Nomadic Pastoralism and Sustainable Livelihoods in the 21st Century: An Assessment of Current Practices, Challenges and Prospects for Pastoralists in Samburu County, Kenya

Abstract

This study aimed to assess the current practices, challenges and prospects of nomadic pastoralism and sustainable livelihoods in the 21st Century in Samburu Pastoralists in Samburu County, Kenya. Nomadic pastoralism describes a season-based lifestyle that entails a random, irregular, and intentional movement of livestock and people to new places in search of a better supply of pastures and water. The sustainability of nomadic pastoralism in the 21st century is doubtful due to the factors militating against the system. For example, there are threatening factors like global warming, prolonged implications of climate change, unstable utilisation of natural resources like land and water, and the environmental degradation arising from uncontrolled extractive industries and urbanisation. This study utilised a mixed method approach with quantitative data collected from a random sample of 140 households and supplemented by two focus group discussions. Analyses found that households that exhibit the least livelihood diversification, as reflected by reliance on pastoralism as the main source of livelihood, are more likely than others to experience negative outcomes. This study recommends concerted efforts in support of livelihood diversification that the County Government of Isiolo should necessarily spearhead