Vegetation Community Convergence of Pastoralists' Pasture at Different Economic Levels in Desert Steppe

Vegetation characteristics of pastoralist households’ pastures at different economic levels were quantiifed to compare the grassland conditions in Sunite Right Banner, Inner Mongolia, China in 2011 and 2012. The results showed that the heights of Stipa klemenzis and Cleistogenes songorica were similar among economic treatments. And the height of Allium polyrhizm had no signiifcant differences between high-economic-level （HEL） and low-economic-level （LEL） treatments. There were no signiifcant difference among treatments in the canopy cover of C. songorica. The densities of dominant species （S. klemenzis, C. songorica and A. polyrhizm） were signiifcantly similar among treatments. Aboveground community biomass in reference area （CK） was higher than that in other three treatments in 2011, but their biomass showed no signiifcant difference among three economic treatments;for 2012, biomass in HEL was higher than low-economic-level treatment （LEL）, while the biomass in middle-economic-level treatment （MEL） and CK was similar to that in HEL and LEL, respectively. Aboveground biomass of S. klemenzis and C. songorica was similar among treatments in both 2011 and 2012. Biomass of A. polyrhizum had no signiifcant difference between HEL and MEL. Households of LEL had rented out excess lands and those of HEL had leased their available lands thus resulting uniform utilization and convergence of pastoralist households’ pastures across all economic levels.

The Effects of Natural Capital Protection on Pastoralist's Livelihood and Management Implication in the Source Region of the Yellow River, China

The interaction among different livelihood capitals is a key to generate a deeper understanding of the livelihood sustainability.In this paper,we use net income per capita(economic capital),meat and milk production per capita(physical capital),and areas of fenced pasture,livestock shelter,grassland rodent control and planted grassland(physical capital) as proxy indicators of livelihood promotion,livelihood provision,and livelihood protection respectively.By developing a correlation model between pastoralists' livelihood protection and improvement,we found that(1) there is a statistically significant correlation between the pastoralists' livelihood protection and promotion;(2) based on the maximum effect of pastoralists' livelihood promotion and provision,there is a benchmark in the effect of the intervention intensity of livelihood capital(grassland resource protection) on livelihood improvement;(3) on basis of two indicators,i.e.net income per capita and meat production per capita,the reasonable scales of fenced pasture,livestock shelter and planted grassland are less than 843,860 and 46 thousand hectares(hm2) per year respectively.With the marginal effect of livelihood protection,moderately decreased areas of fenced pasture and planted grassland,and increased area of livestock shelter is a critical to ensure pastoralist's livelihood sustainability.

Design and Implementation of Mobile Portal for Kenyan Pastoralists

A mobile portal is an internet gateway that provides online services primarily accessed via mobiles and other handheld devices. Mobile portals are part of web 3.0 that is starting to revolutionize online services. Such portals can help pastoralists in Kenya access essential information and marketing services online. The aim of the study was to design and implement a mobile portal that will help Kenyan pastoralists improve their yields. The study adopted systems development life cycle (SDLC) methodology to design, implement and test the portal and used structured interviews and observation to collect user requirements. The portal was coded in J2ME, JSP and SQL languages and developed using Java Development Kit (JDK), Sun Wireless Toolkit, Lightweight User Interface Toolkit (LWUIT), Struts, Tomcat and MySQL. The outcome of the study was the mobile portal successfully developed, tested and deployed.

Forms and Drivers of Conflicts between Farmers and Pastoralists in Kilosa and Kiteto Districts,Tanzania

Farmer-pastoralist conflicts represent a significant challenge for rural communities and the Tanzanian government.The study objectives were to(i)determine existing forms of conflicts and(ii)identify drivers underlying resource use conflicts.The manuscript is based on a study that adopted a cross-sectional research design whereby data were collected from 373 randomly selected respondents from Kilosa and Kiteto districts,Tanzania,while primary data were collected through interviews,observations and focus group discussions,secondary data were gathered from government reports and newspapers.Quantitative data were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Science(SPSS)version 20.0.Descriptive statistical analysis was carried out for quantitative data.Factor analysis was used to extract component factors on drivers and forms of conflicts,whereas content analysis was used to analyse the qualitative data.Generally,study results show that there were three main forms of conflict namely farmers versus pastoralists over village boundaries;farmers versus pastoralists over livestock routes and farmers versus farmers over the land.In addition,four main drivers underlying resource use conflicts were identified namely crop damage by livestock;inefficiency of government officials in taking action to diffuse conflicts;excessively large herds of cattle and corruption.It is therefore recommended that pastoralists should be provided with essential services such as water in order to minimize movement of their livestock herds from their designated villages to other areas in search of water.This would,in the long run,minimise crop damage which has been a major source of conflict.In addition,proper land use planning is recommended to minimize resource use conflicts.

Pastoralists’ Adaptation Strategies to Climate Change and Determinant Factors in Korahey Zone, Ethiopia

Climate change is a global phenomenon that involves the long-term fluctuation of the earth’s climate system. Specifically, climate change is acknowledged as a vital challenge to pastoralist production systems. However, limited research attention was given to exploring the determinants of climate change adaptation strategies in the southeastern part of Ethiopia. Thus, the study tried to assess the predictors of pastoralists’ climate change adaptation strategies in the Korahey zone of Ethiopia. The study was based on a survey of 215 representative pastoralist households were randomly selected from the three districts of the Korahey zone. To achieve the objective, household questionnaire surveys, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions were conducted to collect data at the household as well as the district level. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics like percentage, frequency, mean, and inferential statistics (multinomial logit model). Multinomial logit was employed to analyze the determinant factors of pastoralists’ adaptation strategies to climate change. The finding shows that household pastoralists adopt different climate change adaptation strategies in their locality;from this herd diversification (10.7%), storage of fodder (14.4%), mobility (23.7%), Livestock off-take (12%), saving scheme (8.8%) and household and herd splitting (15.3%) are the major pastoralists’ adaptation strategies to climate change in the study area. The results of the multinomial logit model show that sex, age, family size, access to climate information, access to credit services, access to extension services and livestock ownership were identified as the major determinants factors of climate change adaptation strategies in Korahey zone. The study recommended that the local government, planners and decision-makers should give awareness regarding the role of information in the pastoralists’ adoption of climate change adaptation strategies and enhance extension services to support pastoralists in their adaptation efforts.

Social Services for Mobile Pastoralists： Cross-sector Strategy Based on ＂One Health＂

Mobile pastoralist communities in Sahel countries have serious problems of access to social services. Classic strategies for social services were always based on a single sector, focused on settled populations, and hardly reached mobile communities. This paper aims to show a cross-sector approach as a part of solutions to provide social services for mobile pastoralist communities and describes the ongoing scaling-up process. The method used is based on a transdisciplinary approach which involves target communities and authorities in all processes through workshops and site visits. Interventions adopted the concept of ＂one health＂ benefiting of an added value of closer cooperation between human and animal health. This approach was tested with joint interventions between human and animal health, which provided access to health services for unreached communities and saved resource when compared with single sector intervention. Such approaches could be extended to other social services within cross-sector interventions such as the delivery of basic education in nomadic areas. Such a strategy was validated by the communities and authorities and was further transformed into a national programme after a series of six national stakeholders＇ seminars. The cross-sector intervention will provide a minimum package of services （MPS） without compromising the structural services.

A Review of the Causes of Land Use Conflicts between Farmers and Pastoralists in Tanzania and a Proposal for Resolutions

Land use conflicts are complex disputes that contribute at large in terms of negative social and economic impacts within the heterogeneous societies.The mechanisms of success for land use conflict resolution still need further research because of various mindsets of the people.In this paper,the issues of land conflicts between farmers and pastoralists in Tanzania mainland which could lead to low economic development are reviewed and the general causes and effects of land use conflicts are outlined.Poor land governance,inappropriate of land use plans,inadequate land policies,land tenure insecurity,corruption and population increases are cited as being among of the main offenders fuelling land use conflicts in Tanzania.

放牧压力对中国北方农牧交错带生态系统健康的影响

中国北方农牧交错带生态系统敏感脆弱、不稳定,其健康状况受多种因素影响,其中以放牧为代表的人类经济活动影响显著。高强度放牧是造成草地退化的重要原因,草地退化又是影响草原生态系统健康的关键因素。利用归一化植被指数和牲畜量量化放牧压力,并选取合理的模型探究放牧对于中国北方农牧交错带生态健康的影响,确定合理的放牧强度和策略,以实现草畜平衡和区域可持续发展。基于“活力-组织力-弹性-生态服务”(VORS)模型,构建起包括自然、社会等多方面的指标体系,评估了2000—2015年北方农牧交错带的生态健康系统水平,并采用Moran′s I探讨放牧压力和生态系统健康指数的空间相关性,并从普通最小二乘法、地理加权回归模型、时间加权回归模型和时空地理加权回归模型选择最优回归模型,揭示放牧压力对于生态系统健康的影响机制。结果表明:(1)2000—2015年放牧强度格局高值区域主要为内蒙古草原地区,低值区域主要为陕西高原地区。(2)2000—2015年中国北方农牧交错带的生态系统健康指数呈现上升趋势,区域整体处于亚健康状态和一般健康状态。(3)全局双变量Moran′s I结果显示在2000—2015年呈现负相关影响关系,但影响力度在变小。(4)多种回归模型相比较,GTWR模型表现最优。2000—2015年,正向驱动空间集中在内蒙古、辽宁以及山西省区县;负向驱动空间集中在陕西省、甘肃等区域,同时影响强度持续增强。研究通过不同区县、不同的草原的反应状况,提出放牧政策的不同实施建议,致力于实现草原资源的可持续利用和生态系统的持续健康。

Grassland tenure,livelihood assets and pastoralists’resilience:evidence and empirical analyses from western China

Pastoralists in western China are highly vulnerable due to harsh natural conditions and the poor socioeconomic environment they confront.More than 50%of the pastoralists in major grassland areas are living below the survival line;moreover,around 90%of the usable grasslands in China have been degraded to some degree,and the degradation expands at a rate of two million ha per year.Enhancing pastoralists’resilience is desirable for the economic development and social stability in pastoral areas.As an important aspect influencing livelihoods,grassland tenure in China has not been well studied to learn how it affects the welfare of pastoralists,and what can be done to strengthen their resilience.Based on the evidence from four periods of fieldwork conducted by the authors during 2005-2014,the study applies an analytical framework adapted from the sustainable livelihood theory to examine the interactions of grassland tenure,livelihood assets of pastoralists and their resilience.Main findings show that the existing grassland tenure arrangements cause unbalanced and decreased livelihood assets,which in turn reduce the resilience of pastoralists by lowering their capacities of coping with stresses or shocks.Of the policies and measures aiming to enhance the pastoralists’adaptive capacity and ongoing development,building social capital is critical.Developing functional livelihood asset markets such as grassland rental markets and financial markets will also contribute to a more robust livelihood structure.

Annual trends of human brucellosis in pastoralist communities of south-western Uganda: a retrospective ten-year study

Background:Human brucellosis is prevalent in both rural and urban Uganda,yet most cases of the disease in humans go unnoticed and untreated because of inaccurate diagnosis,which is often due to the disease not manifesting in any symptoms.This study was undertaken to describe trends in laboratory-confirmed human brucellosis cases at three health facilities in pastoralist communities in South-western,Uganda.Methods:Data were collected retrospectively to describe trends of brucellosis over a 10-year period(2003–2012),and supplemented with a prospective study,which was conducted from January to December 2013.Two public health facilities and a private clinic that have diagnostic laboratories were selected for these studies.Annual prevalence was calculated and linearly plotted to observe trends of the disease at the health facilities.A modified Poisson regression model was used to estimate the risk ratio(RR)and 95%confidence intervals(CIs)to determine the association between brucellosis and independent variables using the robust error variance.Results:A total of 9,177 persons with suspected brucellosis were identified in the retrospective study,of which 1,318(14.4%)were confirmed cases.Brucellosis cases peaked during the months of April and June,as observed in nearly all of the years of the study,while the most noticeable annual increase(11–23%)was observed from 2010 to 2012.In the prospective study,there were 610 suspected patients at two public health facilities.Of these,194(31.8%)were positive for brucellosis.Respondents aged 45–60 years(RR=0.50;CI:0.29–0.84)and those that tested positive for typhoid(RR=0.68;CI:0.52–0.89)were less likely to have brucellosis.Conclusions:With the noticeable increase in prevalence from 2010 to 2012,diagnosis of both brucellosis and typhoid is important for early detection,and for raising public awareness on methods for preventing brucellosis in this setting.

Perception and attitude of pastoralists on the use and conservation of rangeland resources in Afar Region,Ethiopia

Introduction:Community perception plays a significant role in rangeland resource management.Traditional rangeland management practices by the pastoral communities are based on accumulated knowledge in connection to their local environment.Pastoralism played a vital role in food production and sustaining its inhabitants in arid environment for millennia.However,national policies and development interventions in East African pastoral systems have often overlooked pastoralism while centered on the modernization of agricultural sector for economic development and poverty reduction.Methods:We used household survey,focus group discussion,key informant interview,and individual questionnaire to understand the perceptions and attitude of Afar pastoralists towards rangeland resource use and conservation practices,as well as impacts of development intervention on traditional rangeland resource use and conservation practices.The data were analyzed using index ranking and descriptive statistics.Results:The results showed that livestock holding per household was higher on average(22.90±2.27 Tropical Livestock Unit(TLU))in the non-intervened woreda than in the intervened woreda(8.30±3.85 TLU).Respondents mentioned that livestock productivity was adversely affected by a number of factors such as invasion of Prosopis juliflora(Dergi Hara),shrinkage in the capacity of rangelands(Beadu and Bebea’),and recurrent droughts.Scarcity of grazing resources attributed to the invasion of Dergi Hara and drought created livestock feed crisis with strong implication on the livelihood of pastoralists.Our results showed that the traditional resource management practices such as mobility,herd splitting,and diversification had a role to contribute to the improvement of rangeland management and conservation of biodiversity.Traditional rules and seasonal-based grazing patterns of riversides during drought were perceived as key elements for rangeland resource management and conservation of rangeland resources in the study area.Conclusions:Communities’perception showed that the traditional practices of rangeland management systems are effective and environmentally sustainable.In contrast,inappropriate development interventions put rangelands under severe pressure.Although development interventions were aimed at improving the condition of Afar rangeland,they could not bring any enduring solution in terms of improvement of rangeland resources.

The impact of pastoralist mobility on tuberculosis control in Ethiopia:a systematic review and meta-synthesis

Background:Directly observed treatment,short-course(DOTS)is the current mainstay to control tuberculosis(TB)worldwide.Context-specific adaptations of DOTS have impending implications in the fight against TB.In Ethiopia,there is a national TB control programme with the goal to eliminate TB,but uneven distribution across lifestyle gradients remains a challenge.Notably,the mobile pastoralist communities in the country are disproportionately left uncovered.The aim of this study was to summarize the evidence base from published literature to guide TB control strategy for mobile pastoralist communities in Ethiopia.Main text:We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses(PRISMA)guidelines and systematically reviewed articles in seven electronic databases:Excerptra Medical Database,African Journal Online,PubMed,Google Scholar,Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International Direct,Cochrane Library and Web of Science.The databases were searched from inception to December 31,2018,with no language restriction.We screened 692 items of which 19 met our inclusion criteria.Using a meta-ethnographic method,we identified six themes:(i)pastoralism in Ethiopia;(ii)pastoralists’livelihood profile;(iii)pastoralists’service utilisation;(iv)pastoralists’knowledge and awareness on TB control services;(v)challenges of TB control in pastoral settings;and(vi)equity disparities affecting pastoralists.Our interpretation triangulates the results across all included studies and shows that TB control activities observed in pastoralist regions of Ethiopia are far fewer than elsewhere in the country.Conclusions:This systematic review and meta-synthesis shows that TB control in Ethiopia does not align well with the pastoralist lifestyle.Inaccessibility and lack of acceptability of TB care are the key bottlenecks to pastoralist TB service provision.Targeting these two parameters holds promise to enhance effectiveness of an intervention.

“制度-生活”的互构:新中国成立后青海牧区“文字下乡”实践的历史考察

自费孝通对“文字下乡”的论述开启审视乡村教育与乡土社会关系的研究视角,相关研究惯于采用“国家-社会”分析范式聚焦农村社会。基于“制度-生活”分析视角,对新中国成立后青海牧区以帐房小学为教育空间的“文字下乡”进行历史考察。面对青海牧区传统文化与现代教育的异质性、社会环境封闭性和牧民群众文化教育滞后性,帐房小学的运作进程依靠国家意志和群众力量的交织联合,形成了实现教育普及推广的本土秩序,并倚赖于作为行动者的牧区教师怀持的国家信念和社会信仰所体现出的主观性精神及其行动策略。青海牧区“文字下乡”实践的历史考察有助于理解中国共产党民族教育建设和民族地区治理历程的逻辑理路。

守人民之立场,舞群众之日常——以藏族舞蹈作品《拉拉·致富之路》为例

藏族女子群舞作品《拉拉·致富之路》,于2022年7月在首届西藏文化艺术节民间舞蹈大赛(决赛)中一举夺魁。该作品无论从题材选择、情节设计、服饰道具等方面,都完满地诠释了牧区浓郁的风格气息与淳朴的生活韵味,是一部真正站在人民群众立场之上,聚焦于人民群众视角上创作的良心佳作。本文将对其文化意义和艺术价值方面进行一个较为全面地分析,以期能够为今后西藏的文艺发展和下一步的艺术创作产生裨益。

山地-绿洲“共轭型”生态牧场理念源起、概念框架与发展模式——以祁连山牧区为例

区域协调发展空间布局及耦合效应是国土空间治理现代化、区域生态保护和高质量发展绕不开的重要命题。本研究利用146户牧户访谈和21次管理部门调研资料,结合卫星遥感数据和文献资料,从“三生”(生产、生活、生态)视角爬梳祁连山草地畜牧业、河西走廊饲草种植业、牧户生计路径策略的历史源起和发展历程。在生态系统服务流理论指导下深入刻画了祁连山与河西走廊农牧耦合系统的空间联系,诠释了祁连山-河西走廊“共轭型”生态牧场概念框架与发展模式。研究认为:(1)2011年“草原生态奖补政策”实施以来祁连山地区植被覆盖度增加显著(P<0.05);传统牧业户、生态移民户的生计多样化指数分别是2.22和2.69,生计能力脆弱;外购草料、舍饲养殖、人工种草、异地借牧(秸秆补饲)、流转草原等是牧户落实草畜动态平衡的基础性生计策略,实现了祁连山草地畜牧业由超载过牧到“超载不过牧”的跨越式转型;(2)祁连山山地系统将生态系统服务(淡水资源供给)外溢至河西走廊绿洲系统以支撑饲草种植业发展,河西走廊饲草种植业提供优质饲草“反哺”祁连山草地畜牧业发展,二者构成了山地-绿洲“共轭空间”;借助外界物质能量输入路径的“虚拟草场”模式将祁连山牧业系统和河西走廊农业系统有机链接起来,既发挥了祁连山草地生态功能,又提升了祁连山牧区牧户维持可持续生计的能力,通过重构“生态-生产-生活”多功能协同权衡机制维持了祁连山生态畜牧业的高质量发展;(3)山地-绿洲“共轭型”生态牧场包括草地畜牧业、饲草种植业、“虚拟草场”三个子系统,通过构建子系统间的多维耦合、虚实交融和同生共存,实现了祁连山-河西走廊“共轭空间”农牧耦合系统的资源共享、优势互补和效益联动,是一种依据自然规律和经济规律探索出的迭代创新式生态牧场发展模式。

Effects of Grassland Eco-Protection Compensation and Reward System

Grassland ecological protection compensation and reward policy is the largest-scale investment concerning themost extensive areas since foundation of the PRC. It will be the long-term implementationpolicy for grassland ecological protection. In this study,based on macro-perspective, the policy effects ofgrasslandproductivity, ecological protection, animal husbandryoutput, pastoralists＇ income were ana- lyzed. The resultsshow that, afterimplementation of the policy, naturalgrass production and grasslandtheoretical stocking rateincreased. The averagenatural grasslandlivestockoverloading ratedecreased significantly, comprehensivenationalgrasslandvegetation coverageis increasing. Besides, adult cattleandbeef yield arefluctuated. Sheep head, adult sheep, sheep production, milk productionincreasedin varying degrees. The per capita netincomeof farmers and pastoralists, livestock income, the proportion oflivestockincomewere higher than those beforeimplementation of the policy.

牧区草地承包经营权流转及其对牧民生计的影响——以内蒙古草原牧区为例

牧区草地承包经营权流转,是伴随草原新三牧政策(休牧、禁牧、划区轮牧)实施、畜牧业增长方式转型、牧区产业结构调整、牧区剩余劳动力转移等过程集中出现,又事关牧区民生与构建和谐新牧区的一个崭新的重要研究命题。本研究阐明内蒙古牧区草地承包经营权流转现状与特征,指出伴随草地流转出现租赁期短、草畜平衡对草地流转限制等问题以及牧区草地流转动因与东中部土地流转不同、草地类型流转程度不同的特征。畜产品是牧民主要收入来源,草地流转价格低影响牧民增收、加大牧区剩余劳动力转移风险。在牧区调研的基础上,提出建立与完善草地承包经营权流转机制的政策建议。

干旱半干旱区牧民对气候变化的感知及应对行为分析——基于内蒙古克什克腾旗的案例研究

通过在内蒙古克什克腾旗牧区的案例研究,采用参与式观察、半结构式访谈、问卷调查以及多相关利益方调查相结合的方法,描述牧民对于气候变化的感知并辅以气象数据分析,记录其感知下的应对行为,探讨影响其适应能力的因素。研究结果表明:对气候变化,牧民的感知主要为自2000年起干旱加剧,具体表现是降水减少和气温升高以及云、风、雾等气象变化。在气温、降水和气象灾害方面,牧民的感知与气象数据以及统计资料一致。由于牧民更关注气候变化对于生态以及畜牧业产生的影响,除降水量外,他们还关注降水的频率和空间异质性,降水量的年际波动和累积效应以及气温和降水的综合影响。对于干旱加剧导致的地表水减少和天然牧草产草量下降,牧民采取的应对行为包括恢复牧户和牲畜的移动、加强资源使用的排他性和从外界购买饲草料。气候变化下牧民能够采取上述应对行动并有一定作用。当地放牧场的共有产权安排形式、有效的自下而上的监督和自上而下的制裁以及外界力量如政府项目、市场和信贷的支持起到关键作用。

高寒草地畜牧业产业化的障碍与实现路径——以甘南州合作市为例

草地畜牧业是合作市的主导产业,受自然条件和社会经济发育程度的深刻影响,农牧业经济要素互补性差;畜牧业内部同构性较强,区域分工不明显;畜产品的商品化过程粗放、低质、低效;畜产品加工企业门类不全,规模不大,带动性差;普遍缺少各种形式的中介机构和协会,农牧民自组织能力不足;缺少交易市场,要素流动受阻,致使畜牧业产业化进程缓慢。因此,在保护草原生态环境的前提下,加强基地建设,大力发展龙头企业,强化农牧业服务体系,实现草地畜牧业向现代畜牧业转型。

草畜平衡制度为何难以实现“草畜平衡”

草畜平衡制度是我国草原管理和生态保护的基本制度,但在实施中却难以达到"草畜平衡"的目的。文章基于内蒙古地区的田野调查和文献资料,从草场生态过程和牧民行为两个方面,分析了草畜平衡制度在实施中问题产生的根源。研究表明:一方面,干旱半干旱草场存在一定的非平衡生态系统特征,承载力管理不一定能实现草场的可持续利用;另一方面,牧民对载畜量的控制是一个多因素影响下的综合决策,并受到市场、畜牧业生产周期、生计需求的限制。而现行的草畜平衡制度在这两个基本环节的处理上采取了简单化、标准化的思路,导致该制度不能有效执行。文章认为,在资源时空异质性异常显著的干旱半干旱草场,目前将"草畜平衡"作为落实到每一微观牧户的实施手段,其可行性值得商榷,草场管理中更应该侧重生态系统的弹性管理,而不仅仅是关注作为阈值的承载力本身。