A presentation on Pastoralism and Partnerships by Vanessa Tilstone - The Drylands Learning and Capacity Building Initiative (DLCI) for Improved Policy and Practice in the Horn of Africa.

1. The Drylands Learning and Capacity
Building Initiative (DLCI) for improved
policy and practice in the Horn of
Africa
Pastoralism and partnerships
Vanessa Tilstone
1

2. DLCI
Started as REGLAP in 2008 by ECHO as a knowledge management and
advocacy organisation to support ECHO partners.
Initially a consortium of international organisations: Oxfam, Save,
Cordaid, CARE, DCA, IUCN, IIED, ODI, RECONCILE, CEMERIDE and
VSF B.
Learning and good practice documentation on dryland issues and
advocacy on priority issues for resilience: donors, media, gvts,
NGOs. Links to UN, research, CSOs, government, donors.
2013 strategic review and planning process: should become an
independent entity with a focus on civil society and governments.
Now a Kenyan registered non profit company funded by ECHO and
SDC and recently USAID in partnership with Tufts University.

3. Pastoralism and partnerships -structure
1. The importance of common analysis
2. Different type of organisations need to focus on their
organisational strengths
3. Partnership arrangements and critical factors
4. Discussion – what concrete actions we today can commit to
improve ours and other partnerships?

4. The need for common analysis
1. The most critical barrier to partnerships on pastoralism has been the
widely diverging views on pastoralism: between and within orgs.
2. Viability of livelihood system not seen in other areas e.g. cropping as
pastoralism seen as backward, unproductive, not resilient to drought.
Bizarre given the ecological realities and lack of investment in these
areas, compared to crop agriculture, massive investment/subsidies.
3. De-agrarianism worldwide, no different, but obsession with stamping
out pastoralism concerning, espec as alternatives are so very limited.
Livestock and livestock products are the largest growing agricultural
sector in east africa.
4. Lack of understanding led to huge negative impacts by humanitarian
agencies: food aid, water, service provision and lack of attention to
appropriate service delivery livestock health, rangeland management
and rehabilitation, security, roads for marketing.

5. 5
Figure 1. U-turn in the scientific understanding of
extensive livestock production

6. Figure 2: Mobile livestock systems at the core of the dryland economy
6

7. NDMA data 2006-2013

9. Focus on organisational strengths
1. Research for research institutions, NGOs should use proven
research organisations, rather than doing pseudo-research e.g. an
INGO ‘study’ : during the 2010/2011 drought that livestock
mortality was 80%, later found to be between 15-20%.
Humanitarian aspiration studies?
Researchers need be more applied, not just lip service, overcome
competitive nature, academic arrogance and improve sharing of
results.
Action research organisations: critical role in promoting evidence
based good practice guidance essential for collaboration.
2. Development actors – capacity building of government and
communities, promoting alternative livelihoods through
addressing the underlying constraints to development and
ensuring development benefits the most vulnerable e.g.
education, governance, lack of infrastructure, economic
empowerment etc.

10. Focus on organisational strengths
3. Humanitarian actors – preparedness and response but within
an a development trajectory so it is promoting not
undermining. There is much guidance on how to do this e.g.
LEGs and water guidance but it’s often not used due to
institutional memory and constant influx of decision makers
who are not familiar with the context.
Also critical role: lobby for more attention to vulnerable groups
and for underlying causes of vulnerability to be addressed.
4. Local NGOs and CSOs: surprising little support for local
organisations who have much better understanding and
linkages with communities and can work in ways that can
empower them. As most are from the communities they
work with, they have much more legitimacy to advocate for
the communities.

11. Focus on organisational strengths
5. Government: Should provide the policy and institutional framework
for development and resilience promotion in these areas. Where
they have e.g. Kenya with ASAL policy and the EDE framework,
other actors should support the implementation of these
frameworks and address some of the constraints e.g. capacity and
technical support rather than developing parallel processes that
undermine government efforts and great co-ordination burdens.
Relieve burden on government but developing a single channel to
communicate with government.
6. UN: has a particular role in supporting government and other actors
in co-ordination and technical capacity and should stick to that
rather than trying to compete with NGOs on implementation or
undermine government efforts.

12. Focus on organisational strengths
Donors:
Particular role in:
 ensuring organisations play to their strengths,
 promoting co-operation and synergy, collaboration with other
donor programs, unfortunately they are just as competitive as
others e.g. asal donor group, global alliance???
 providing sufficient funding for collaboration and partnerships.

13. Partnership arrangements
‘Consortia are not just ‘projects’ by another name. They are
living relational arrangements that become (in) effective
depending on how they are initiated, grown and treated.
Their management requires the right skills and adequate
resources. How money power is applied is applied is critical,
but through the consortium there needs to be specific staff
competencies in understanding and supporting
organisational processes.’
(Fowler and McManon, consortium working)

14. Partnerships – critical factors
1. Individuals and organisational cultures that:
 transcend their organisational identity;
 focus on addressing most critical obstacles to resilience promotion
of vulnerable populations, not people who are focused on careers
or organisational dominance;
 constantly questioning, learning and challenging themselves and
others;
 focus on accountability to their constituents, not only their donors
How do we overcome the competitiveness and organisational
promotion that dominates this area of work?

15. Questions for discussion and action
What can WE HERE TODAY commit to do to promote:
1. Better joint analysis on drylands between organisations?
2. Better uptake of evidence base and good practice guidance?
3. Co-ordination to encourage playing to one’s strengths and above:
joint analysis and use of evidence and good practice?
4. Better collaborative arrangements and partnerships within our
organisations?
5. How can we support government and local organisations better?
Groups: Research, UN, donors, NGO, CSO and Government

16. THANK YOU
For more information on DLCI:
www.disasterriskreduction.net/east-central-africa/reglap
@DLCI_Drylands
Drylands Learning and Capacity Building Initiative
vtilstone.dlci@gmail.com, dprech.dlci@gmail.com