Pastoralism and Pastoralists in Sudan LB3 HY2

7/31/2019 Pastoralism and Pastoralists in Sudan LB3 HY2

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Pastoralism and Pastoralists in Sudan:A Stakeholder Mapping and Survey

HelenYoung,AfafRahim,AbdelhafizMohamed,MerryFitzpatrick

Background

Since2010,the Feinstein InternationalCenter(FIC)atTuftsUniversityhaveembarkedon amajor three-year

researchprojectonPastoralism,TradeandMarketswhichis partoftheUNEPSudanIntegratedEnvironment

ProjectfundedbyUKaidfromtheDepartmentfor InternationalDevelopment1.Thisshortreportsummarizes

thefindingsofathreestagestakeholdermappingexercise2,whichwasundertakenasafoundationalactivityto

inform subsequent research studies, and to promote and further develop stakeholder participation in the

project. Forthisproject, stakeholdersaredefinedasan individual,group,organization,or institution,which

affectsorinfluencespastoralismandpastoralistlivelihoodseitherdirectlyorindirectly.

TheTuftsworkbuilds uponandexpandsonourearlier research on livelihoods andconflict,which involved

studies of the early impact of conflict on peoples livelihoods, IDPs livelihoods, migration patterns and

remittance flows, and the marginalization and vulnerability of pastoralist livelihoods inDarfur. The earlier

undertakings,which spanned theyears2004-2009,werewidelydisseminatedanddiscussedbygovernments

andaidagenciesinanon-goingseriesofdebriefingsanddialogueinSudan,NorthAmericaandEurope.

Ourcurrentresearchcoverstwoseparatebutrelatedfields;pastoralismandpastoralistlivelihoods,andmarkets

and trade in the Darfur region. The pastoralist project aims to promote understanding of pastoralists

livelihoods systems among local, national and international stakeholders and to strengthen the capacity of

pastoralistleaders,organizationsandotheradvocatestoarticulatetherationaleforpastoralism.

Thisworkis inclosepartnershipwith severalnationalandinternationalpartners,includingUNEPSudan,SOS

SahelSudan,theDarfurDevelopmentandReconstructionAgency,theInternationalInstituteforEnvironment

andDevelopment,andtheNomadsDevelopmentCouncil.Italsodependsonthesupportandparticipationofa

widenetworkofnationalandlocalorganizations,professionalsandacademics.

Thispaperisdividedintothreeparts;Part1summarizestheobjectivesandmethodsusedineachofthethree

phasesofthestudy;Parttwopresentstheresultsfromthemapping,thestakeholdersurvey,andtheanalysisof

theUNdatabase;andPartthreepresentsthediscussionandconclusionsfromthiswork.

Part1:Athreephaseapproach

Pastoralist livestock production is practiced in every region and state throughout former Sudan, which is

probablyhometooneofthelargestpastoralistpopulationsinAfrica(althoughpreciseestimatesarehardto

comeby).Pastoralistlivestockproductionmakesaremarkablecontributiontosecuringlivelihoodsatthelocal

levelandalsotothewidernationaleconomyandtolivestockexports. Pastoralismisalsoconducivewiththe

sustainablemanagement of dryland environments. As well as being a crucially important rural livelihood,


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pastoralismisalsoaculturalidentitysharedbyruralandurbanresidentsalike.Therearemanypeoplewho

identify themselvesaspastoralistswhomaynolongerpractice livestockherdingorbeconnectedto livestock

production,yetmaintaintheiridentityasamemberofapastoralistgroup

Thespecificobjectivesofthisstakeholdermappingwereto:

1. Identifythebroadgroupsofstakeholders,asabaseforprovidingastrongfoundationandstrategyforensuringtheirparticipationthroughouttheproject

2. Reviewthenatureandleveloftheirinvolvementorinfluence.3. Solicittheirviewsonkeypoliciesandchallengesaffectingpastoralistsandpastoralistlivelihoodsystems.4. Identifythemechanismandstrategyformakinguseoftheanalysisinordertosupportandpromote

positivechange.

Threecomplementaryapproacheswereusedtoidentify,reviewandanalysetheinterestsofpastoralists.First,

theprojectteamidentifiedandcharacterizedthebroadcategoriesandsub-categoriesofstakeholders.Second,

aquestionnaire surveybuilton this earlierwork,by capturingtheprofileofindividualstakeholdersandtheir

institutions, includingananalysisof theirengagementwithpastoralists, andtheiropinionson challengesand

policiesaffectingpastoralistlivelihoodsystems. Third,adeskbasedreviewofthe2011UNprojectdatabase

allowedaprofilingoftheagenciesandprojectsthattargetpastoralistsorpastoralistlivestockproduction.The

resultsanddiscussionofthethreeanalyticalapproacheswerecompiledinaPastoralistsStakeholderMapping

Report,andinthisshortreportwesummarizeanddrawthemostimportanthighlightsfromthereport.

1. StakeholderidentificationThe first stage involved the identification ofbroad stakeholder groups,with an initial brainstorming by the

projectteam(Tufts,UNEP,SOSSahel)followedbyreviewing,furthercharacterizationandcross-checkingat a

multi-stakeholder groupmeeting in Khartoum. In total 14 broad stakeholder groups were identified. This

process in turn informed the development of the stakeholder questionnaire for the second stage of the

mapping,andensuredtheinclusionofinternational,nationalandsub-nationallevels.

2. QuestionnairesurveyTrainedenumeratorsconductedface-to-faceinterviewswithstakeholderscoveringeightstatesinNorthSudan

including: Khartoum, North and South Darfur, North and SouthKordofan, BlueNile State, Sinnar State and

Gedaref.Coverageofthesurveywasfurtherexpandedbysimultaneouslyundertakingareplicaonlinesurvey

distributedbyemailtonationalandinternationalstakeholdersbothinSudanandabroad.Snowballsampling,

which encouraged respondents toname otherpotential interviewees or forward the online survey link,was

usedtoincreasecoverageofthesurveybeyondtheinitialsample.Thequestionnairecoveredtherespondents

background,theirorganization,sectoral focusandprogrammaticengagementwithpastoralists. Italsoasked

theiropinionsonchallengesandpolicyissuesaffectingpastoralistlivelihoodsystems.Thesurveytookplace

duringFebruarytoMarch2011,withtheonlinesurveyopenforrespondentsfor6months.

3. AnalysisoftheUNprojectdatabaseAn excel file listing the projects in the 2011 UN database was obtained from the UN Office of Resident

Coordinator/HumanitarianCoordinator(UNORC/HC).Atotalof4793projectslistedonthedatabasewitha


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totalvalueof$137,788,159,wereselectedforfurtheranalysis.Theseprojectswerereviewedtodetermine:the

scale and distribution of agency engagementwith pastoralists, the programmatic or sectoral focus, and to

identifytheorganizationswithpastoralistsastheirtargetcommunities.

Limitationsofthestudy: Itshouldbenotedthatthestudyisanoverviewofstakeholders,theiractivitiesand

perspectivesoncertainissues.Itisnotacomprehensiveanalysisoncapacities,effectivenessandimpacts.

ItisnotpossiblefromtheUNdatabasetoaccuratelyestimatethebudgetdedicatedtopastoralists,astheseare

usually incorporated into projects that are aimed at a broader population or other sectors not benefitting

pastoralists. Inorder to improve estimates, two separateestimates weremade, including those livelihood

programswithsignificantpastoralcomponentsandthosewithfarsmallerpastoralistcomponents.However,

eventhosewithsignificantcomponentsappearedtobelessthan20%relatingtopastoralists.

Part2:Results

2.1WhosWho?StakeholderIdentificationandMapping

Pastoralists as a group and pastoralism as a livestock production system encompass multiple wide-ranging

interestsacrosssectors,disciplines,stateandnon-stategroups.Intotalsome14broadstakeholdercategories

wereidentified,including:

1. Government, Federal and State Levels forPoliticalandCivilAdministration.

2. PastoralistGroups(wheretheyhaveadistinctgroupidentity)and

Customary/LocalGovernance

3. InternationalOrganizations4. NonStateActors5. UniversitiesandResearchInstitutions6. InternationalNationalUniversities

bilateralagreementsandinitiatives

7. OtherLivelihoodGroups8. TradersandConsumers9. PrivateSector10.ArmedGroups11.Media12.RegionalBodies13.FinancialInstitutions14. InternationalNationalInitiatives

Withineachcategory,therearemultiplesub-categories;departments,units,etc.,someofwhomhavespecific

responsibilitiesthatinfluenceorimpactpastoralismandpastoralistlivelihoods.

KeyGovernmentDepartments

AsthisprojectisconcernedwithbothpastoralismasalivelihoodsystemandpastoralistsascitizensofSudan,a

widerangeofgovernmentministriesatbothfederalandstatelevelarerelevant.Amoredetailedbreakdownof

ministries,departmentsandtheirroleandfunctionandrelevancetopastoralismisavailableinthefullreport.

TheMinistry of Animal Resources andFisheries (MARF) is of particular interest and importance to livestock

producers. Despite the focus on livestock, there is little acknowledgementof the importance of pastoralist

livestockproduction.GenerallyMARFisorientedtowardscommercialproductivityqualityandquantity,and

generatingexport revenues. Thenewthree yeareconomic strategy forSudan highlights three aimsfor the


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livestock sectorrelatedto:privatization;settlementof pastoralistsand improved cross-breeding. A focuson

pastoralist production systems is not explicit, for example, livestock censuses and estimates of production

rarely,ifever,acknowledgethesourceofproduction.

Withinthegovernmentsectorthereareonlyadisproportionatelysmallnumberofkeydepartmentsthathavea

specificfocusonpastoralismorpastoralistissues.Keygovernmentdepartmentswithanexplicitfocusonissues

ofconcerntopastoralistsincludetheGeneralAdministrationofPasturesandFodder(National/Federal)within

the Ministry of Animal Resources and Fisheries; and the Department of Education for Nomads within the

MinistryofGeneralEducation.ThisdepartmentwasestablishedbyadirectpresidentialdecisioninMay2000,

andhassetupsub-departmentsinallnorthernstatesfortheeducationofnomads,withtheexceptionofGezira

State. Theaimis toabsorb99%ofnomadicchildrenintoeducationby2015,paying specificattentionto the

educationofgirls.

Theorganizational homeof thepasture and fodder department has been transferredmany times between

differentministriesrelatedtoagriculture,livestockandnaturalresources,thusstiflingitseffectiveness.Most

recentlyithasbeensituatedwithinMARF.Themaintasksofthisdepartmentaretheformulationofregulations

forefficientprotectionofpasture,providingtechnicalsupporttoStates,andcoordinatingandcooperatingwith

relevantgovernmentandnon-governmentinstitutes/departments.Atthetimeofwriting,furtherrestructuring

andre-organizationofministriesisapparentlyunderwayasthegovernmentofSudanisreviewingnewausterity

resource-savingmeasures.

TheZakatChamber,undertheMinistryofExtensionandReligiousAffairs,isresponsibleforthecollectionof

obligatoryzakatpayments,theirmanagementandtheirdisbursementforcharitableandreligiouspurposesin

accordancewithIslamiclaw.Zakatpaymentsareobligatoryforanimalsnotusedforploughinglandorother

work,whichareownedforatleastoneyear.Theminimumherdsizeforthe zakatis5camels,30cows,or40

goats andsheep. There arespecific problemswith collectingthe livestock-basedzakat payments, including:

evasionofpayments;insecurity;livestockresidinginmultiplestatesandprovinceswhichmakesitunclearwhere

thecollectionsshouldoccur;andthehighadministrativecostforzakatcollectionandsupervision.Giventhe

scaleoflivestockproductioninSudan,thisisamajorsourceofrevenuefortheZakatChamber.

BodiesRepresentingPastoralists

There are two majorbodies representing pastoralists at national level: the PastoralistsUnion (PU) and the

Nomads DevelopmentCouncil (NDC). The PU isthe trade unionor guildforPastoralists inSudan, acting as

coordinatorbetweenthepastoralistsandotherrelevantactors. Theworkiscarriedoutona voluntarybasis.

The future of the long established PU, however, is unclear, and it is likely to be dissolved when the 2010

AgricultureandAnimalsProducersAssociationActisfullyimplemented.

TheNDCisarelativelyneworganizationandisinitiallyfocusingitseffortsontheDarfurregion.Thestrategic

goaloftheCouncilistocreateawell-developednomadiccommunityandpromotesustainabledevelopmentto

achieveprosperityandwelfare,withparticularfocusonimprovingthestatusofnomadicwomenasanessential

elementinthepromotionofaspiritofpeaceandpeacefulcoexistence.


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CivilSocietyOrganizations

Pastoralistsandpastoralismarenotwellrepresentedbycivilsocietyorganizations(CSOs)inSudan.Atnational

level there areonly fourSudanese NGOsworking specifically to highlight andaddress pastoral concerns (Al

Massar,Elhawdag,theSudanCamelAssociation(SUCA)andthePastoralismAssociation(PAS)).Regionally,for

exampleinDarfur,inasurveyofCSOsonlyfourCSOsfocusonpastoralistsoutofatotalsampleof1044,which

islessthan5%oflocalagenciesontheground.Thisverypoorcivilsocietyrepresentationisamajorobstaclefor

outreachtopastoralcommunitiesandwiderrepresentation.

Sincethisstakeholderreportwasfirstwritten,theCenterforHumanitarianDialoguehasestablishedaNomadic

NetworkinNyala,ElFasherandElGeneina.ItalsofacilitatedanumberofworkshopsinJune2011toenable

the nomadic communities to discuss humanitarian and reconciliation activities with the national and

internationalagencies.

2.2.SurveyResults

The survey coverage wasmuch larger thanexpected, asa result ofthepractical supportofthePastoralists

UnionandtheNomadsDevelopmentCouncil,andbecauseofthehigherthanexpectedresponsetotheonline

questionnaire5.Atotalsamplesizeof505responses,including298viaface-to-faceinterviewsand207usingthe

onlinequestionnaire,wasachieved6.

Geographiccoverage

Figure1showsthegeographicdistributionofthesamplebyfivegeographicalareas:KhartoumRegion,West

Region(NorthandSouthDarfurStates,NorthandSouthKordofan),EastRegion(Gedaref,SinnarandBlueNile

States),SouthRegion(coversallSouthSudanstates),andfinallyan"Abroad"categorytocoverthediasporaand

theinternationalstakeholdersliving/workingoutsideSudan.StakeholdersbasedinWestSudanrepresentthe

bulkofoursample(40%)whilethenextlargestgroupisKhartoumbasedstakeholders(26%).Thesampleis

largerforWestSudanasfieldteamsfromTufts,SOSSahel,andtheNomadsDevelopmentCouncil,wereableto

visitNorth and South Kordofan, and North, SouthandWest Darfur, all ofwhich fall underWest Sudan. In

additiontheNorthDarfursampleincludedatleast20intervieweesfromeachof5localities(Kutum,Kebkabiya,

Waha,ElFasherandMalha/Mellit).

Figure1GeographiccoverageofthesurveysamplebyRegion7

0 10 20 30 40 50

Khartoum

WestSudan

EastSudan

SouthSudan

Abroad

Khartoum WestSudan EastSudanSouth

SudanAbroad

RegionPercent 26 40 14 3 3

RegionPercentinthesample


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Organizationalcategories

Respondentsweredrawnfromtheentirerangeofstakeholdergroupsidentifiedearlier,andthesewerefurther

aggregated into four groupings:GovernmentInstitutions (governmentdepartments andnationalmedia)with

32% of the sample, International Actors (internationalNGOs, UNagencies anddonors)with 25%,Non-state

Actors(NationalNGO,TribalLeadership,PoliticalRepresentatives,Association/UnionsandPrivateCompanies)

with28%,andUniversity/ResearchInstitutesrepresenting15%ofthesample.

Figure2 shows therepresentationof each organizational category in theonlinesurvey. University/research

institutes represent 49% of the online sample (most of which are national), followed by government

departments (18%). Many government employees receiving the initial email invitation to the online

questionnaire forwarded thelink tocolleaguesthey thoughtwouldbeinterested. The largeonlineresponse

fromgovernmentemployeeswhoreceivedandrespondedtotheseforwardedsurveylinksisindicativeofahigh

generalinterestinpastoralistissueswithingovernmentdepartments.

Figure2Representationoftheorganizationalcategoryintheonlinesurvey

Sectoralfocus

Overall, stakeholders were most heavily involved in food security, natural resource management, conflict

resolution and livelihoods. As expected, research and training are associated with Universities/Research

Institutes. Non-state Actors, on the other hand, are involved mainly in conflict resolution and political

representationandGovernmentInstitutionsareheavilyinvolvedinfoodsecurity,naturalresourcemanagement

and in conflict resolution. In contrast, International Actors have considerably less involvement in conflict

resolutionandpoliticalrepresentation,andtendtofocusonrelief,research,trainingandmedia.

MultipleChallengesFacingPastoralistsinSudan

Surveyrespondentswereaskedtodescribe intheirownwordsthreemajorchallengestopastoralismand list

them in order of importance. Answers were clustered into 10 broad groupings (Table 1). Fully half of

respondentsanswers(50.4%)fellintothefirstcategoryEnvironmentandNaturalresourceIssues,showinga

GovernmentDept.

University/ResearchInstute

InternaonalActors

NonStateActors

Nocategory

18

49

17

14

1

20

73

23

31

14

Percentofonlinesampleofthetotalcategorysample StakeholderCategorypercentoftheonlinesample


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strong belief that the major challenges facing pastoralists are issues related to the environment,

unavailability/depletionofnaturalresources,andgeneralproblemswithnaturalresourcemanagement.

The four top-ranked categories include: environment and natural resource challenges (50.4%); conflict and

security (12.9%); basic services (education and health) (11.7%), mobility and livestock migration (9.6%).

Together, these four categories account for more than 84 per cent of all the answers given as the major

challengefacingpastoralism,withenvironmentalchallengescomingouthighest.

Table1Thefirstmajorchallengefacingpastoralistsaccordingtorespondents(openquestion)

ChallengingArea Number Percent

ENVIRONMENT&NATURALRESOURCESISSUES 211 50.4%

Waterscarcity (16%)

Pasturescarcity&depletion (10%)

Generalproblemswithnaturalresourcemanagement (8.1%)

Agriculturalexpansion (5.5%)

Landtenureandrights (4.1%)

Climate&climatechange (3.8%)

Desertification/declineinNR (2.9%)

CONFLICT& SECURITY (national and local level tribal and natural resource conflict, &

security) 54 12.9%

EDUCATION,HEALTH&BASICSERVICES 49 11.7%

MOBILITY,livestockmigration&livestockroutes,restrictionofmovement 40 9.6%

Governmentpoliciesandmarginalization 17 4.1%

Livestockhealth 13 3.1%

Governancevoice 11 2.6%

Poorunderstandingofpastoralism 8 1.9%

Finance&trade 6 1.4%

Other* 9 2.2%TOTAL 409 100%

Nextrespondentswereaskedtoratealistof16predefinedchallengesaseither:amajorissue,minorissue,not

an issueor "don't know." Figure 3 shows the six challenges receiving the highest scores as amajor issue,

including; lackofbasic services andpoor investment inhuman capital (88%); natural resourcemanagement

(86%), lack of understanding of pastoralist issues among policy makers (83%), land rights and tenure

arrangements (79%). Survey respondents in the face-to-face interviews and in the online survey identified

broadlysimilarchallengesfacingpastoralists.


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Figure3 MajorchallengesfacingpastoralisminSudan(closedratedquestion)

Thisclosed ratingquestion allowed respondents to choose anynumber of "major issues". Theopen-ended

questionaboutchallenges,ontheotherhand,forcedrespondentstoselectoneissueasthefirstchallenge,one

issueasthesecondchallenge,andsoon.Whilethisislimitingitwasfoundthatrespondentsoftenlistedother

commoncategoriesastheirsecondorthirdchallenge.Sowhilesomeissueswereonlymentionedafewtimes

as thefirstchallengee.g. governanceorvoice ofpastoralists, overallthiswasmentionedmanytimesas the

secondandthirdchallenge.

While this analysis allowed the consensus issues to emerge (natural resources, conflict, basic services and

mobility) it also shed light on the diversity of current challenges that are felt to be affecting pastoralists,

including for example, climate change, desertification, secession and cross-border issues, expansion in the

extractiveindustries,changesinlifestyleandlivelihoods.

DifferingPerceptionsbyRegion

Interestingly, the survey found differences in perceptions between stakeholders in different geographical

regions,withKhartoum-basedandonlinerespondentsreflectingdifferingviewsfromthoseatStatelevel.The

starkestexamplewaswater,whichwasmentionedastheprimarychallengeinEastSudanby19%andinthe

Westby30%ofrespondents,butinKhartoumonly3%ofrespondentsmentionedwaterandonly5%inthe

onlineresponses.TheimportanceattachedtoNaturalResourceManagementandPastureandRangelands8also

variedaccordingtolocation,withNaturalResourceManagementmoreofachallengeintheWestthantheEast,

andPastureandRangelandmoresointheEastthantheWest.InwesternSudanthesecondmostpressing

challenge facing pastoralists was conflict. Education was prioritized as the major challenge by 13% ofstakeholdersinKhartoum,whileineasternSudanandwesternSudanonly6%ofstakeholdersmentionedit.

LandIdentifiedastheMainPolicyIssue

Respondentswereaskedfortheiropinionregardingthemainpolicyissuesaffectingpastoralists,andtheresults

aresummarizedinTable2.Nationallegislationrelatingtolandwasbyfarthetoppolicyissue,mentionedfirst

by34%ofrespondents,withmanyrespondentsreferringtotheUnregisteredLandActof1970.Thissuggests

88

86

83

79

78

75

Lackofbasicservices/poorinvestmentinhumancapital

NaturalResourceManagement

Lackofunderstandingofp astoralistissue samongplannersand policymakers

Landrightsandtenurearrangements

Marginalization indevelopmentandsoc io-economicpolic ies

Conflicttrendsandmilitarization

Topmajorchallengesfacingpastoralism

Percent


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thatwhilewaterandothernaturalresourcesareseenasthemajorchallengesfacingpastoralists,itislikelythat

landlegislationisthemajorinfluenceordeterminantofaccesstothoseresources.

Thesecondmajorpolicyissueconcernedlivestockcorridorsanddemarcationofstockroutes(14%).Whilelaws

exist,severalrespondentsnotedthat theyareeithernotenforcedorareignored. Thethirdsetofimportant

policyissuesrelatedtoagriculturallawsandpolicies,specificallyaccesstopasture, farmingcorporations,and

distinctionsbetweenpastoralandagriculturalland.

Table2 Importantareasofnationallaws,regulationsandpoliciesthataffectpastoralismmentionedbyrespondents

Policyarea Number Percent

Landlaw 67 33.8%

Livestockcorridors/demarcation 28 14.1%

AgriculturalLaws 17 8.6%

Naturalresources,forestry 16 8.1%

Localgovernance 10 5.1%

Taxation&livestockfees 10 5.1%

Animalhealth 7 3.5%

CPA&secessionrelated 7 3.5%

Pastoralinstitutions 6 3%

InvestmentPromotion 5 2.5%

Trade&exportofanimals 5 2.5%

Mechanizedfarming 4 2%

Federalism 3 1.5%

LandCommission 2 1%

Security/proxymilitiaformation 2 1%

Zakat 2 1%

Other 7 3.6%

Numberofresponses 198

Noresponse 307 60.8%

Thenon-responseratetothisquestionaboutpolicyissueswasrelativelyhighat61%.Thisis likelyduetothe

difficulty of theopenquestion,which requires specific knowledge of policiesand legislationas it influences

pastoralismandpastoralists.

Opinionsonthe2010AgricultureandAnimalProducersLegislativeAct

Toassessstakeholdersawarenessofnewlawsandlegislationpertainingtopastoralists,theywereaskedaboutthe recent 2010 Agriculture and Animal Producers Legislative Act. This act would effectively cancel the

Organizations of Farmers and Pastoralists Act of 19929. If the new 2012 Act is endorsed by the General

Assembly,pastoralistswilllose theirownuniquenationallyrepresentativebodyand the1992Actwillnotbe

effective.Asmembershipoftheproposedagricultural&animalproducersorganizationsisopentoallthose

whoownagriculturalandanimalresources,itislikelythatpastoralistissueswillbeovershadowed.


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Thevastmajority(85%)ofrespondentswerenotawareoftheexistenceof thisnewlegislation;of thosethat

hadheardofitmostwerefromeitherGovernmentInstitutionsorNon-StateActors.Giventheimplicationsfor

pastoralistsintermsoflocal,regionalandnationallevelrepresentationthislowlevelofawarenessisofserious

concern.Supportofthenewlegislationvaried;amongtheNonStateActors40%generallydisagreedwiththe

newact,while28%supportedin.Forthegovernmentstakeholdergroup,36%disagreedwhile33%supported

it,thusindicatingasplitinopinion.

2.3UNprojectdatabaseresults

SeveralnationalandinternationalorganizationsareworkingwithpastoralistcommunitiesaspartoftheSudan

2011UNwork plan. A reviewof the UN 2011 projectsdatabasewas undertaken inorder togaina better

understanding of the scale and type of UN supported programmes with pastoralists, their distribution

throughoutSudan,andalsotoidentifythemainorganizationsworkingwithpastoralists.

Projectsthatincludedpastoralistsasoneofseveral targetgroupswerevaluedatapproximately22millionUS

dollars(about16%ofthetotal),ofwhichatmost$5millionmaybetargeteddirectlyatpastoralists(lessthan

4%ofthetotal$137MUNworkplan).Eventhisisanover-estimate,aslessthan20%ofthetotalbudgetis

usuallytargetedatpastoralists,with a largerportion supportinglivestockbelongingtoagro-pastoralists,who

oftendonotsharesomeoftheuniquebarriersfacingmobilepastoralists.Geographically,theDarfurregion

appearsto receivelargeramountsof fundingwithapastoralistcomponent(about$9million) comparedwith

other regions in North and South Sudan. However, as explained below only a small proportion of the

programmedtotalistargeteddirectlyatpastoralists.

InnorthernSudan,nearlyalllivelihoodprogrammingdirectedatpastoralistsoragro-pastoralistsarerelatedto

animal health, primarily Community Animal Health Workers (CAHWs) involved in extension, vaccination

campaignsandensuringthedrugsupply.Acoupleofprogrammesareconcernedwithmorebroadlyaddressing

theparticular challenges to theviability of pastoralism as a livelihood system,with ACORDsprogramme in

easternSudannotableinthisrespect.Therewerealmostnoprogrammestargetingotherchallengesorpolicy

issueshighlightedbythestakeholdersurvey.

InSouthSudan,nearlyeveryoneisconsideredprimarilypastoralistwithotheractivitiessuchasfarmingand

fishing counted as secondary activities. Nonetheless, most livelihood activities are aimed at increasing the

productivityofthefarmingandfishingactivities.Thereisonlyoneenvironmentalprogramme(RADA)listedin

thedatabase.Inthis,pastoralismisseenasachallengetonaturalresourcemanagement,statingPastoralismis

rapidlygivingwaytocultivationoflandthatisdegradedbecauseofovergrazingandsoilerosion.

WASHprogramsoccasionallyincludeadaptationsforwateringanimals.Severalmentionbuildingdamsorhafirs

toprovidewaterforanimals,partlytoreducesourcesofconflictwithpastoralists.

Educationisoneareawherethespecialneedsofnomadsareoccasionallytakenintoaccount,thoughitisinthe

minorityofthecases.Veryofteneducationprogramsstatespecificallythenumberofnomadstargetedwithin

theirbeneficiarycounts,butdonotindicateiftheeducationservicesareadaptedtoservepastoralists.Two

education programs specifically highlighting nomadic children propose to build static classrooms. Most


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educationprogramsexpectnomadicchildren toattendnormal staticschoolswithsedentarychildren,though

theAlMassarCharityOrganization forNomadsmentionsthatthereis tensionwhenthenomadicchildrendo

attendtheseschools.

Healthandnutritionprojects,liketheeducationprogrammes,oftenlistnomadsamongtheirbeneficiariesand

say theywill target themasa vulnerable group, but donot appear todo anything specificto adapttheir

servicestotheparticularneedsofnomads.NoneappearedtomentiontrainingCHWsamongstthenomadic

familygroupssotheywouldhaveaccesstocarewhilemobile.Instead,theywereexpectedtoattendclinicsin

thesamewaythesedentarypopulationlivingneartheclinicswould.

Part3:DiscussionandConclusions

Identificationandreviewofstakeholdergroups

Given the size and scale of pastoralism in Sudan, there appear within the government sector a

disproportionatelysmallnumberofdepartmentsthathaveaspecificfocusonpastoralismorpastoralistissues.

Key departments include the General Administration of Pastures and Fodder, and also the Department of

Education forNomads,whicharebothseriouslyunder-resourcedand lack thecapacitytoproperly fulfiltheir

mandates.

There are two major bodies representing pastoralists at the national level; the Pastoralists Union and the

NomadsDevelopmentCouncil.Thefutureofthelong-establishedPUisunclear,andislikelytobedissolved

whenthe2010AgricultureandAnimalProducersActissignedandimplemented.TheNomadsDevelopment

CouncilisarelativelyneworganizationandisfocusingitseffortsontheDarfurregion.Civilsocietyingeneral

providespoor representation of pastoralist issues, especially at national level with only four NGOs working

specifically to highlight and address pastoral concerns (Al Massar, Elhawdag, SUCA and the Pastoralism

Association). Regionally, forexamplein Darfur, there arespecific local CSOs butthese still representa very

smallminority of the total number of CSOs in operation. This poor civil society representation is amajor

obstacleforoutreachtopastoralcommunities.Thelackofawarenessoflegislationandthelackofinvolvement

of certain key organizational categories in advocacy, research and governance means that outreach to

pastoralists,andtheirvoiceingovernanceislimited.

Goodresponsetostakeholdersurvey

The survey results provide a comprehensive overviewof a rangeof stakeholder groups mainly in northern

Sudan,theirsectoralinvolvement,andtheirawarenessandopinionsofthepolicyissuesandchallengesaffecting

pastoralistsandpastoralistlivelihoodsystems.

ThehigherthanexpectedsurveycoveragewasmadepossiblethroughthesupportoftheNomadsDevelopment

Council and the Pastoralist Union, and also through the better than expected response, especially within

government,to theonlinesurvey. Fewif anygovernmentworkerswere sent theonlinesurveylink directly

(assumingtheywouldbereachedinfacetofaceinterviews)yetalargeproportionreceivedthelinkindirectly

from colleagues who had passed it on by email. This suggests that despite a lack of official institutional

commitmentstopastoralism,thereisawideinterestandengagementonthepartofcivilservants.


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Thelow response rate tothepolicyand legislationquestions indicates a lackof understanding anda gapin

knowledgeinthisarea.Additionallythemajorityofrespondentswerenotawareoftheimpendingchangesto

legislationthoughit is likely tohave implicationsfor representationofpastoralistsat nationallevel, andwill

essentiallymakethePUdisappear.Policybriefingsandinformationupdatesareurgentlyneededtoimprovethe

generallypoorlevelofawarenessofcurrentlegislativechangesaffectingpastoralists.

Thesurveyfindingsalsoindicatedthatopinionsofthemajorchallengesfacingpastoralistsvariedaccordingto

location,withKhartoum-basedandonlinerespondentsreflectingdifferingviewsfromthoseatStatelevel.This

indicatesthatabroadcanvassingofstakeholderviewsatlocallevelisneededinordertoavoidelitecaptureof

thepastoralistpolicyagenda.

Limitedinvolvementoftheinternationalcommunitywithpastoralists

ThisreviewoftheUNworkplanfor2011indicatesthatpastoralistsaregenerallyunder-representedorpoorly

consideredintheUNhumanitarianandrecoveryprogramscoveringbothSudanandSouthSudan.Thisechoes

thegapswithinthenationalandstatelevelgovernment.

Mismatchbetweenprogrammesandchallengesfacingpastoralists

While livelihoods programming appears to be the major programming area reaching pastoralists, it is not

generallyfocusedonthoseissuesthatwereidentifiedbystakeholdersasthemajorchallenges,whichincluded

naturalresources,conflictandsecurity,education,healthand basic services aswell asmobilityand livestock

migration.Thesewiderissuesrepresentthepredominantchallengesfacingpastoralists,atleastthreeofwhich

are linked to land legislationand customary law. It isthisarea ofpolicy and practice thatwarrantsgreater

attentionandanalysisinordertoredirecttheprogramsandstrategiesoftheinternationalcommunity.

Howbesttoengagewithstakeholders:thebeginningofapastoralismnetworkandforum

This pastoralist project is founded on a partnership of collaborating international, national and local

organizations that share the same interests and overarching project goal. This pooling of the respective

competenciesof theprojectpartnershasprovedinvaluable intakingtheproject forwardandensuringwider

support. Forexample,in itsfirstyeartheproject signedaMemorandumofUnderstandingwiththeNomads

Development Council, and developed a collaborative relationship with the Pastoralist Union through the

partnership with SOS Sahel. These three national groups actively supported the implementation of the

Stakeholder Survey, and also the Pastoralism Validation Workshop in Wad Medani in April 201110. This

workshopbroughttogethermorethan35nationalrepresentativesofthestakeholdersincludedinthissurvey.

This multi-stakeholder group has endorsed the project approach, and a smaller team selected from this

referencegroupisworkingtoadaptapolicytrainingtothecontextofSudan.

Thestakeholdermappingandsurveyhasgeneratedanetworkofstakeholdersdrawnfrommultiplesectorsand

regions,whichwillserveasastrongfoundationforcontinuingstakeholderengagementthroughoutthelifetime

oftheproject.Respondentswereinvitedtosubmittheirdetailstoanonlinemailingdatabasethatwillbekept

updated and open tonew members. This approachof seeking out stakeholders, soliciting their views and

opinions,andimportantlyseekingtheirendorsementandsupportofprojectactivitiesservestwopurposes;first


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Documents

Pastoralism and Pastoralists in Sudan LB3 HY2