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Research on Humanities and Social Sciences www.iiste.org

ISSN (Paper)2224-5766 ISSN (Online)2225-0484 (Online)
Vol.6, No.23, 2016

Impacts of Drought and Conventional Coping Strategies of

Borana Community, Southern Ethiopia
Dirriba Mengistu
Socio-economics Research Team, Yabello Pastoral and Dryland Agriculture Research Centre,
P.O. Box 85, Yabello, Ethiopia

Abstract
This study was undertaken in southern Ethiopia to evaluate impacts of drought and pastoral’s coping strategies in
southern Ethiopia. With multi-stage sampling method, 199 respondents’ households were selected. The survey
results show that drought has severely affecting the livestock resource basis of the pastoralists. Especially, the
water sources for livestock; pond and deep well; dried out during pick drought season besides the degradation of
rangeland resources. Beyond pastoral focus strategy, however, revision of pastoral policy need a special attention
to reduce the susceptibility of pastoralists to recurrent drought. Especially, development of viable pastoral
strategy for drought need strong and urgent linkage with other development and research actors to invert the
socio-economic and ecological devastation of the drought.
Keywords: Borana, coping strategies, destocking, Drought, drought impact, pastoral, trade off

1. Introduction
Ethiopia is repetitively exemplified as the potential country in livestock resource (Shapiro et al., 2015). This
resource forms an integral part in the agricultural system and basis of livelihood for larger rural and semi-urban
population. In pastoral areas, beyond the economic advantage it matters a cultural prestige and social status of
the society (Coppock, 1994). Livestock, especially cattle, plays a leading role in determining the social position
of the pastoral households in the society besides its crucial role in cultural heritages and economic welfares.
However, the anecdotal evidence indicated that the percapita livestock in the pastoral area is radically
decreasing than ever. The intellectual evidence also indicated that the livestock percapita of pastoralists are
diminishing from 4.1 to 2.3 TLU 1 and more recently found 1.9 TLU (Bekele, 2013). However, in sight of self-
reliance study indicated that the standard livestock per capita for self-sufficiency was accepted to be 3-4.1TLU
and 7TLU per person for agro-pastoral and pure pastoral community respectively (Sandford, 1983; Lybbert et al.,
2004). However, the decline in livestock percapita and resultant shifts in households’ wealth ranks over a period
of years reflect the erosion of pastoral economy (Little et al., 2006).
On the other hand, the customary counsel from Borana pastoralists also advocated that drought cycles
have shortened from 5-10 years to 3-5 years (Oxfam, 2011). As a result, the density and reproductive
performance of livestock have been reduced to the lower level despite the fact that livestock mortality was
increasing (Herrero et al., 2010). However, pastoralists are struggling to overcome the risks of drought using
different coping strategies.
However, increase in drought duration, intensity and coverage aligned with erratic, highly intensive and
short duration rainfall has delimited the conventional coping strategies (Skinner, 2010). Particularly, the
conventional coping strategies are highly tempted to cope with the recent impacts of climatic threat (Coppock et
al., 2008). Hence, it is important to indicate the evidence that how much the drought is affecting the pastoral
society for further groundwork and interventions. Thus, this study is the updates of the recent drought impacts
which the pastoralists are fearing it’s subsequent drought cycle.

2. Methodology
2.1. Sampling procedures
During this survey, the occurrence of drought is common to the whole lowlands Borana zone though its effect
was varying across location. However, this study was focused on the seriously affected districts from the 13
districts in Borana zone. Accordingly, Yabello and Dirre districts of Borana zone were purposely selected with
the main criteria of the severity effects of drought report from Borana zone.
Accordingly, the most seriously affected districts, Yabello and Dirre, was purposely selected. Then,
these two districts were stratified according to their farming system as pastoral and agro-pastoral area. Finally,
199 respondent households were randomly selected from randomly selected Peasant Associations classified
under pastoral and Agro-pastoral livelihood practices.

2.2. Methods of data collection and analysis

Primary data was collected from sample households using a semi-structured questionnaire. In order to capture

11 TLU (Tropical Livestock Unit) = 250 kg live weight (Coppock, 1994)

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ISSN (Paper)2224-5766 ISSN (Online)2225-0484 (Online)
Vol.6, No.23, 2016

better socio-economic context of the area, qualitative data collection such as focus groups discussion (FGD) and
key informants interview was conducted using checklist questionnaires. The survey questionnaire was pre-tested
before commencing the actual data collection to make contextual modification. During field study, three FGD
with members of 6-12 with a combination of youth, women, men and elder households was undertaken.
Additionally, three discussion and interviews with key-informant was conducted to verify the information from
individual survey. Finally, secondary data was collected from respective office in Borana zone to enrich the data
collected from the households.

3. result and discussion

3.1. General characteristics of the study area
Borana zone is characterized by arid and semi- arid agro-ecologies. The average annual rainfall ranging from
500 to 600m a.s.l and the annual temperature range 25-35Co (Coppock, 1994). The main rainy season (Ganna)
extends from March to May whereas the short rainy season (Hagayyaa) lasts from October to November
followed by the long dry season (Bonaa).

3.2. Livelihood portfolio

3.2.1. Livestock production
Livestock production is the main livelihood basis of the Borana pastoralists (Tolera and Abebe, 2007).
Especially, female livestock is the basis to persist the production of livestock beyond its reproductive character.
The survey result indicated that the female livestock is the dominant in livestock composition of the households.
Particularly, at the productive age (>3 years) the population of female livestock is more than 366% of the total
male livestock population and higher as the age category increases. This indicates that pastoralists by its nature
preserve the female livestock by reducing the size of male livestock to achieve higher livestock mass.
Table 1. Herd composition
Age category (year) Sex Cattle Camel Sheep Goat
Male 1.16 0.25 0.06 1.17
Above 4
Female 150.16 0.77 4.01 3.04
Male 0.67 3.41 0.06 0.73
3-4 year
Female 1.08 0.18 0.19 16.42
Male 57.91 0.14 0.08 0.91
2-3 year
Female 24.36 0.14 0.15 1.58
Less than 2 Male 0.57 0.06 0.09 13.22
Female 0.82 0.91 0.14 4.91
Other to cattle ratio (%) - 2% 2% 18%
Total (TLU) 236.73 5.86 4.78 41.98
As compared to other livestock, cattle are the dominant livestock species. The survey result also
witnesses that the proportion of other livestock: cattle ratio is very low except goat. Following cattle, goat is a
very important livestock types especially vis-à-vis drought resistance. Other scholar finding also indicated as
compared to earlier decades, the proportion of the other livestock types are increasing due to susceptibility of
cattle to drought (Megersa, 2013).
3.2.2. Crop production
Crop production become a complimentary alternative livelihood option as compared to earlier decades. As a
result, the households are increasingly practicing farming as compared to the last four decades where almost no
households involved in cultivation (Desta and Coppock, 2004). However, since recently larger numbers of
pastoralists have been engaged in cultivation at a cost of rangeland (Desta, 2011).
The survey result signposted that the respondents have about 1.9ha average farm land which is not
expected in pastoral area. From these farming households, about 60% of the households have farmland around
their home stead. However, the crops production was deprived of by different environmental factors though the
pastoral communities were considering farming as a new opportunity to diversify their economy given the
pressure on rangeland (Desta and Coppock, 2004). Diversification is typically, expressed in a form of increased
involvement in crop cultivation and camel husbandry.

3.3. Effect of Drought

In Borana zone, prolonged and recurrent drought is the most typical corrupted events of climate change.
Remarkably, drought cycle has been shortened than earlier that increase its risk (Oxfam, 2011). As a result,
reproductive performance of livestock was reduced despite the fact that livestock mortality is increasing (Herrero
et al., 2010). Specifically, the effect of drought can be conveyed as follow.

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ISSN (Paper)2224-5766 ISSN (Online)2225-0484 (Online)
Vol.6, No.23, 2016

3.3.1. Disrupts the livestock composition and size

The frequency of drought coupled with the recovery periods of livestock was highly disrupts the livestock size
and compositions. Especially, cattle are the most vulnerable livestock type observed in Borana zone. The survey
result attested that from the livestock died during filed study about 68% were cattle. On the other hand, the
maximum size of the livestock in the study area was highly reduced within a decade by 315% (Fig 1). As a result,
today the households without livestock are eventually increasing that enforced to search for alternative
livelihood system particularly to crop farming.
On the other hand, the proportion of goat to other livestock was increasing in spite of the recurrent
demolition effect of drought. It is a clear indication that goat population are ascended due to its reproduction
frequency characteristics, drought resistant, low feeding cost, economical purchasing cost and management
especially during feed shortage. As a result, the population of small ruminant are relatively increasing than other
livestock, cattle, though social affairs is favoring cattle (see table 1). The data from survey indicated that even
the maximum size of livestock is decreasing from time to time over a decade as indicated below (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Livestock composition in a decade

3.3.2. Livestock mortalities
Livestock loss to drought are particularly higher among certain species, age and sex classes of livestock
(Coppock, 1994). The survey indicated across livestock types about 68%, 15%, 6%, 5%, 4% and 2% were cattle,
mule, goat, sheep, donkey and camel respectively were died. This implies that cattle, the main asset, more
susceptible to drought relative to other livestock. Furthermore, the survey data indicated that from the whole
livestock types, on average about 63% of the total livestock died were female in general. Explicitly, about 60%
of cattle, about 79% of camel, about 59% of sheep, about 72% of goat died were females. This implies that
female livestock are more susceptible to the drought shock. Ultimately, the effect of drought is higher in
reducing the production performances of the livestock.
Generally, cattle are the most affected livestock type during severe drought due to higher input
requirement than other livestock types. Yet, it is the potential top priority of the society due to its principal role
in socio-economics and cultural heritage such as higher favorite for cultural heritages, extent of social position,
higher livestock product, higher selling prices and higher sources of consumptive sources. However, small
ruminant mortality rate was lower than cattle due to their versatility for drought, their prolific nature and
adaptability of their physiological make-up. Field data, shoat marked about only about 11% of total livestock
death during field survey. Moreover, camel registered the lowest mortality rate, only 2%, which demonstrates its
better tolerance.
Generally, the vulnerability rank can be aligned as cattle, sheep, goat and camel from highest to lowest.
Camel is the least vulnerable livestock to drought due to its adaptive capacity to the harsh environment.
Table 2. Livestock death during recent drought season
Livestock type N Maximum (TLU) Mean (TLU) Std. Deviation
Cattle 84 94.5 8.323 21.68
Camel 67 3 0.18 0.6
Sheep 78 7 0.501 11.5
Goat 82 7.8 0.501 12.54
Donkey 73 5 0.235 1.56
Mule 72 21 1.106 5.18
Total 199 138.3 10.846 -
3.3.3. Food insecurity
The effect of drought is clearly visualized on the forage and water resources where the livestock is totally
dependent on to provide food. These resources are totally dried-up during drought season. As a result, the food
insecurity manifests in the home of each households beginning from a very poor (resources poor) households.

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However, though the society need helps to withstand the shock of drought, most of the households were not
access to sufficient aid services. Moreover, the aid assistant provided was typically focused on lifesaving
strategies. From the survey result, only about 39% of the households have receives external food assistants. From
these receivers, about 77% of the households were received food aid. However, only about 5% and 8% of the
respondent households were received animal and animal feed (hay, straw, crop residue) respectively.
Generally, the aid assistant provided to the drought affected area was biased to live saving in spite of
building future capacity. As a result, the livelihood of the pastoralists is in a downward trend and become sever
from time to time.
3.3.4. Unsettle agricultural market
Agricultural marketing system is highly affected during drought season. During field survey, the elites outlined
that regardless of other factors, drought has prominent impacts on the prices of livestock and livestock supply. At
the early start of drought, the pastoralists were flooding its livestock due to fear of livestock death. During this
season, the water resources and pasture availability become declining than the normal season which result in
deterioration in body condition of the livestock.
However, during the drought season both the prices of the livestock as well as the body was badly
deflated. However, though buyer were a problem, the communities were reluctantly supplied their livestock at
the severely low prices. During post drought, however, the body condition and price is gradually risen subject to
the encouraging availability of water and forage. As a result, the supplies of livestock declining that escalate the
livestock prices.
On the other hand, the price of all staple grains show upward trend throughout the peak drought periods.
As a result, the terms of trade of livestock-grains is decreasing which induces food insecurity in pastoral areas
especially in the home of poor households. Both livestock and grain prices register high seasonal variations with
different elasticity direction. Accordingly, as the livestock prices drop towards the end of the dry season, because
of animals’ weight loss, the grain prices tend to rise because of supply shortage and increased demand. This
implies that to feed the families more number of animals should be disposed to market which critically affects
the future asset of the households.
3.3.5. Land degradation
A fall in forage availability due to low rainfall is the first main effect. During the pre-drought periods, the
majority of the pastoralists and agro-pastoralists perceived that the availability of forages was inadequate due to
the failure of the short rainy season. The shortfall of expected long rainy season following the peak dry season
pronounced the progression to the peak drought phase. As a result, the forge seedbank would unable to
germinate due to insufficient rainfall.
3.3.6. Other socio-economic crisis
Drought was the leading prominent factors of livelihood in dryland of Borana that they were suffering from.
However, the principal cause of drought is the consecutive fail of rainfall in the consecutive rainy season.
Precisely, the decline of Hagayyaa (short rainy season) rainfall followed by Ganna (main rainy season) rain fail
causes a complete drying-off of the surface water resources. Moreover, following the failure of consecutive rainy
season, it results in shortage of livestock feed. As a result, migration become the only option for search of water
and livestock feed if the condition become worsen. Moreover, resources base conflict is another evil image of
drought outcome that result in human life loss, livestock smuggling and driven migration. The primary effect of
drought is clearly visualized on those two main important resources; namely feed and water. These are also the
foremost causes of ethnic conflicts in southern Ethiopia.
Access to infrastructure is another challenge during drought. Particularly, during drought induced
migration though access infrastructure depends on the direction of migration, it was difficult to access the nearby
school due to migration has no cutting-edge time that depends on mercy of God. So, the student certainly
dropout during migration and resume after returned to their homestead. However, the distance to these
infrastructures such as market places and veterinary post is. Migration is, however, the most perilous option due
to its full package of every trials in human being. Along the migration routine, the households face variety of
difficulties which inflate the severity condition of migration. Among the major tortures lack of conducive shelter,
disclosure to predators (like snake, herbivores etc.), lack of clean water and other economic costs. Moreover, the
migration of parts of or the whole family creates additional cost such as resource share among family, creates a
psychological tension and economic cost of establishment. Additionally, distances from public infrastructure
and facility exacerbates the other problem like veterinary cost, livestock death, human disease, low livestock
price, corruption and counterfeit buyers and ethnic conflict.

3.4. Drought coping strategies

Coping strategies refers to the strategies that have evolved over time through peoples’ long experience in dealing
with the known and understood natural variation that they expect in seasons combined with their specific
responses to the season as it unfolds (Cooper et al., 2008). In southern Ethiopia, pastoralists have been developed

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various possible coping strategies to overcome the distress effect of drought through their experience. However,
the increased frequency of drought threatens to overwhelm these coping mechanisms and resilience of the
pastoralists (Stark and Ejigu, 2011).
Hence, it is important to group these coping strategies to ease the discussion based on different natural
and environmental characteristics. These include weather, livestock, rangeland and water related strategies as
discussed in the subsequent section here after.
3.4.1. Livestock-related coping strategies
The livestock-related coping strategies include reducing livestock size, livestock mobility, livestock
diversification and livelihood diversification among the major. During this study, about 33% respondent
households were employing this strategy. Though livestock is still constituted the most crucial component of
Borana livelihood, the survey result indicated that pastoralists are eager to reduces their livestock size and even
diversify to the drought resistant livestock types.
From these strategies, herd mobility is one of the long history livestock related coping strategies that
dictated by season and the availability of forage, as well as personal relationships, family structure, and
immediate demands in search of water and pasture. Nowadays, herd mobility was highly confronted by different
factors such as expansion of farm land, land degradation and bush encroachment.
3.4.2. Water related strategies
Water resources is a key resource affected during severe drought. Moreover, built a water harvesting scheme
such as deep well and shallow pond to harvest available rain water both for human and livestock drinking also
common. However, relative to the past 10 years ago, the average distant to the water was reduced both for
livestock and human creature owning to intensive water development to overcome sever water shortage.
However, still the favorable quality of drinking water is a challenge.
As compared to the dry season, the average distances from water sources is much lower in wet season.
However, it need an integrated effort to develop sufficient potable water or water healing mechanism to
overcome problem related to water cleaning issues.
3.4.3. Other common strategies

(a) Digging of shallow pond (dry season) (b) Fetching drinking water from the pond

Figure 2. Water development and utilization during the recent severe drought
3.4.3.1. Migration
Migration is realized as coping strategies in step-by-step manner that depends on the severity condition of
drought. Based on the status of forage and water condition, the first action is separating and letting the lactating
cow and calves around home stead and then the herder (household head or a group of young herder) migrate with
other livestock. However, they return to their homestead otherwise they migrated with all family and livestock if
the condition become worsen. From survey result, only about 12% of the respondents were used migration as the
last option. However, most the respondent households have clearly articulated that migration is an option only
when their environment is bare to live on otherwise it is a perilous game.
3.4.3.2. Social assistant
Social assistant is a deep-rooted ethos along with history of Borana society. In southern Ethiopia, clan support
such as buusaa gonofaa (food and other resources sharing) and Ameessa (milking cow loan) are the most
common social assistant during severe drought. It is a social assistance in which the rich or households whom
livestock have survived from drought helps the households who has no and/or loss the whole livestock (Dirriba
and Jema, 2015).

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Besides clan assistant, food aid was also a common support received during drought. From the survey
result, about 15% of the respondents were admitted to external emergency aid during drought season. However,
even the emergency aid was not on time but after the societies failed in abject deficiency. Moreover, the external
assistant such emergency food aid is not the issues to depend on due to its meagerness, inadequacy, and
unintegrated coverage. The emergency food aid is normally starts from the bottom, neediest households, due
inadequate potential of food aid sources. Interestingly, Borana society have a best culture that they share
amongst neighbors what they have received from external even the food aid. During field survey, it was
observed that the meager received food aid definitely shared among the neighbor with food scarcity.
3.4.3.3. Farming
Recurrent drought was imposed an important foundation to pursue assets and incomes diversification as an
opportunity to farming in responses to climate changes at the expenses of rangelands. From the survey result,
about 11% of the respondents were practicing the crop production though it is susceptible to moisture stress.
Exclusively, farming is practically the post-drought option to insure their immediate family consumption.
Moreover, the key informant interview indicated that farming practices was expanded in Borana zone.
Beyond consumption focus, crop production become an important business oriented practices.
Especially, some elite practicing teff production, the cash crops in lowland, more intensively than other crops for
market purposes. However, the problem is that pastoralists were selling their crops, majorly teff and
alternatingly haricot bean, immediately after harvest where price very low owing to high supply. However, crop
production is more sensitive to water stress than livestock during severe drought. Unless, intensive research
would undertake, however, the loss was severing during moisture stress.
3.4.3.4. Non-farm-non-pastoral practices
Non-farm-non-pastoral incomes are among the major sources of income during drought breakout. Among the
major, migration of family for labor work and other off-farm activities such as selling of firewood, selling of
charcoal, labor work and working/keeping another’s farm/livestock on payment basis, petty trade and handcraft
were common. Especially, petty trades such as rural small shop, local beverage ( Daadhii 1), idustralized
beverage (uozo) and kchat selling become common petty trades (Dirriba and Jema, 2015). From survey result,
about 48% of the respondents were beheld that they were garnered income from non-farm-non-pastoral activities.
Specially, those households around asphalt road were practicing charcoal and firewood selling as a common
income option. Even beyond drought coping, still the practices of firewood and charcoal selling is consistently
continued after drought.
Though firewood and charcoal extraction has a devastating effect on forest development, in Borana, it
can be a best bush management technique. Bush is another bottle neck to rangeland where unimportant trees are
intensively invaded the rangeland. However, a technical based teaching of the society on the exploitation is a
prerequisite.
3.4.3.5. Saving and Borrowing
Livestock was the most common saving mode in pastoral area of Borana zone. However, drought has imposed a
higher devastating effect from time to time. As a result, pastoralists were starting saving their financial assert in
nearby financial organization. However, from this study only about 9% of the respondents were able to save their
coins in different organizations such as Commercial bank, Cooperative, Microcredit institution, Others
community based institution such as “Affooshaa2”, “Waldaa3”, women association and youth association among
the major. From these saving groups, about 60.3% were able to save in banks and micro-finance institute
whereas about 14% of the saver were saving in their own cooperative/union. Typically, the awareness to use
formal financial institution is very low regardless of distance to these institutions where the respondents even
revealed that they have no confidence to save their resource in financial institutions.
Borrowing is, on the other hand, a deep rooted common strategy in pastoral area of Borana to access
finances for short period of time for different purposes such as food purchase, cultural affairs and other social
duties. During the post drought field survey, however, only about 15.8% of the respondents were with debt after
drought that indicate long term borrowing is very low.
3.4.3.6. Destocking
Destocking is an emergent act of reducing the herd size from their flock mostly as a coping mechanism during
severe drought (Hurst et al., 2012). The main target of destocking is to reduce livestock death, to moderate the
feed competition during severe drought and to covert livestock in kind to a liquid form. However, the key
informants observed destocking as the last option attributable to a probability of survival of livestock from

1
Daadhii: is a local beverage, which called tej in Amharic and Dhaadhii locablly in Afaan Oromoo.
2
Afosha is an informal saving institution that a group of individual contributed a fixed amount of money on monthly basis
mainly for some faithful (e.g. wedding) or unfaithful (e.g. death) day’s financial requirements.
3
Waldaa is an organized business oriented group of people with a common target to achieve a certain goal with a
contribution of a fixed amount of money at a fixed interval of time.

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drought. The key informant also indicated that though pastoralists were favor this option than complete loss, they
fear the capacity to purchase livestock after drought owing to inflation.
Principally, the pre- and post-drought price of livestock is extremely imbalanced. As coping option,
about 20% of the respondents were destocking their livestock before the sever effect of drought for purchase of
food, livestock feed and other social cost beyond reducing livestock size. However, it is hardly possible to obtain
the pastoralists that were destocking their livestock to save in notes. Typically, pastoralists were practicing
destocking merely for emergency financial requirement, not to save.

4. Conclusion and recommendation

The recurrent drought has posed heavy losses on livestock resource, water resources, and grazing lands and as
well as on the socioeconomic of the pastoral and agro-pastoral communities. Drought is continually become the
big challenges in southern Ethiopia. Though the pastoralists were struggling either to overcome or reduce the
effect of drought, it has been weakening their capacity to withstand afar their strategies. Unless otherwise the
agricultural policy pay attention to the pastoralism, the major sources of livestock lives export, it would be a big
loss even for the country’s foreign currency income. Thus, the agricultural policy should pay attention to the
grass root problems in dryland for further conducive policy emphasis.
Generally, in spite of modernizing the ways of pastoralism, they are struggling with the effects of
climate change to survive over a period of time. Hence, it need a grass root intervention, both research and
development, to improve the pastoral role in the national economic development beyond their current economic
prestige in general. Definitely, climate change is not the sole problems that leaks pastoral society to the
devastating effect of drought, but it is the result of multi-effects of different problem such as natural, social,
political and cultural deterioration. Thus, this paper will provide the following specific recommendation for
further due attention.
Thus, agricultural marketing system need a prime due attention. Particularly the value (demand) of
livestock fluctuates in contrary to pastoral supply. Beyond livestock size, establishing strong livestock market
linkage for better bargaining opportunity is the best opportunity to sustain the foreign currency generation from
livestock. Still beyond the distance to the market, access to encouraging marketing system is challenging. With
the current livestock marketing system, the exposure to drought consequence remains a challenge even to the
country as whole unless far-reaching interferences could undertake. Thus, it need a steady binding efforts to
establish regulated actors’ linkage, price, livestock supply, supply chain, numbers of actors, livestock demand,
and marketing system in general before campaigning the significance of destocking and restocking for drought.
Moreover, though some pastoralists were practicing crop farming in moderate manner, they were
selling immediately after harvest in most case and less than a year in rare case. Why they cannot store for evil
day of drought for better food security? During harvest the price of crop is very low relative to crop price during
drought season. Moreover, during drought the tradeoff of crop-to-livestock is much higher than normal season.
So, it need further study to identify the enigmatic encounters behind it.
Development of compulsory resources, feed and water, with sustainable exploitation need a primal
devotion. The community migrating during drought for search of water and livestock feed altogether which even
cause ethnic conflicts. Though development of ground water is somewhat inflated, well designed comprehensive
rain water harvesting can save the risks of drought altogether with feed development along well designed
watershed practices. Moreover, most of the rangeland was bush encroached and degraded which suppress the
potential for feed development. Thus, irreversible bush clearing and/or thinning with efficient rangeland
restoration techniques will recovers the shortage of feed resources. Furthermore, improving livestock feeding
system need an equivalent attention to improve the sustainable uses of water and forage development.
Access to sophisticated early warning information (EWI) also need an important concern. The time gap
of access to early warning information and drought breakout could not provide ample time to prepare to handle
the effect of drought. Moreover, strong linkage of the pastoralists with EWI is a crucial that demands
establishment of EWI center in the dryland area. This could provide an opportunity for the society to access
updated prompt information that provide sufficient time to prepare for combatting the disastrous effects of
drought.
Furthermore, awareness creation and training need intensive efforts. Drought is not a new phenomenon
in southern Ethiopia which is known even before several decades. However, the effects and frequency of drought
is increasing overtime whereas pastoralists are using similar possible coping strategies. As a result, the effect of
drought is deadly eroding their main asset, livestock, from time to time with increased frequency and intensity.
Thus, unless otherwise intensive awareness creation and tailored training on the way out will primed, the future
of pastoralists will more suffering for the risks of climate change. Moreover, the livestock management scheme
of the pastoralists is more or less as similar as past decades that ought to be allied with climate change. Thus,
pastoralists need the strategies of the ways to go.
Agricultural policy is an important inspiring tool to enhance unalterable sustainable transformation in

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pastoral society. Societies are struggling by their own indigenous knowledge to overcome the recurrent effects of
drought. However, it need proved strategic plan that enhance the livelihood of the pastoralists to withstand the
devastating effects of drought. Especially, livelihood diversification need a strategic thinking beyond pastoral
practices. Depends on their indigenous knowledge societies are practiced such as farming and charcoal making
to improve their income for better food security. However, unless otherwise the livelihood diversification is
based on strategic policy evidence, it further increases the exposure rate of the society. Particularly, expansion of
farmland is at the cost of rangeland that disturbs rangeland development, limit mobility and enhance soil erosion.
So, it need urgent and intensive efforts of the policy interventions.
Improving access to infrastructure and services will moderate the dramatic change in pastoral society.
The livelihood of pastoralists is highly dependent on agriculture, particularly livestock, with high market
correlation. Thus, access to various infrastructure can affects the livelihood of the pastoralists either directly or
indirectly. Specifically, access to all season road, adequate veterinary services, market place, adequate market
information, prompt EWI and tailored made training are crucial to sustain the pastoral improvement to surmount
the effects of drought and other climatic challenge.
Furthermore, building the future of the society, need a priority program attention. Specially, most of the
external assistant such as food aid should shift their operation from emergency assistant fixated to the build of
the future resources of the society. During drought, huge of resources were invested but focused on merely
emergency assistant. However, it is the important if the emergency fund raised before the drought breakout to
building the resources of the pastoralists that enable them to withstand the effect of drought. Otherwise, if the
intervention continues in the emergency operation, the future of the society in the dryland of southern Ethiopia is
questionable. Thus, the emergency fund raising should consider the future livelihood of a society besides the
emergency aid.
Generally, it is hardly imaginable to stop the drought and its frequency. However, it is easier to
developing a way out. Thus, to veil the pastorals society from the deadly effect of recurrent drought, it need the
hand of multitude stakeholders including pastoral society itself. Furthermore, beyond development intervention
identifying and prioritizing of the key challenges need a prior action. Finally, drought effects can be minimized if
accountable stakeholder act together and consecutively to sustain the best interventions.

5. Acknowledgement
This work was supported by Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS) and
implemented in collaboration with Yabello Pastoral and Dryland Agricultural Research Center (YPDARC) in
southern Ethiopia. Additionally, I appreciate researchers from Yabello Pastoral and Dryland Agricultural
Research Center that were participating in data collection and data entry. The views expressed in this document
are solely of the author and cannot be taken to reflect the official opinions of the JIRCAS and YPDARC.

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