Factors influencing transient poverty among agro-pastoralists in semi-arid areas of Kenya

Abstract

In Africa, many pastoral households are increasingly settling in response to curtailed mobility and shrinking grazing areas. Households in pastoral areas are characterised by few resources, low income, low level of human and social capital, and limited access to markets and service institutions like credit institutions, extension and plant protection. This study was conducted to determine the factors that influence transient poverty among agro-pastoral communities in semi-arid areas of Kenya using the Njemps Flats in Baringo district as a representation of the study area. The land-use practice in the Njemps Flats is livestock and crop production (agro-pastolism). Regression techniques were used to determine the relationship between poverty and hypothesized explanatory variables. The number of livelihood sources, household size, distance to the nearest market, ownership of enclosures and household herd size were the most influential factors that determined poverty among agropastoral communities. The number of livelihood sources, education level of the household head, relief food, extension service and distance to the nearest markets were positively related to per capita daily income. A negative relationship was observed between per capita daily income and household size. Since poverty shows declining with positive influential factors, reduction of transient poverty can be achieved through enhancing and providing of livelihood alternatives to reduce over-reliance on livestock and land as primary sources of livelihood.En Afrique, tant de m\ue9nages pastoraux deviennent de plus en plus s\ue9dentaires en r\ue9ponse \ue0 la restriction de leur mobilit\ue9 et la r\ue9duction de la taille des fermes. Les m\ue9nages se touvant dans des milieux pastoraux sont caract\ue9ris\ue9s par d\u2019insuffisantes resources, revenus bas, un niveau bas du capital humain et social et un acc\ue8s limit\ue9 au march\ue9 et aux services institutionnels tels que la vulgarisation et la protection des cultures. Cette \ue9tude \ue9tait men\ue9e pour d\ue9terminer les facteurs qui influencent la pauvret\ue9 parmi les communaut\ue9s pastorales en r\ue9gions semi-arides du Kenya utilisant les habitations de Njemps en district de Baringo comme milieu repr\ue9sentatif de la r\ue9gion d\u2019\ue9tude. Le syst\ue8me d\u2019utilisation des terres y est domin\ue9 par l\u2019\ue9levage et la production agricole (agri-pastoralisme). Les techniques de regression \ue9taient utilis\ue9es pour d\ue9terminer la relation entre la pauvret\ue9 et les variables explicatoires hypoth\ue9tis\ue9es. Les sources de revenus, la taille du m\ue9nage, la distance du march\ue9 le plus proche, l\u2019appartenance des biens et le nombre du b\ue9tail constituaient des facteurs qui ont les plus d\u2019influence sur la d\ue9termination de la pauvret\ue9 parmi les communaut\ue9s agro-pastorales. Sources de revenue, niveau d\u2019\ue9ducation du responsable du m\ue9nage, nourriture pour soulagement, service de vulgarization et distance ds march\ue9s les plus proches \ue9taient positivement associ\ue9s au revenue journalier par personne. Une relation n\ue9gative \ue9tait observ\ue9e entre le revenu journalier par personne et la taille du m\ue9nage. Etant donn\ue9 que la pauvret\ue9 d\ue9cro\ueet avec des facteurs d\u2019influence positive, sa r\ue9duction peut \ueatre accomplie en am\ue9liorant et en fournissant d\u2019autres sources de gagne-pain pour r\ue9duire la d\ue9pendance sur l\u2019\ue9levage et la terre comme sources de bien-\ueatre familial