| Abstract: | paper analyzes the livelihood of the Borana pastoral communities of Southern Oromiya in Ethiopia. The main aim of this study is to identify and explore challenges and opportunities of livelihood diversification. The study employed mixed method of data collection and analysis (qualitative and quantitative). Focus group discussion, survey and house hold interview were carried out at community, district, and woreda levels. The study showed that livestock production become less productive due to climate change and market globalization including changing environment, decline in water sources and feed sources, poor pasture supply, weed infection of graze lands and etc. in the study area, pastoralism as way of life is curtailed by combination of factors such as population growth and settlement in remote grazing areas, existence of claims by different ethnic groups on rangelands, the impartial impact of drought, increasing settlement to get social services, and the declining number of cattle holding per household. In the pastoral communities, diversification is practiced by both wealthier households and poor households in the former the main practice is as commission agent and broker. But the poor households practice in the form of petty trade and wage laborer in the home of the richest households and the nearby local villages. However diversification of the poor is not well structured, productive and continuous. In short livestock production is yet the main sources of livelihood option for the majority of the population. A number of household socio economic characteristics influence the trends of livelihood diversification in the study area those include: age, farm input use, extension contact, market distance, and credit access and cattle size highly and significantly. Based on this reality the researcher recommends as follows; since household livelihoods are highly diverse, Policy-makers need to reflect on the most suitable ways of supporting this diversity. Only with more appropriate policies that recognize the importance of diversity. By asking/considering the question “will it be possible for more people to make positive exits from food security risk through diversity?” |
