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Effects of Family Size and Wealth on Size of Land Cultivated by Borana Pastoralists in Southern Ethiopia

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Abstract

Traditionally, Borana pastoralists relied solely on cattle for their livelihood. Today, however, concomitant with declining livestock, most Borana are cultivating land as a supplement to livestock production. We tested our hypothesis that labour availability and wealth would affect the area of land cultivated by examining four kebeles (smallest administrative unit; ward) with different characteristics in Liben district, southern Ethiopia. Overall, 92 % of the households, ranging from 82 % in Qorati to 100 % in Siminto, were cultivating land. The area of land cultivated was related significantly and positively to wealth only in Siminto and to the number of wives only in Hadhessa. We concluded that the different responses among kebeles were due to variations in local conditions and, consequently, the prediction of generalities over a wide geographical range should be made with caution.

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Notes

  1. A publication of the Environmental Protection and Rural Land Use and Administration Agency, Afar Regional Government)

  2. http://usaidlandtenure.net/projects/ethiopia.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Getachew Gebru for helpful discussions, in particular on land tenure issues, Adrian Cullis (Tufts University) for general information on pastoralism, Theodros Jima, Wario Dhadacha, Abduba Yacob, Galmo Godana and Aynalem Tekeba (Save the Children/US, Negelle-Borana) for information on Borana livestock production, Liben Jilo, kebele head from Qorati for information on pastoralist systems and land rights, Guracho Jilo Ali, water manager (abba herega) from Boba for information on well management, Sako Kulule, pasture manager (abba dheda) from Qorati for information on livestock mobility and the Borana for sharing their views with us. We also thank three anonymous reviewers for helpful suggestions. The first author was invited to discuss the content of his paper at the SRP Climate Change Forum in Ethiopia. This forum took place within the framework of the Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) North–South: Research Partnerships for Mitigating Syndromes of Global Change. The NCCR North–South is co-funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation and Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Man in the Desert, Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus, Beer Sheva, 84990, Israel

    Did Boru & Moshe Schwartz

  2. Wyler Department for Dryland Agriculture, Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus, Beer Sheva, 84990, Israel

    Michael Kam & A. Allan Degen

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  1. Did Boru
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Correspondence to A. Allan Degen.

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Boru, D., Schwartz, M., Kam, M. et al. Effects of Family Size and Wealth on Size of Land Cultivated by Borana Pastoralists in Southern Ethiopia. Hum Ecol 43, 15–28 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-014-9711-3

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