Changes in Livestock Mobility and Grazing Pattern among the Hamer in Southwestern Ethiopia

Abstract

Different Ethiopian regimes have encouraged pastoral people to adopt a settled way of life and to practice agriculture. Despite these efforts, pastoral people in Ethiopia have maintained their mobility in search of better pastures and water for their livestock. This paper examines changes in livestock mobility and grazing lands among the Hamer during three regimes. The data discussed in this paper were collected during ethnographic field research using a participant-observer approach, as well as focus group discussions held in different villages across the district. The Hamer have experienced several significant changes over the course of different regimes: Distance to camp herds (i.e., livestock kept at distant camps near grazing areas) has increased, leading to less frequent visits to village camps, and mobility between camp herds has increased in frequency due to livestock population growth and increased competition. Additionally, rain irregularities and shortages have led to the use of livestock enclosures, while changes in mobility patterns over the last eight decades have resulted in increased encroachment into territories beyond Hamer jurisdiction. Disruptions in rainfall and shrinkage of grazing land have also rendered preexisting alliances vulnerable to conflict. Analysis of these changes suggests that land policies favoring settled agriculture in the Hamer District promise to limit herd mobility in the service of grazing in the years ahead.