Modelling the value of farm animal genetic resources – facilitating priority setting for the conservation of cattle in East Africa

Given the diminishing diversity within farm animals and with it dwindling genetic resources that are in jeopardy of becoming extinct forever, sound conservation programmes for farm animal genetic resources become more and more important, including appropriate compensation payments for community-based conservation programmes. The findings of this study will guide policy-makers in their decisions on which breed to conserve, where to conserve and how to conserve it, all under the umbrella of cost-efficiency. The survey was limited to the Borana breed in southern Ethiopia and northern Kenya. The first scope of this study was to discover (1) unique benefits of and threats to the Borana breed and, (2) the distribution and existence of Borana subtypes. This study aimed to monetarily assess (3) attributes of local cattle breeds in the research area and, (4) different cattle breeds per se relative to each other. A further objective of this study was to reveal (5) the costs of a community-based in-situ conservation of the pure Borana. Finally, the study aimed to identify (6) a ranking priority for the conservation of different Borana subtypes and, (7) important implications and considerations for conservation programmes. Overall, the study concludes that comparing the values of three locally adapted Borana subtypes (Ethiopian Borana (EB), Orma Borana (OB) and Somali Borana (SB)) to the costs of conserving them, conservation programmes will have great potential and will secure the Borana people’s daily needs as well as their traditional pastoral lifestyle that is strongly interdependent with the keeping of Borana cattle. It was further concluded by applying a Weitzman priority ranking approach that the EB has the greatest potential to be conserved cost-efficiently and that this type in Ethiopia should receive the highest priority for conservation funding. With properly installed community-based in-situ conservation programmes, a rapid change in production and land use systems away from a sustainable cattle husbandry production can be haltered. Conserving the EB in the Borana lowlands in Ethiopia will secure the future use of the Borana genetic material at very little costs per animal. Modellierung des Wertes tierischer genetischer Ressourcen – Festlegung von Prioritäten für Erhaltungsmaßnahmen des Borana-Rindes in Ostafrika Diese Arbeit beschäftigte sich mit der ökonomischen Bewertung tierischer genetischer Ressourcen und der Frage nach einer möglichst kosteneffizienten Erhaltungsmaßnahme für das Borana-Rind in Kenia und Äthiopien. Zur Datenerhebung wurden im Zeitraum zwischen Juni 2003 und September 2004 370 Rinderhalter in Nordkenia und Südäthiopien interviewt. Landwirtschaftliche Produktion hängt überwiegend nur noch von wenigen Nutztierrassen ab. Viele Rassen, die früher der Nahrungsmittelsicherheit dienten, sind bereits ausgestorben. Mit der Dezimierung der Rassen vermindert sich sogleich ihr genetisches Material und somit wichtiges Züchtungsmaterial für die Zukunft. Obwohl das Borana-Rind sich durch viele hervorragende Eigenschaften auszeichnet, schwindet auch sein genetisches Material, zum einen durch einen generellen Rückgang der Rinderpopulationen im Untersuchungsgebiet (aufgrund von Dürren, Wechsel zu anderen Produktionssystemen, begrenzte Weideflächen) und zum anderen durch intensive Kreuzungen mit anderen einheimischen und zum Teil auch „exotischen“ Rassen. Eine phänotypische Erhebung der Verteilung des Borana-Rindes im Untersuchungsgebiet zeigte, dass drei Unterarten dieser Rasse dominieren, welche alle drei mögliche Kandidaten für Erhaltungsmaßnahmen wären: das Äthiopische Borana-Rind (EB), das Orma-Borana-Rind (OB) und das Somalische Borana-Rind (SB). Diese Arbeit beschäftigt sich daher mit den Fragestellungen, welche der drei Unterarten erhalten werden soll, wie viele Tiere davon erhalten werden müssten, wo es erhalten werden solle, welche Rinderhalter einbezogen werden sollten und wie hoch die Kosten wären. Das Weitzman-Ranking ergab, dass es kosteneffizient wäre, das EB in-situ in Äthiopien zu erhalten. Die Studie zeigte, dass die finanzielle Mittel die dafür bereitgestellt werden müssten im Gegensatz zu dem ernormen Wert und Nutzen des Rindes sehr gering sind

Beyond the individualization of punishment: reflections on the Borana Oromo’s Collective Criminal Responsibility

The article mainly looks at the role collective responsibility plays in the prevention of crime among the Borana Oromo of Ethiopia. Borana is a clan-based society where every member of a clan enjoys privileges and is given protection by his (her) clan. The clan provides support to its member when it is needed, and assumes responsibility when a member commits crime. If a member of a clan commits homicide, Guma is paid by the perpetrator’s clan to the clan from which a member has been killed. The objective of this article is to examine the underlying philosophy for the principle of collective responsibility and the merits of the principle in preventing crime among the Borana. The philosophy differs from that of the formal criminal justice system, where crime is individualized and the individual is answerable for the crime he commits. The article is based on the interviews the author has made from 2012-2014 with Borana elders during fieldwork to the area and review of the relevant literature. As it is part of the cultural values of the society and suitable for the clan-based and pastoralist Borana society, the practice of collective responsibility cannot easily be dismissed by forcibly imposing individual responsibility.Keywords: Borana, clan, collective responsibility, crime, Gum

Landscape Change in Arid and Semi-Arid Rangeland of Borana, Southern Ethiopia: Implication for Management

The Borana rangelands in southern Ethiopia (between 4°3’N to 5°0’N and 37°4’E to 38°2’E) comprise important cultural landscapes with a unique feature of the tula-well landscapes. Until a few decades ago, the Borana rangelands were considered one of the most productive and resilient ecosystems in East Africa. In recent years, however, the Borana rangelands have undergone a large reduction in grassland cover probably as a result of anthropogenic and natural-induced factors (Coppock 1994), with consequences on the livelihood of the local communities. Therefore, the objective of the study was to investigate the dynamics of landscape change in the Borana rangelands of Ethiopia based on satellites imagery