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Background document on Afghan Pastoralists |
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What is the Ministry of Frontiers and Tribal Affairs? Background document on Afghan Pastoralists National Multi-sectoral Assessment on Kuchi Geographical locations and migration routes Other documentation on Afghan Pastoralists
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Click here for the full report Click here for the Executive Summary Click here for the recommendations · This report aims to work towards recommendations towards a Pastoralist Support Strategy, to support the pastoralists of Afghanistan to rebuild or maintain a sustainable livelihood. · The Pastoralist Support Strategy under development does not focus on an ethnic group, it focuses on people with a certain livelihood; e.g. pastoralism. Pastoralism is a social and economic system based on the raising and herding of livestock, in which they migrate to benefit to the maximum of seasonal pasture for the livestock. · Three categories can be differentiated:
· Pastoralists have an important contribution to make to the national economy, as they did in the past (35% of all exports were from livestock products). They also fill an ecological niche, through using the marginal lands which can not be made to sustainable economic use in another way. · Recent estimates indicate that there around 2.5 million kuchi, of which 1.5 million are still migratory (pastoralists) and 1 million are currently not-migratory (former pastoralists). · There are large differences in migration patterns and livelihood strategies between the pastoralists of the different regions. · Income derived from livestock production is often supplemented by other income sources, like harvesting, casual labour but also through the purchase of agricultural land. In recent years, an increased diversification of household income and a move towards a more semi-migratory lifestyle has taken place. · With increasing economic stress on the household, men find themselves forced to actively search for casual labour in the main markets. They constitute a group of migrant labourers, leaving the families behind in the ‘kuchi areas’. Skill levels, other than livestock keeping, are low and unskilled labour is all they can obtain. · Few pastoralists have been included in vocational training programs in the IDP camps. None of these programs have moved onward from here, and have progressed towards establishing a new livelihood based on the new skills. No job referral, business skills training, monitoring of performance has taken place, which makes it difficult to assess the impact of these training programs at this point. · Changes in summer pastures and in winter pastures have taken place over the last centuries, and currently the access to the summer pastures in the Central Highlands is compromised. Customary mechanisms to determine pasture user’s rights exist, and are functioning to a certain extent. However, particularly in areas where these grazing rights have been relatively recently established, and where these were partly politically manipulated, there is a high level of conflict over these user’s rights. · FAO conducted a livestock census in 2003, but unfortunately very few kuchi herds were enumerated. With caution it can be said that estimates on livestock numbers in the north are reaching their pre-war levels, whereas the south and the east is lagging far behind. It has been estimated that kuchi own around 30 to 50% of the national herd. · Rangelands cover around 45% of the total land area in Afghanistan, according to the FAO land cover map. However, large areas which are considered ‘barren land’ or ‘waste land’ are also used for grazing, particularly in the winter season. The total grazeable area therefore is much larger, estimated at 70-85% of the total land area. · No comprehensive assessment of the current status of the range lands, and the (reversible or irreversible?) effects of the drought on the range land has been carried out. Even though a number of documents claim that there is extensive over-grazing in Afghanistan, there is no evidence to corroborate this. Due to socio-political factors access to certain pasture areas has been reduced, which could theoretically even have led to under-grazing in these areas. · Increasingly, pastures have come under rain fed agricultural production, with devastating effects, most notably in Dasht-e-Laily and Shiwa. · Destitute pastoralists, that have lost all their livestock, tend to settle permanently in their traditional winter areas. There they are often at risk of being evicted from the land by local residents or commanders. This land insecurity places additional stress on already destitute people. · Within the field of Forestry and Rangeland, the initial focus of interventions is in forestry rehabilitation and management. Rangeland issues are viewed as being important to address, but practically there is little progress, with the exception of the Registan. · All on-going policy development and research in the field of range management that has been carried out points in the direction of ‘Community Based Natural Resource Management’ as the most appropriate way forward to addressing range land management and conflict resolution. A pasture based local negotiation process on mechanisms and conditions of use of the pasture land is promoted, through a learning-by-doing approach. A legal framework will be required to arrive at the desired level of legitimacy of the Range Management Plans thus obtained. · Animal health problems are prevalent in the pastoralists’ herds, but it is unclear how this compares with the sedentary herds. Anecdotal information suggests that the Kuchi do not make optimal use of the existing veterinary services, and this could be improved upon. According to the staff of the Veterinary Field Units, the pastoralists are more willing to pay for veterinary services (including vaccination) than the sedentary farmers. · Veterinary Field Units are currently being supported by various organizations, including DCA, PRB, AVA, MC, and Madera, but the overall consensus is that these VFUs shall move towards full privatization. The extent to which the pastoralists make optimum use of these clinics is currently being researched. A Kuchi study conducted in 1999 by FAO reported that 72% of the interviewed households do not visit the VFUs. The VFU staff themselves paint a different picture, with a much higher level of contact. · Some organizations have trained Basic Veterinary Workers in the past, but due to diminishing support and unclear ties to the Veterinary Field Unit, most of these are no longer working. · The role of the government will move away from service delivery and towards the more public roles of disease control, and monitoring. Prevention and control of transmittable diseases is supported through a large regional programme by FAO, which aims at establishing regional mechanisms for trans-boundary animal disease control. The pastoralists are considered an important factor in the spread of disease due to their migratory patterns. Herds from different regions meet in large grazing areas in the summer and at water sources and may transfer diseases back to their winter areas, which may lead to a wider spread of disease. Vaccination, de-worming and ecto-parasite control of the pastoralists’ herds is therefore of great importance, even more so than for the sedentary livestock owners. · Winter nutrition is the main bottle neck for livestock production. To some degree supplementary feeding is practiced during the winter months, but not by all. There may be enormous scope for increased livestock production and improved livestock health through improving the quantity and quality of feed intake during the winter months. · Livestock production and animal husbandry are not receiving adequate attention, in particular for the more extensive livestock production systems. The focus of on-going programs currently is predominantly on rural poultry production and dairy processing. Extension on animal nutrition, hygiene and breeding, and increasing livestock fodder production for small ruminants could improve the robustness of the livestock sector considerably. · Very little information is available on the opportunities and constraints of the national, regional and international market for livestock and livestock products. Feasibility studies are currently not being planned, other than a recently conducted livestock marketing study (yet unpublished). · Recommendations towards supporting the pastoralists fall into two separate categories; 1) to strengthen the pastoralist way of life, and 2) to support the establishment of a substitute livelihood; alternative income generation. Potential mechanisms to strengthen the pastoralist way of life A. Institutional strengthening 1. The capacity of the Ministry of Frontiers and Tribal Affairs for mainstreaming pastoralists’ interests needs to be strengthened 2. Development of the capacity of the national and provincial Kuchi shuras
B. Rangeland management 1. Technical assessment of the status of the rangeland and potential for rehabilitation 2. Negotiation of access to the resources (rangeland and water). 3. Pasture Monitoring System, linked to a ‘Drought Management Strategy’. 4. Advocacy for a legislative framework at national, provincial and district level for Community based Natural Resource Management.
C. Animal Health 1. Improve linkages with the existing veterinary service delivery practice and extension through training of Paravets and BVWs and through the establishment of mobile or fixed Veterinary Field Units. 2. Improve the inclusion of pastoralists in Disease Control and Prevention
D. Animal production and husbandry 1. Credit facilities / storage facilities for livestock fodder 2. Extend extension services to pastoralists 3. Increase livestock feed availability 4. Promote the fattening of male lambs
E. Macro-economic regeneration 1. Feasibility Studies and Market Assessments for livestock and (adding value to) livestock products. 2. Encourage private sector investment in the livestock and livestock products industry investors. Potential mechanisms to support the establishment of a substitute livelihood A. Advocate for increased land security for (former) pastoralists in the Land Commission B. Skills Development Centres for (former) pastoralists C. Lamb fattening as an entrepreneurial activity D. Livestock product processing E. Promote small-scale poultry and rabbit production F. Promote the development of large-scale irrigation schemes to increase agricultural land Contact: For feedback, comments or more information, contact Frauke de Weijer (F_deweijer@planet.nl) pastoralist advisor, RAMP; or Zuhoor Mehri (Zmehri@ramp-af.com) pastoralist support assistant, RAMP. |
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