Description

Abstract: The impacts of formal education in pastoral communities are not well understood. With few exceptions, little systematic research has been conducted, in part because education is not widespread among herders nor has it always been welcome. The rangelands of northern Kenya are not unusual in this respect and educational levels are much lower there than elsewhere in the country. This research brief addresses the question “can formal education assist pastoralists to better manage risk?” It argues that education should be viewed as a means to supplement pastoralism, rather than–as is commonly perceived–a way to ‘exit’ from it. By building on a rich data base from two different periods (1980-1981 and 2000-2002) in the Il Chamus area of Kenya, the authors suggest that ‘with education’ homesteads have more favorable food security and higher incomes than ‘without education’ units because they receive more remittances, depend less on food aid, have greater cash savings, and have higher food expenditures. However, in terms of livestock management and herd loses, the ‘with education’ fare as poorly during droughts as ‘without education’ homesteads. The brief concludes with recommendations on how education can play a positive role in improving pastoral risk management.