk ManagementProject 01-05- PARIMA. Available at:http://www.aem.cornell.educ/ | ||||
| 5- Behnke, R. H., & Scoones, I. (1993). Rethinkingrange ecology: implications for rangeland managementin Africa. In Range Ecology at Disequilibrium,Behnke RH, Scoones I (eds). ODI/IIED; Chapter 1 | ||||
| 6- Doss, C. R., & McPeak G. J. (2004). Perceptionsof Risk within Pastoralist Households in NorthernKenya. Yale University Available at:http://www.econ.yale.educ/ | ||||
| 7- Doran, M. H., Low, A. R., & Kemp, R. L. (1979).Cattle as a Store of Wealth in Swaziland: Implicationsfor Livestock Development and Overgrazing inEastern and Southern Africa. American journal ofAgricultural Economics, 61: 41-47 | ||||
| 8- EBO, Encyclopaedia Britannica Online (2005).Britannica Student Encyclopaedia, Kenya URL:http://search.eb.com/ebi/ | ||||
| 9- FAO Land and Water Development Division,(2005). Aquastat Country Profile, Kenya.http://www.fao.org/ | ||||
| 10- FAO Livestock sector briefs, (2004). Kenya.http://www.fao.org/ | ||||
| 11- Fratkin, E. (1991). Surviving Drought and Development:Ariaal Pastoralists Northern Kenya. Conflictand Social Change Series. Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press. Available at: http://www.questia.com/ | ||||
| 12- Hendrickson, D., Armon, J., & Mearns, R.(1996). Livestock Raiding Among the PastoralTurkana of Kenya: Redistribution, Predation andthe Links to Famine. IDS Bulletin, Vol. 27, No. 3:17-30 [DOI via Crossref] | ||||
| 13- Hogg, R. (1987). 'Development in Kenya:Drought, Desertification and Food Scarcity', AfricanAffairs 86(1): 47-58. | ||||
| 14- Holtzman, J. D. (1996). 'Transformations inSamburu Domestic Economy: The Restriction ofAge and Gender-based Process of Production andResource Allocation among a Kenyan "Pastoral"People'. PhD dissertation, Department of Anthropology,University of Michigan. | ||||
| 15- Kabubo-Mariara, J. (2002). Rural Poverty, PropertyRights and Environmental Resource Managementin Kenya. University of Nairobi, Kenya. AfricanJournal of Environmental Assessment and Management,6(1): 1-15 | ||||
| 16- Kabubo-Mariara, J. (2003). 'The linkages BetweenProperty Rights, Migration and Productivity: theCase of Kajiado District, Kenya', Environmentaland Development Economics, 8: 621-636. [DOI via Crossref] | ||||
| 17- Lesorogol, C. (1998). Life on the Margins. Perspectiveon Pastoralism and Development in Kenya.USAID, Kenya. | ||||
| 18- Little, P. D. (1992). The Elusive Granary: Herder,Farmer, and State in Northern Kenya. CambridgeUniversity Press, Cambridge. 226pp | ||||
| 19- Little, P. D., Smith, K., Cellarius, B.A., Coppock,C.B. & Barrett, C. (2001). Avoiding Disaster: Diversificationand Risk Management among EastAfrican Herders. Development and Change, Vol.32 No. 3: 401-433 [DOI via Crossref] | ||||
| 20- Mc. Peak. (2001).Pastoralists' Use of Markets.Cornell University, Global Livestock CRSP ResearchBrief 01-04-Pastoral Risk Management Project(PARIMA). | ||||
| 21- Mkutu, K. (2003). Pastoral Conflict and SmallArms: the Kenya Uganda Border Region. A Reporton the Small Arms and Insecurity in the Great LakesRegion and the Horn of Africa. Safe world, BradfordUniversity. Available at:http://www.saferworld.org.uk/ | ||||
| 22- Moran, E.F., Ostrom, E., & Randolph, J.C.(1998). A Multilevel Approach to Studying GlobalEnvironmental change in Forest Ecosystem: IndianaUniversity Centre for the study of Institution, Populationand Environmental change (C.I.P.E.C.) paper. | ||||
| 23- Raikes P. L. (1981). Livestock development andpolicy in East Africa. Scandinavian institute ofAfrican Studies, Uppsala. 255pp | ||||
