This document discusses formal and informal governance structures for managing livestock systems and the environment in Marsabit, Northern Kenya. It outlines the consequences of changes in pastoral livestock systems and the environment. It also describes experiences harnessing synergies between formal and informal management structures. In particular, it discusses how integrating these structures provides resilience for pastoralists against uncertainties. The document concludes by highlighting emerging policy/legislative opportunities and potential areas for cutting-edge research related to livestock systems and pastoralism.

1. Formal and Informal Governance: Powerful Policy Option
for Harnessing Synergies to Secure Livestock Systems &
Environment in Marsabit, Northern Kenya
by
Dr. George J. Wamwere-Njoroge, BVM, MSc, MA
Pastoral Policy Advisor – USAID Kenya
Resilience and Economic Growth in the Arid Lands – Accelerated Growth
(REGAL-AG)
E-Mail:
g.njoroge@regal-ag.org, gwjnjoroge@yahoo.com,
wamwere.njoroge@gmail.com
1

2. Presentation Outline
• Introduction
• Quote & Objectives of The Presentation
• Consequences of Changes in Pastoral Livestock
Systems & Environment in Northern Kenya
• Experiences/Lessons Learnt thro’ Formal and
Informal Management Structures of Pastoral
Livestock Systems And Environment
• Leverage on Emerging Policy/Legislative
Opportunities
• Research Opportunities and Way Forward 2

3. Quote
"Development will bring food security only
-if it is people-centred,
-if it is environmentally sound,
-if it is participatory, and
-if it builds local and national capacity for self-reliance.
These are the basic characteristics of
sustainable human development."
- James Gustave Speltz (UNDP, 1994)
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4. Objectives of this presentation
• To share experiences/lessons learnt accrued
from integration of formal and informal
management structures of livestock systems
and environment in Marsabit, Northern Kenya
• To enumerate the emerging innovative policy &
legislative options created by the devolution
structures, especially the county Assembly
• To highlight possible cutting-edge research
opportunities 4

5. Consequences of Changing Livestock System and Environment in Northern Kenya
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6. Key Facts – Marsabit County
Area: 70,961 sq. km (about 11.2% of the total
landmass of Kenya)
Livestock Pop: Cattle (424,603), Sheep (960,004),
Goats (1,143,480), and Camels (203,320), donkeys
63,861 & Poultry 50,690.
Livelihoods: All Pastoral Livelihood Zone (81%), Agro-pastoral
Livelihood Zone (16%), Others (4%) - formal
employment, casual waged labour, petty trade and
fishing along Lake Turkana (3%)
Political: 4 Constituencies - Moyale, North horr, Saku
and Laisamis
Human Pop: Projected population: 316,200 - 2012
(164,100 males and 152,100 females)
Annual growth rate: 2.75 percent
Note: Approximately 80% landmass - arid and semi-arid
lands (ASALs )
(Marsabit, CIDP, 2013) & Republic of Kenya, Human
Population and Housing Census (2009)
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7. Pastoralism & Nomadic pastoralism
Pastoralism
• Pastoralism refers to a livelihood approach that
makes use of domesticated animals - for example,
sheep, goats, cattle, camels - to provide a variety of
products such as milk, skins, cash and occasionally
and meat
• It is also defined as a model of production where
livestock makes up to 50 percent or more of
economic portfolio of a pastoral household
(UNEP & IUCN, 2013) 7

8. Pastoralism & Nomadic pastoralism Cont’d
Nomadic pastoralism
• A model of production where over 80
percent of household income is generated
through regular movement of livestock
across a well-defined wet and dry season
grazing areas
(UNEP & IUCN, 2013)
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9. Why pastoralism is so important
• Pastoralism systems provides valuable ecosystem
services, namely:-
– Maintains high levels of biodiversity, increase vegetation
soil cover, reduce erosion, prevents wildfires, maintains
infrastructures, disperse seeds, allocate nutrients,
defragmenting landscapes, etc.
• Pastoralism produces necessary goods (meat, dairy,
leather, manure…), extracted sustainably from low
productive ecosystems
• Pastoral culture constitutes a highly valuable cultural
and intangible living heritage (IFAD, 2009) 9

10. Why pastoralism is so important
• Pastoralism systems provides valuable ecosystem
services
– Maintains high levels of biodiversity, increase vegetation
soil cover, reduce erosion, prevents wildfires, maintains
infrastructures, disperse seeds, allocate nutrients,
defragmenting landscapes, etc.
• Pastoralism produces necessary goods (meat, dairy,
leather, manure…), extracted sustainably from low
productive ecosystems
• Pastoral culture constitutes a highly valuable cultural
and intangible living heritage (IFAD, 2009) 10

11. Pastoral livestock production systems Classification
• Pastoral livestock production systems
– Falls under Solely Livestock Systems (SLS) which is a
livestock systems in which
– More than 90% of dry matter fed to animals comes
from rangelands, pastures, annual forages and
purchased feeds (very rare in normal conds – my
own insertion) and
– Less than 10% of the total value of production comes
from non-livestock farming activities
(Sere´ and Steinfeld,1996) 11

12. System and Livestock Production System (LPS)
• LPS is considered to be a subset of farming
systems
• Systems - regularly interacting or interdependent
group of items forming a unified whole
• Forage-livestock systems - productive groupings
that consider and utilize animals, plants, and soil
characteristics within an environmental
perspective (Oregon State University, 2008)
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13. System and Livestock Production System (LPS)
• Need to understand (Human influences –My
Own insertion-) on how the animals interact
with the plants growing in soil
• Proper management of the plant-animal-soil
continuum (by Human –My Own insertion-) will
improve the economics and ecology of the
unified whole - Human-Livestock-Pasture
Continuum (Sere´ and Steinfeld,1996)
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14. Formal Rules & Structures in pastoral livestock system
management
• Provincial
administrators - chiefs
and assistant chiefs
•
• National Government
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COUNTY
COMMISSIONER
SUB-COUNTY
COMMISSIONER
CHIEF
ASSISTANT CHIEF
VILLAGE ELDER

15. Formal Rules & Structures In Pastoral Livestock System
Management
• Laisamis Location
chief in a land
use/grazing
management
seminar
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16. Informal Rules & Structures In Pastoral Livestock System
Management
• Indigenous justice
systems are based on
a holistic philosophy.
Law is a way of life and
justice is a part of life
process.
(Ada Pecos Melton,
1995)
Photo: Borana Elder in
traditional regalia 16

17. Traditional
Management
Set Up in
Borana
17

18. Harnessing Synergy
Synergy
• According to Evans (1996), the term synergy refers to the
developmental multiplier effects of collaboration between
state and society, or between formal and informal
arrangements
• The Author stipulated that synergy requires a combination of
complementarity and embeddedness between state (formal –
my insertion) and society (informal – my insertion)
• Both complementary capacities & relations of trust and mutual
interest must coincide in order to produce the mutual gains
associated with synergy
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19. 19

20. Harnessed Synergy Cont’d
Harnessed energy gives resilience to
Pastoralists to a confront:
Four Types Uncertainties
• Ecological uncertainties
• Livelihood uncertainties
• Knowledge uncertainties
• Social and political uncertainties
(Mehta et al.1999) 20

21. Policy and Legislation needs
• Livestock production and marketing
• Animal health Care delivery System
• Disease Control and Prevention
• Livestock movement
• Branding and Traceability of livestock
• Farm-to-Fork Concept
21

22. Policy and Legislation Priorities
• Meat Control and Hygiene
• Branding of livestock products – Niche Markets
• Promotion of public-private-partnership (PPP)
• Organic livestock production
• Livestock System and Grazing management
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23. Research Opportunities
• Counties are willing and have some resources to pilot
innovations in:-
– Climate smart technologies
– Improved breeds
– Product development/Abattoir development
– Branding
• Many counties Kajiado, Marsabit etc. – proposing
establishment of abattoirs
– Disease control and livestock movement – e.g. Digital pen
• Upscale and/or Outscale Community conservancy model, to
integrate livestock marketing/business enterprises
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24. Acknowledgement
• USAID Kenya Resilience and Economic growth in the Arid
Lands – Accelerated Growth (REGAL-AG)
• International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)
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25. References
• County Integrated Development Program
Marsabit,, 2013)
• Mehta, L., Leach, M., Newell, P., Scoones, I.,
Silvaramakrishnana, K., AND Sally-Ann Way
(1999)
• Melton, Ada Pecos (1995). Indigenous justice
systems and tribal society Judicature 79
(December). Reprinted online by Tribal Court
Clearinghouse. 25

26. References Cont’d
• Peter Evans (1996): Social Capital - Conceptual
Frameworks and Empirical Evidence - An Annotated
Bibliography, Tine Rossing Feldman and Susan
Assaf. Social Development Family - Environmentally
and Socially. Sustainable Development Network.
• Republic of Kenya (2009) - Human Population and
Housing Census
• Steinfeld, H and J. Mäki-Hokkonen (2013): Animal
Production and Health Division, FAO, Rome, Italy.
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