Effect of Dried Pastures

When rains fail and meadows dry up, cattle are likely to starve unless they can be relocated to areas where feed is plentiful. That is why pastoralists have always been nomadic. Because of their nomadism, they are able to survive harsh times and avoid crises.

However, beginning with the colonial period, the Maasai were confined to a specific area, contained within a reserve, and banned from roaming in search of pastures. They were separated from the greatest grazing pastures and forced to live in a semi-arid region prone to periodic droughts. Because they were unable to relocate their livestock to pastures, a substantial number of Maasai cattle died of famine and disease during the drought years. As the area of grazing areas decreased, the severity of the droughts grew. Not all pastoralists in Maasailand were equally affected by colonial-era events. Before colonial times, the Maasai civilization was divided into two social groups:

• Elders: The ruling group consisted of the elders, who met in councils on a regular basis to discuss community issues and resolve problems. The warriors were primarily young men in charge of the tribe’s defense. They staged cattle raids and defended the community. In a civilization where livestock was valued as a form of wealth, robbing was important. Raids were used to assert the power of many pastoral groups.
• Warriors: Young males were recognized as members of the warrior class when they displayed their manliness by raiding the livestock of neighboring pastoral villages and participating in battles. Nonetheless, they were subject to the elders’ authority.

To handle the Maasai affairs, the British enacted a number of measures that had far-reaching consequences. They appointed chiefs from various Maasai sub-groups to be in charge of the tribe’s affairs. The British imposed various raiding and combat restrictions. As a result, both elders’ and warriors’ traditional authority has been damaged.

The chosen leaders of the colonial government usually prospered over time. They were able to buy animals, goods, and land since they had a consistent income. They made loans to poor neighbors who needed money to pay their taxes. Many of them began to settle in towns and engage in trade. These chiefs were able to survive the damage caused by war and drought. They could acquire animals when their herd was reduced since they possessed both pastoral and non-pastoral income.

Poor pastoralists who lived only on their animals lacked the resources to deal with adversity most of the time. During periods of conflict and famine, they lost almost everything. They were compelled to seek employment in the towns. Some made a living as charcoal burners, while others worked odd jobs. Those who are fortunate may be able to find more regular work in road or building construction.

Pastoralism and pastoral livestock production are very important to the livelihood and economy of Africa’s semi-arid areas. Due to long-term climate change, around 7,000 years ago; it spread throughout Northern Africa as an adaptation to the constantly changing and unpredictable arid climate. Pastoralism in Africa is practiced in 43 percent of the landmass. 

More than 22 million Africans rely on some type of pastoral activity for a living. Among them are Bedouins, Berbers, Maasai, Somali, Boran, and Turkana. Today, the bulk of them live in semi-arid grasslands or dry deserts, where rainfed agriculture is difficult. They raise cattle, camels, goats, sheep, and donkeys, and sell milk, meat, skins, and wool. Some augment their meager and uncertain earnings from pastoralism through commerce and transportation, while others combine mobile lifestyle activity with agriculture.

The lives of African pastoralists changed tremendously over colonial and post-colonial times. From the late 19th century, the British colonial government in east Africa started expanding land under cultivation. As cultivation expanded, pasturelands turned to cultivated fields and this brought a number of problems for the pastoralists and their lives became tough.