Are there options outside livestock economy? Diversification among households of northern Kenya

Abstract

Income diversification has been hailed by some policy-makers as an important ingredient for building pastoral resilience. This study applied the sustainable livelihood approach to establish the determinants of diversification among pastoral households of Turkana and Mandera Counties. In these Counties, 300 and 362 households, respectively, were identified through multi-stage sampling. A participatory wealth-ranking method was used to categorize the sampled households into three poverty levels: poor, middle and rich. The number of income sources, distance to water source, education level of household head, Tropical livestock units (TLUs) held, durable index (a measure of physical asset ownership) and age of the household head influenced the choice of livelihood strategy, whether pastoral, agro-pastoral or off-farm. Although diversification among pastoral communities is on the increase, it is important to promote activities that complement pastoralism among communities of northern Kenya. Improved education levels and better access to water are important factors in encouraging adoption of non-livestock-based income-generating activities.