Abdifitah Abdullahi
Climate change is one of the biggest issues that have been debated globally in recent times. The issue has captured the attention of scientists, governments, international institutions, and people of the world generally. This week African union annual meeting is taking place at Addis Ababa and one of the significant topics that dominate the forum is the issue of climate change leaders were discussing how to tackle these phenomena.
According to the united nation
“Climate change is defined as long-term shifts in temperature and weather patterns”
There are several factors that contribute to climate change such as greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, co2 emission, industrialization, overgrazing, urbanization and so many other human activities
Picture: Pastoralist men looking at the death of their live stocks. source: Phys.org
Climate change and the horn of Africa
The horn of Africa is a large peninsula and geopolitical region in eastern Africa. Located in the easternmost part of Africa mainland. Countries such as Ethiopia, Eretria, Somalia, and Djibouti are nations the region is composed of. Climate change has widely affected this region causing four-season rain failures, extreme weather, crop loss, the death of millions of livestock heads, and rapid urbanization. This has jeopardized the food security of the millions of Horn of Africa, forced them to displace from their homes, and become internally displaced people.
Climate change and pastoralist
Pastoralist communities are communities whose livelihood is based on herding livestock and account for nearly 60% of the population that lives in the horn of Africa. Pastoralist communities that live in the horn of Africa are ethnically Somalis, Oromos, Afar, and Sidamo’s. These communities live in the easternmost part of this particular region which is characterized to be lowland that has fewer rains compared to the northern part. Climate change has affected pastoralist communities in so many ways.
One of the effects of climate change on this community is recurring drought, the failure of four consecutive seasons has contributed to the mass death of the livestock due to water shortage, and diseases. The other effect of climate change on these communities is that it floods in some parts of regions like Somalia that washed-out entire villages and brought many people to become internally displaced.
Conflicts also occurred as a result of climate change since the grazing land has decreased many pastoralists were forced to move to other regions with their livestock and competition for water and grazing leads to conflicts among pastoralist communities.
What is next for the pastoralist in the horn of Africa
Since the climate is rapidly changing and many unpreferred impacts are causing on the livestock herding horn of African pastoralists, there is a need to look for solutions that can help the lives and livelihoods of the pastoralist communities.
One major alternative for this community is to diversify their livelihood activity and become agro-pastoralist to produce food for themselves and their livestock. Agro-pastoralism is economic activity that involves the herding of livestock as well as farming. This can contribute to the adaptation of the climate-induced challenges for pastoralist communities in the horn of Africa.
Abdifitah Abdullahi is Ph.D. in environmental health fellow at Haramaya University, Ethiopia
And can be contacted through this email phatah11@gmail.com
It’s important to recognize the challenges faced by these communities and their efforts to adapt to a changing environment. By understanding their unique perspective and knowledge of the land, we can work towards sustainable solutions for both people and the planet.