Abstract:
The aim of this paper is to explore the relevance
of a systematic application of resilience thinking to
questions of pastoralist policy, a task that requires taking
the concept of resilience beyond the level of a metaphor
and operationalizing it. One approach to accomplishing
this is the components-relationships-innovation-continuity
framework (Cumming et al. 2005), which, in this paper,
we apply to analysis of the social-ecological system of the
Gabra people in north-central Kenya. While some types of
indicators, such as those monitored by humanitarian
information systems, can help to identify when the
resilience of a system has been eroded, indicators of the
components, relationships, and sources of innovation and
continuity help o make clear the dynamics of how
resilience is being lost. In the case of the Gabra, our
analysis suggests that there is a need to envision a third
alternative—a stability domain that is distinct both from
traditional pastoralism whose viability has been
undermined and from the perversely resilient poverty trap
that is coming to dominate. While this kind of conclusion
may not be new, a resilience-based analysis helps to
uncover specific details regarding what such a third
alternative might entail and what kinds of policy levers
might help to make it possible.
