Jan de Leeuw from ILRI reflects on the recent conference in Addis Ababa on the future of pastoralism in Africa. He concludes that pastoral systems in Africa are very much in transition. He notes that external influences on pastoralism (education, religion, land rights etc) are much more visible than in the past; the "full mobility" pastoralism that we knew is changing.

Selection of presentations made at the workshop on "Pastoral systems research in sub-Saharan Africa", describing the framework used by ILCA for pastoral systems research (PSR), examining methods used in the descriptive and diagnostic stage of PSR, and showing how the design and testing procedures are followed in practice; with particular reference to low-altitude aerial surveys, livestock surveys & household studies.

This paper consolidates a set of case studies which document how pastoralists plan land and resource use in pastoral and agro-pastoral areas of Ethiopia. These case studies are drawn from the regional states of Afar, Somali, Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples (SNNP), Oromia, and Gambella. They describe not only why, how, and when pastoralists plan, but also the management and governance structures that control planning processes and the later implementation of the plans.

Reviews the appropriateness of three major assumptions underlying pastoral development in East Africa, viz, economic irrationality of pastoralists, the unchanged nature of pastoral production systems, and the applicability of western models to pastoral development.

Pastoralism is used to describe a society that derives majority of their food and income from livestock. This form of farming system is largely practised in the arid and semi-arid lands (ASAL). It is estimated that 70% of the landmass in the Horn of Africa is dry land; in Kenya 80% of the landmass is classified as ASAL, while approximately half of Tanzania consists of dry land. These dry lands support wild resource harvesting, tourism but most importantly livestock rearing.

Presents a collection of conference papers defining pastoral systems research; the survey and diagnostic phase of pastoral systems research; ILCA's experience in remote sensing techniques and aerial surveys; survey of vegetation resources; livestock productivity and animal nutrition; pastoral production strategies, wealth effects, household studies, and labour data collection as well as livestock marketing studies.

Speaking in the margins of a recent conference on the future of pastoralism in Africa, Hussein Makmoud from Pwani University College in Kenya talks abut the growing trade in camels in northern Kenya and southern Sudan and how these new markets are contributing to pastoralist livelihoods in the regions. The Addis Ababa conference (21-23 March 2011) was organized by the Future Agricultures Consortium with Tufts University.

Examines basic constraints to pastoral development. Looks into project financing, design and implementation. Discusses manpower development and training procedures. Includes notes on monitoring concepts and ILCA's monitoring activities.