Community-Based Rangeland and Livestock Management

The primary academic purpose of the study is to test the impact of a community-based livestock and rangeland management program in northern Namibia on livestock assets, income, social cohesion and rangeland health.

It is theorized that pastoral farmers in communal areas like northern Namibia face a “tragedy of the commons” problem regarding their choice of where to graze and how many cattle to keep, and that formalizing community resource management practices (via group meetings, defined responsibilities and sanctions), as GOPA sought to do, can alleviate this problem.

GOPA also tried to introduce animal husbandry best practices, including herd restructuring to reduce the share of unproductive cattle and use of vaccinations and supplements. Similarly, GOPA sought to teach farmers to commercialize their practices and sell more of their animals through the formal market.

This evaluation also speaks to a body of literature in ecology on holistic rangeland management, the theory that guided GOPA’s farmer training. This technique, which involves grazing cattle in large combined herds and following a regular rotational plan, has been posited to improve the long-term health of the rangeland in areas at risk of desertification.

In addition to instituting community groups as well as regional livestock marketing cooperatives and training on animal husbandry and rangeland management, the CBRLM project provided direct support to farmers in the form of installing water points, providing matching funds to community groups and implementing a livestock pass-on scheme.

To address all these potential avenues of impact, this analysis will examine changes in farmer behaviors and attitudes, cattle herd structure and health, rangeland quality and grass availability, and household well-being.