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From March 1-3, 2016 ECHO East Africa hosted a sumposium in Nanyuki, Kenya on Best Practices in Pastoralist Areas. This meeting's aims were to disscuss ways in whicht to reduce poverty, hunger and physical hardship by engaging pastoralists more effectively to adapt their pastoralist systems:

  • to respond to climate change and declining yields in Africa with sustainable options which improve the environment, regenerate rangelands and water catchments, recycle resources and mitigate the effect of weather extremes
  • to combine a wide range of approaches holistically to enhance resilience of the vulnerable and to care for the earth
  • to promote continued learning and sharing through networks Holistic approaches

Featured in the Symposium: livestock-based alternatives; holistic management, conservation agriculture, gender and reproductive issues, peace-building, climate smart approaches, changing human hearts and mindsets, and water related innovations.



  1. 2016-03-03 Session: Tim will give a personal account of his experience with Lewa & the Ngare Ndare forest for over half a century. This will entail the transition from farming in conflict with wildlife to settled coexistence and optimizing the use of the existing ecosystem. Biographical data: Tim...
  2. 2016-03-02 Session: The presentation details how African Beekeepers can use The Hive Business Model to build and sustain profitable beekeeping businesses using The Hive Beekeepers Starter Kit comprising of the CAB Hive uniquely made to meet the demands of the African bee and how this model completes the...
  3. 2016-03-02 Theme: “The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it." Psalms 24. Holistic community development uses biblical perspectives to answer development questions which could not be answerable in any other way. , a veterinarian by training with a Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of...
  4. 2016-03-03 Session: Sauti Moja Marsabit provides livestock to vulnerable female-headed households (widows and single pastoralist mothers) which contribute to food security. We also provide young mothers who have been chased from school due to pregnancy with an opportunity to pursue an education that will...
  5. 2016-03-01 ECHO engaging in pastoralist initiatives When I joined ECHO in 2012 I had just worked in a project disseminating food security initiatives in 48 villages in northern Tanzania. We discovered some stark realities facing pastoralist communities; they were by far less food secure than...
  6. 2016-03-02 Session: The pastoral areas of Kenya are characterised by poor access to quality livestock services. Consequently the pastoralists are forced to purchase sub-standard and/or counterfeit veterinary drugs - often from unqualified people - to meet their animal health needs. They also treat their...
  7. 2016-03-01 Session: ECF-ITM vaccine has been shown to be a highly effective product, with a 95 per cent success rate in pastoral herds - one of the highest rates of protection offered by any livestock vaccine. However, up till now, governments in East, Central and Southern Africa have rejected widespread...
  8. 2016-03-01 The main theme for this is to highlight good animal production and reproduction systems that are greatly dependent on good animal welfare practices. It is also to inform that for trade in livestock production in the international markets are concerned to meet international animal standards....
  9. 2016-03-03 Session: The presentation addresses key community approaches towards a balanced use of resources in the semi-arid district of Karamoja, Uganda.Natural resource conflict management can be realized by working towards a green economy, poverty eradication, and a sustainable food system. The strength...
  10. 2016-03-03 Session: This talk presents policies which may give hope for pastoralism. It bases upon a holistic approach to rangeland management and decision-making, using examples from work in Samburu, Marsabit and Laikipia counties of Kenya and the experience of Northern Rangelands Trust. It shares the...
  11. 2016-03-03 Session: The session will share knowledge and practices which some pastoralist communities have chosen as alternative livelihoods in pastoralist areas. The ideas come from the local people, and demonstrate ‘people- care’, ‘earth-care’ and ‘fair-share’. Use of natural resources sustainably are...
  12. 2016-03-01 Session: Water filtration methods including use of Biosand Filters and Hollow Fiber Membrane filters Aqua Clara's entrepreneurial approach to providing safe water for all communities Training for other organization's to replicate the BSF and HF filters for their organization. Aqua Clara...
  13. 2016-03-02 Session: World Renew supports innovative ways to combat climate change. The presentation will dwell on lessons learnt from Conservation Agriculture promotion in pastoralist areas which will encompass adaptation, scaling up and extension methodologies based upon lessons learned from the field....
  14. 2016-03-01 Session: The Livestock to Markets Program(LTM) is a social enterprise owned by NRT through its business company called -NRT Trading company. LTM aims to commercialize livestock marketing among pastoralists by providing an assured, equitable and reliable market for good quality cattle in order to...
  15. 2016-03-03 Session: Tim will give a personal account of his experience with Lewa & the Ngare Ndare forest for over half a century. This will entail the transition from farming in conflict with wildlife to settled coexistence and optimizing the use of the existing ecosystem Biographical data: Tim Roberts...
  16. 2016-03-03 Session: Western societies used schools, and culturally blind policies to absorb the native American and Australian aborigine populations into mainstream society. Since colonial times until today most governments use schools and district offices to implement policies with agricultural biases with...
  17. 2016-03-01 Session: Strategies will be shared to test increase of resilience, for example, a vegetable leather tanning program. The rangelands bordering the western slopes of the Mount Meru are a key ecological corridor and provide for a range of ecosystem services that entirely support the livelihoods of...
  18. 2016-03-01 Session: Edward will discuss the UCRT experience in advocacy for communities to secure their land rights. He will share an analysis and insights into the legal frame work, discuss the opportunities, gaps and challenges on pastoral communities in Northern Tanzania, based upon UCRT's 12 years of...
  19. 2016-03-02 Session: RIPAT- Diversification in Pastoral areas for food security and improved livelihoods Some of the work currently being done in the area of peace-building suggests that economic development and people’s livelihoods are important pieces of the ‘peace puzzle’. Poverty and competition for...
  20. 2016-03-03 Session: Thisl talk will be about the history of Holistic Management in Laikipia since its start in 2010. It will describe the approach used, the tools, the preliminary results and the challenges that remain. The session shares the experience from Northern Kenya Conservancies and speaks of...
  21. 2016-03-01 Session: The session will describe misconceptions about pastoralists and their capacity to survive in harsh climates. Pastoralists need not be victims of development initiatives. Biographical data: Loupa Pius was born in a pastoralist s community and recalls times rehabilitating from previous...
  22. 2016-03-03 Session: This session shares about soil health and grazing based on some recent research done on our farm. While the Michigan environment is very different than East Africa, like comparing oceans and deserts, the idea that plants get energy from the sun, share that bounty with the microbes in the...
  23. 2016-03-03 Session: This session will demonstrate Pastoralist Managed Natural Regeneration, a new reforestation practice which is successfully reversing the rapid deforestation and desertification in dryland Africa. Pastoralist Managed Natural Regeneration (PMNR) has been shown to be a simple, income...
  24. 2016-03-01 Approximately 30 of the ECHO Symposium attendees participated in this dialogue. First, we established some basic definitions, and noted that poverty and political marginalization has affected men and women differently. While all pastoralists suffer discrimination, loss of land, degraded natural...
  25. 2016-03-02 Session: Livestock is the main source of livelihoods for pastoralist in Marsabit County with 80% of the population directly depending on them. Food for the hungry supported and established 13 livestock markets in Marsabit. The markets provided great platform where herders, traders, government and...
  26. 2016-03-02 Session: The FAOs Pastoralist Hub and FAO experiences on radio communication / extension in pastoral areas have overcome common extension hurdles. Come to hear about it. Biographical data: Badi Besbes has worked with FAO-Kenya livestock sector. Pastoralist Knowledge Hub
  27. 2016-03-01