Grasslands of the World.pdf - Disasters and Conflicts - UNEP

The changing face of pastoral systems in grass-dominated ecosystems of eastern Africa 41
herders to more settled, smallholder farming and rearing of small ruminants.
Like other pastoralists in the region, they find that small ruminants are easy
to manage near the homestead, cost less, are more easily sold and breed more
quickly than camels (Pantuliano, 2002). Government policies have supported
cropping and reduction of communal grazing land and, more recently, mobility
patterns and access to key resources have been constrained by conflict and civil
insecurity. Many Beja now move very little or not at all, reducing their capacity
to make effective use of the rangeland from the perspective of livestock
production. As Beja settle, vegetation around settlements has changed, with
the disappearance of seven palatable species and an increase in unpalatable species
(Pantuliano, 2002). These changes are typical of those faced by pastoralists
across the region. Even so, many families (or parts of families) still send the
younger family members for transhumance in the dry season while the women
and older family members remain on the farm to take care of the crops and
smallstock.
The national land tenure systems of the region are unrelated to the traditional
land tenure and access regimes of the pastoralist groups. In Ethiopia, the Sudan
and Somalia , all land is state owned and cropping land can be leased from or
allocated by the government. In Somalia, land tenure is under a mixture of traditional
and modern legal systems (Amadi, 1997). The 1975 Land Reform Act
of Somalia gave land for state enterprises and mechanized agriculture (Unruh,
1995); pastoralists only had rights as part of government-sponsored cooperatives
and associations, and were forced to move from their traditional lands to
more marginal lands with open access. All land belonged to the state and 50year
leases were provided to users, although many enclosures were not legally
leased and ownership was respected by local communities under traditional
systems (Amadi, 1997). Following the conflict and the absence of a central
government, the deregulation of land tenure and unauthorized enclosure of
pastoral land for grass production by entrepreneurs for export livestock production
to Kenya left poor herders and agropastoralists with little livelihood
security (de Waal, 1996). For the Sudan, the government recognizes rights of
possession over land but also reserves the right to acquire land from local owners
for the state (Amadi, 1997). In Ethiopia, land is allocated through the land
administration, and redistribution occurs, so people do not have secure rights
over their land (EEA/EEPRI, 2002), resulting in inter-ethnic and inter-communal
conflict over resources . In neighbouring Eritrea , land is owned by the
community, and land tenure is governed by traditional laws and administered
under traditional village administrative bodies (Amadi, 1997).
Land tenure in Uganda is very complex, reflecting the rich history of the
country. Mailo tenure is particular to the Buganda area of the country and
dates back to 1900 when the king (kabaka) of the Buganda people shared land
among the chiefs to own in perpetuity. In 1975, the Land Reform Decree made
all land public with title vested in the Uganda Land Commission, and allowed