The Cultural Ecology of Pastoralism in Eritrea: a Geographical Inquiry
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 2002 The cultural ecology of pastoralism in Eritrea: a geographical inquiry Woldetensae Tewolde Kahsaye Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, wtewold@lsu.edu Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations Part of the Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons Recommended Citation Kahsaye, Woldetensae Tewolde, "The cultural ecology of pastoralism in Eritrea: a geographical inquiry" (2002). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 2745. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/2745 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contactgradetd@lsu.edu. THE CULTURAL ECOLOGY OF PASTORALISM IN ERITREA: A GEOGRPAHICAL INQUIRY A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy In The Department of Geography and Anthropology by Woldetensae Kahsaye B.A., Addis Ababa University, 1988 M.A., Addis Ababa University, 1995 August 2002 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First and foremost, I thank God the Almighty for his gifts and strength that enabled me to complete this dissertation. I would like to record a special note of thanks to my major professor Dr. Kent Mathewson, who generously devoted his time, giving valuable suggestions and tirelessly commented on the draft. His sincere advice in reshaping and organizing the whole dissertation was great. I would like also to express my deepest gratitude to my committee members, Dr. Miles Richardson, Dr. William Davidson, Dr. Helen Regis, and Dr. John Malone for sharing their time and expertise. I am highly indebted to the Fulbright and USAID/Eritrea Exchange Programs for the Ph.D. grant they awarded me during the course of my study. The University of Asmara and the Robert C. West Graduate Student Field Research Fund also deserve a special note of thanks for the financial assistance they provided me in carrying out the fieldwork for this study. I would like also to extend heart-felt thanks to the experts and extension workers at the Ministry of Agriculture, to Sheab and Kerkebet administration offices, and to all the sampled households in the study areas for their generous cooperation in providing me information for the research. Finally, I am greatly indebted to my family and to my friends who in one way or the other shared my pains during the course of the study. Special thanks go to my father Tewolde Kahsaye, to my wife Nigisti Hadgu, and to my children Loula, Ellen, and Robel for their encouragement and love. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ……………………………………………………………… ii LIST OF TABLES……………………………………………………………………….vi LIST OF FIGURES……………………………………………………………………..viii ABSTRACT……………………………………………………………………………...ix CHAPTER1. PERSPECTIVES ON LIVESTOCK ECONOMY AND RANGE RESOURCES………………………………………………………………1 1.1 Introduction…………………………………………………………………………… 1 1.2 Theoretical Framework……………………………………………………………….. 3 1.3 Traditional Livestock Economy: Characteristics…………………………………….. 6 1.4 Development Issues…………………………………………………………………. 12 1.5 The Survey Design and Implementation……………………………………………..14 1.5.1 Study Objectives…………………………………………………………… 14 1.5.2 Research Hypotheses………………………………………………………. 15 1.5.3 Materials and Methodology………………………………………………... 16 1.5.4 Sample Size and Sampling Procedure……………………………………... 22 1.6 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………23 CHAPTER 2. BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY AREAS…………………………….26 2.1 Eritrea……………………………………………………………………………. 26 2.1.1 History………………………………………………………………………28 2.1.2.Physical Setting……………………………………………………………..28 2.1.3 Land-Use and Land-Cover………………………………………………….31 2.1.4 Economy and Social Amenities……………………………………………. 33 2.2 Tigre and Hidareb as the Study Communities: Kerkebet Study Area…………… 37 2.2.1 The People…………………………………………………………………. 37 2.2.2 Physical Setting……………………………………………………………..38 2.2.3 Household Economy……………………………………………………….. 38 2.3 Tigre and Rashaida as the Study Communities: Sheab Study Area……………... 40 2.3.1 The People…………………………………………………………………. 40 2.3.2 Physical Setting……………………………………………………………. 43 2.3.3 Household Economy……………………………………………………….. 44 2.4 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………….. 45 CHAPTER 3. DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE, LABOR FORCE AND HUMAN WELFARE………………………………………………………………...47 3.1 Introduction………………………………………………………………………. 47 3.2 Demographic Structure of the Sampled Households…………………………….. 47 3.2.1 Household Morphology……………………………………………………. 47 3.2.2 Household Size and Literacy Status……………………………………….. 53 3.3 Marital Status…………………………………………………………………….. 57 iii 3.3.1 Marriage……………………………………………………………………. 58 3.3.2 Divorce……………………………………………………………………...59 3.4 Labor Force Supply in the Pastoral System……………………………………… 61 3.5 Human Welfare…………………………………………………………………... 65 3.5.1 Dietary Composition……………………………………………………….. 66 3.5.2 Incidences of Human Diseases…………………………………………….. 68 3.5.3 Housing Types……………………………………………………………... 68 3.6 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………….. 75 CHAPTER 4. HERD DYNAMICS……………………………………………………... 78 4.1 Introduction………………………………………………………………………. 78 4.2 Estimating Livestock Population………………………………………………… 80 4.3 Herd Size as a Function of Labor………………………………………………... 81 4.4 Herd Dynamics…………………………………………………………………... 83 4.4.1 Large Ruminant Herd Dynamics…………………………………………... 83 4.4.1.1 Birth and Purchase Rates…………………………………………... 86 4.4.1.2 Sale and Slaughter Rates……………………………………………88 4.4.2 Small Ruminant Herd Dynamics…………………………………………... 91 4.4.2.1 Birth and Purchase Rates…………………………………………... 94 4.4.2.2 Sale and Slaughter Rates……………………………………………97 4.5 Incidences of Animal Diseases…………………………………………………. 102 4.6 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………….105 CHAPTER 5. MOBILITY AND DROUGHT COPING MECHANISMS……………. 107 5.1 Introduction……………………………………………………………………... 107 5.2 Herd Movement, Herd Size Determinants, and the Role of Women……………108 5.2.1 Herd Movement…………………………………………………………... 108 5.2.1.1 Cost Analysis of Mobility………………………………………… 111 5.2.1.2 Explanatory Factors in Herd Movement………………………….. 113 5.2.2 Herd Size Determinants and the Role of Women………………………… 116 5.2.2.1 Determinants of Herd Size………………………………………... 116 5.2.2.2 The Role of Women in Herding Society…………………………..119 5.3 Drought and The Traditional Coping Mechanisms……………………………...121 5.3.1 Drought Coping Mechanisms…………………………………………….. 121 5.3.2 Recovery and Relief Activities…………………………………………… 125 5.3.3 The Tragedy of the Commons……………………………………………. 129 5.4 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………. 132 CHAPTER 6. LIVESTOCK MARKETING AND THE SURVEY OF THE SPATE IRRIGATION SYSTEM……………………………...134 6.1 Introduction…………………………………………………………………….. 134 6.2 Livestock Marketing System in the Study Areas………………………………..136 6.2.1 Livestock Sales…………………………………………………………….139 6.2.2 Livestock Prices…………………………………………………………... 145 6.2.3 Household Income and Expenditure Analysis……………………………. 146 6.2.4 Constructing Wealth Differentials Among the Sampled Households……..150 iv 6.3 Survey of the Spate Irrigation System………………………………………….. 157 6.3.1 Production Parameters and Crop Yield……………………………………158 6.3.2 Rural Restructuring and the Pastoral Model of Development……………. 166 6.3.2.1 Traditional Spate Irrigation System………………………………... 167 6.3.2.2 Modern Spate Irrigation System…………………………………… 169 6.4 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………… 170 CHAPTER 7 GENERAL CONCLUSIONS AND SUMMARY OF FINDINGS…….. 173 7.1 Summary of Findings……………………………………………………………173 7.2 General Conclusions……………………………………………………………. 179 REFERENCES…………………………………………………………………………183 APPENDIX I: HOUSEHOLD QUESTIONNAIRE……………………………………193 APPENDIX II: STUDY AREA DOCUMENT………………………………………... 203 APPENDIX III: DATABASE…………………………………………………………. 208 VITA…………………………………………………………………………………… 231 v LIST OF TABLES 1.1A Location of the sampled villages and number of sampled households in the Kerkebet study area………………………………………………………………. 24 1.1B Location of the sampled villages and number of sampled households in the Sheab study area…………………………………………………………………..24 3.1A Age and sex structure of the sampled population in the Kerkebet study area………………………………………………………………………………...50 3.1B Age and sex structure of the sampled population in the Sheab study Area………..51 3.2 Profile of respondents (percent) by age, religion, and literacy status ………………56 3.3 Labor share among household members in the Kerkebet study area ……………… 64 3.4 Frequency of consumed food types (percent) over the climatic phases surveyed………………………………………………………………………………….67 4.1 Correlation matrix between Active Adult Male Equivalent (AAME) and herd sizes in pre-drought and drought conditions…………………………………...82 4.2 Change in aggregate holdings of large stock per sampled household in pre-drought and drought conditions…………………………………………………….. 84 4.3A Mean cattle and camel birth rates (percent) per sampled household across different climatic phases………………………………………………………….89 4.3B Mean cattle and camel purchase rates (percent) per sampled household…………..90 4.4 Mean small stock holdings per sampled household in pre-drought and drought conditions……………………………………………………………………….92 4.5A Mean small stock birth and purchase rates (percent) in pre-drought conditions………………………………………………………………………………...95 4.5B Mean small stock birth and purchase rates (percent) drought conditions………….96 4.6 Mean