Resources

An ActionAid programme in the Sanaag region of Somaliland provides basic animal health care to the pastoral communities living in the area. Participatory methods have been used by the project staff to build up a more detailed picture of the herders' lifestyle, particulary management of communal resources, animal husbandry practices and methods of managing disease. This article describes mapping exercises which were carried out to chart the seasonal migration patterns followed by different groups of pastoralists in the region. Information about seasonal migration patterns confirmed that herders are likely to be in a certain area during a particular season of the year. This knowledge assisted with the planning of drug distribution, making it compatible with the herders' needs and seasonal location.

A rapid appraisal (RA) was conducted with Tibetan agro-pastoralists of the Himalayas with the aim of obtaining an understanding of the primary livestock healthcare system and local knowledge of livestock diseases and healing. Various methods were used, including key informant interviews, individual interviews and livestock disease ranking. These techniques were found to be particularly useful for gathering information with a socio-cultural grounding, in a context where religious beliefs and livestock healthcare are inextricably linked.

Progeny histories are essentially livestock histories which describe the fate of all the offspring of a given female animal. They can be used to collect information on a large number of animals in a short period of time. This article describes how the progeny history technique was used, in conjunction with a variety of other data collection methods, in Samburu District, Kenya. The study set out to assess the nature of animal health problems, as well as existing levels of veterinary knowledge among pastoralists, and availability of existing animal health services. It was found to be a useful method for collecting accurate information in a culturally-sensitive way, and complemented other data collection techniques.

This paper reviews a selection of PRA techniques that are either currently in use or are believed to have potential application with communities who depend primarily on livestock for their livelihood. The methods discussed include observation and village walks, semi-structured interviews, case histories and animal biographies, maps and models, transects, diagramming, seasonal calendars, ranking and matrices. The paper concludes with a summary of the range of information that could be gathered with the help of local informants using some of the tools described.

Participatory methods were used during a survey carried out by VetAid project staff at the request of an agro-pastoral community in Daye Chopan District in Afghanistan. The survey aimed to identify decision-making processes in the community, the problems of different wealth groups, physical and cultural restraints, and indigenous technical knowledge. The methods used included wealth ranking, direct matrix ranking, disease ranking, fodder ranking and seasonal calendars. The survey brought to light a severe animal health problem which affected the poorest members of the community most severely. Consultation with community leaders about ways of solving this problem resulted in a project for training livestock keepers to treat, prevent and control the most serious diseases, as ranked by the community.

Following the dismantling of the pastoral collectives in Mongolia, a wide variety of formal as well as informal institutions currently exist. While informal community organisations are the main context in which pastoral livestock production is carried out, the question of which institutions will take over the functions of the former collectives is still open. This paper describes how PRA methods were used to try to understand herders' perceptions of the various institutions they participate in. Social mapping was used to identify the composition of informal neighbourhood communities. Ranking and scoring were used mainly to understand herders' perceptions of the institutions of which they are members.

This report analyses the characteristics of a sample of local pastoral institutions in two contrasting ecological zones in Mongolia. The main body of the report presents the findings of the research. A brief section on methodology outlines the field research methods used, which were a combination of PRA and more conventional techniques. The participatory techniques included wealth ranking, and social mapping, which was used to identify the composition of local institutions. Matrix ranking and scoring were also found to be useful for understanding herders' perceptions about the institutions of which they are members and in which they participate.