Managing resources in erratic environments: an analysis of pastoralist systems in Ethiopia, Niger, and Burkina Faso

This study analyzes the links between risk and the kinds of property rights that have evolved to provide the mobility necessary to raise livestock in drought-prone countries in this case Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, and Niger. The study also evaluates the impact of cooperation on resource management in these environments. The express purpose of this research is to contribute to the current debate on resource management in highly variable environments, focusing on the impact of climate variability on and the role of cooperation in resource management. More specifically, a conceptual framework is developed to analyze the impact of climatic variability and cooperative capacity on land allocation patterns, stock densities, and patterns of herd mobility. Overall, the empirical results suggest that effective policies for sustainable land management and crisis-response plans may require the design and implementation of mechanisms to increase cooperative capacity.Range management Ethiopia, Range management Niger, Range management Burkina Faso, Pastoral systems,

Could payments for environmental services improve rangeland management in Central Asia, West Asia and North Africa?:

"Although several institutional and management approaches that address the degradation of the rangelands have been tested in the dry areas of Central and West Asia and North Africa (CWANA), impact has been limited. Nonetheless, the development of National Action Plans to combat desertification highlights the interest of governments to tackle this issue. Payment for Environmental Services (PES) may be a viable policy option, though, to date, most PES programs have focused on the management of different resources (forests, watersheds). The purpose of this paper is to examine whether PES could be a viable option to promote sustainable rangelands management in the dry rangelands of CWANA. Specifically, it focuses on the scientific gaps and knowledge related to the local and global environmental services produced by rangelands and addresses questions related to the beneficiaries of these services. Institutional conditions necessary for the implementation of such schemes are discussed." Authors' AbstractEnvironmental services, Environmental management, Land management, Rangelands, Collective action, Property rights,

Could payments for environmental services improve rangeland management in Central Asia, West Asia and North Africa?

Although several institutional and management approaches that address the degradation of the rangelands have been tested in the dry areas of Central and West Asia and North Africa (CWANA), impact has been limited. Nonetheless, the development of National Action Plans to combat desertification highlights the interest of governments to tackle this issue. Payment for Environmental Services (PES) may be a viable policy option, though, to date, most PES programs have focused on the management of different resources (forests, watersheds). The purpose of this paper is to examine whether PES could be a viable option to promote sustainable rangelands management in the dry rangelands of CWANA. Specifically, it focuses on the scientific gaps and knowledge related to the local and global environmental services produced by rangelands and addresses questions related to the beneficiaries of these services. Institutional conditions necessary for the implementation of such schemes are discussed.Non-PRIFPRI1; Theme 3; Managing natural resources; CAPRiEPT

COOPERATION, COLLECTIVE ACTION AND NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT IN BURKINA FASO: A METHODOLOGICAL NOTE

This paper presents a detailed description of the applied methodology used to study collective action in natural resource management (NRM). Data were collected in 48 villages in northeastern Burkina Faso, at the community, institutional, household and market levels. The paper first discusses the analytical framework underlying the study of collective action, and then describes in detail the methods used to measure collective action and community-level cooperative capacity, and the determinants of cooperative capacity. We also describe data collection methods as well as potential problems in eliciting unbiased information. The impact of cooperative capacity on a variety of outcomes observed at both the community and household level is then presented in order to highlight practical applications

Supplying Carbon Sequestration From West African Rangelands: Opportunities and Barriers

The emergence of markets for mitigation of climate change presents new opportunities for increasing economic and ecological returns to rangelands in developing countries. Improving rangeland management is a potentially significant source of mitigation from sequestration. It is appealing due to the likely links to sustainable agricultural development and poverty reduction. Many of the changes needed to sequester carbon are also associated with improved rangeland productivity and incomes. We provide an overview of the key issues that arise in determining the potential of carbon markets to support improved rangeland management focusing on West Africa, an area where pastoralism is a major economic activity with extensive rangelands that offer considerable potential for sequestering carbon. Estimates of the potential for increasing sequestration through improved rangeland management are summarized. Per hectare amounts are low, but aggregate potential is high. Carbon emission reductions are generated by reducing or avoiding land degradation, rehabilitating degraded lands, and increasing native carbon stocks by increasing aboveground and belowground biomass. Avoiding degradation and rehabilitating lightly degraded lands are the least costly and can generate significant carbon emission reductions. Carbon offsets from agricultural sources are currently limited under regulatory cap and trade regimes, and prices in voluntary markets are relatively low. Low returns to carbon offsets per hectare mean that significant co- benefits in the form of increased rangeland productivity and incomes would be necessary to induce participation. High transactions costs can be a problem in carbon markets and in adopting improved rangeland management practices, highlighting the need for institutions to provide effective coordination, monitoring, and enforcement. Evidence from Burkina Faso suggests the potential for existing local-level institutions to play an important role in future carbon payment programs, should they emerge. The Rangeland Ecology & Management archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact [email protected] for further information.Migrated from OJS platform August 202

Household Behavior Under Market Failures: How Natural Resource Management in Agriculture Promotes Livestock Production in the Sahel

Improved water harvesting and soil erosion control using the remarkably simple practice of contour stone bunding is shown to increase grain yields by 41% in low rainfall regions of Burkina Faso. Empirical results show that yield increases in food crops help foodbuying farm households import substitute in food consumption, reduce livestock production, and increase seasonal migration which is more compatible with seasonal agriculture than with the yearlong livestock activity. Self-sufficient households, by contrast, can take advantage of higher yields to free resources from food production and allocate these to expand their livestock economy, thus benefiting more from the region's comparative advantage. We also show that greater effectiveness in cooperation in the management of common property resources helps increase income derived from livestock for all categories of households. However, not all forms of cooperation are effective. When cooperation is only formal, individual activities such as crops, non-agricultural employment, and seasonal migration are pursued as opposed to livestock activities that rely on effective community management of common property resources

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Sections of this material may be reproduced for personal and not-for-profit use without the express written permission of but with acknowledgment to IFPRI. To reproduce the material contained herein for profit or commercial use requires express written permission. To obtain permission, contact the Communications Divisio

Managing Resources in Erratic Environments: An Analysis of Pastoralist Systems in Ethiopia, Niger, and Burkina Faso

Although 22 percent of land in sub-Saharan Africa is arid or semiarid rangeland, development policies have long been biased toward crop agriculture. In the wake of the Green Revolution, international and national agricultural research institutions focused on crop systems and plant breeding. As a result, the customary tenure arrangements that enabled pastoralists to move their livestock from one grazing ground to another fell out of favor. As climate-related crises and desertification have spiraled, however, research and policy interest in rangeland management issues have been renewed. As part of its strategy to seek policies for the efficient functioning of global food systems, IFPRI has been in the forefront of this research. In the 1990s, as part of a shared CGIAR initiative on property rights and collective action, IFPRI, in collaboration with the International Livestock Research Institute, began work on a project called “Property Rights, Risk, and Livestock Development,” with a focus on rangeland systems in sub-Saharan Africa. The research on resource management conducted for this report in three drought-prone countries of sub-Saharan Africa—Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, and Niger—is related to that work. This study analyzes the links between risk and the kinds of property rights that have evolved to provide the mobility needed to raise livestock where rainfall fluctuates, and it evaluates the impact of cooperation on resource management in these environments. Three interesting conclusions emerge from the analyses with respect to economic vulnerability and natural resource management in these environments. First, there is little evidence of dramatic misuse of land resources by herders; rather, evidence suggests that overstocking, limited herd mobility, and encroachment of farmland on common pastures vary a good deal both within and across countries. Second, stock densities are lower precisely in areas with very high rainfall variability, whereas herd mobility is strongly related to recent rainfall patterns. Finally, greater cooperative capacity significantly reduces grazing pressure on home resources. While it remains a challenge for policymakers to design and implement mechanisms to increase cooperative capacities, this research points to the scope for such action