How climate information services can help pastoralists in the Horn of Africa

This article is an abridged version of the original text, which can be downloaded from the right-hand column. We highlight some of the publication’s key messages below, but please access the original text for more comprehensive detail, full references, or to quote text. 

Overview

Despite the growing availability of climate information services (CIS), which could help pastoralists adapt to climate change, their use remains limited among pastoralists in the Horn of Africa (HoA).

Why is this the case? Why do pastoralists not make more use of CIS? How can we make CIS more relevant and accessible to them?

This policy brief reviews the context of CIS for pastoralists in the HoA and draws on case studies from Ethiopia and Kenya regarding CIS initiatives in pastoral areas. The brief looks at the specific needs of pastoralists for climate information, the barriers they face in using such information, and how to develop and deliver CIS tailored for pastoralists.

Developing and delivering CIS to pastoralists

As climate change leads to more frequent droughts and floods, having access to timely and accurate weather and climate information can help pastoralists anticipate, respond, and adapt to these hazards. Pastoralists rely heavily on natural resources such as pasture and water for their livestock and livelihoods. Since the quality and quantity of these resources vary with different weather conditions, knowing when and where resources are available can support pastoralists’ adaptation efforts.

The effectiveness of CIS in enabling climate adaptation relies on four interconnected ‘pillars’:

1. The generation of useful information.
2. The translation into decision-relevant knowledge,
3. The transfer of information to users,
4. Users’ capacity to understand and act on the information they receive.

These approaches ensure that CIS is useful and usable, effectively translating and transferring information to enable adaptation. Collaborative methods such as participatory scenario planning have been widely used across Africa to integrate local knowledge into the production and translation of CIS, thus enhancing CIS utility and usability. For example, Participatory Scenario Planning (PSP) is utilised with pastoralists in Ethiopia to share and interpret forecasts and make them relevant and useful for adaptation.

This brief examines the four pillars within the context of pastoralist-relevant CIS.

1. Generate: Produce information relevant to pastoralists

Agencies that provide CIS in the HoA (listed in the original brief) give increasingly accurate climate forecasts, with models able to accurately anticipate seven out of eight dry seasons in the HoA since 2016. This increased accuracy offers opportunities for more effective CIS available to pastoralists. However, some areas in the region, such as Somalia and Somaliland, lack formalised meteorological services, leading to challenges in CIS provision.

To effectively serve pastoralists, forecasts must match their unique decision-making needs. These needs include information on rainfall onset, flood forecasts, drought warnings, livestock disease risks, and predictions on pasture and water availability in different areas. Pastoralists use this information to plan the purchase of supplementary fodder, decide on transhumance destinations, and prevent conflicts with farmers.

Most CIS provided to pastoralists focus on short- and medium-range forecasts, along with seasonal forecasts, but provide limited information on long-term forecasts. Pastoralists value short-term, real-time information on weather and forage conditions over long-term forecasts since this aligns with their highly flexible production systems that emphasise mobility in response to changing environmental conditions. While a rational strategy given pastoralists’ production systems, this suggests that CIS for pastoralists prioritises short-term over longer-term adaptation strategies.

Additionally, mobile phone coverage is expanding in pastoral regions, offering opportunities to crowdsource local data and address gaps in resource information.

2.Translate: Tailor information to pastoralists’ needs

Effectively translating climate information into actionable knowledge for pastoralists requires that the information is tailored to their specific planning and decision-making needs. However, a gap often exists between the provided information and what pastoralists require, leading to low adoption rates. Challenges include a lack of localised, timely forecasts and the absence of accompanying agrometeorological advisories that offer practical guidance on managing herds and pastures.

Pastoralists often prefer traditional forecasts over scientific ones, viewing indigenous knowledge as more reliable. This preference is crucial for building trust. Incorporating traditional knowledge into climate information can increase its relevance and uptake.

Language and literacy barriers also affect the adoption of CIS. Simplifying technical language and providing information in local languages, through visual and audio formats, can improve understanding and use, especially in regions with low literacy levels.

Gender differences in pastoralist communities further influence CIS needs. Women, typically managing households and water resources, may prioritise information on water availability and food security, while men focus on livestock management. To be effective, CIS must address these gender-specific needs, ensuring that both men and women can access and act on the information.

Co-production approaches, involving multiple stakeholders, are vital for tailoring CIS to user needs. This collaborative effort ensures that the information is not only relevant but also effectively translated and communicated, enhancing its utility for pastoralists.

3. Transfer: Disseminate information through relevant formats for pastoralists

The dissemination of CIS influences how pastoralists can access and use it. In the HoA, pastoralists typically access climate information through traditional channels like radio, community gatherings, and word of mouth. Radio remains a primary source due to its wide coverage and accessibility. Traditional networks, such as family, friends, and community elders, play a crucial role in sharing and validating climate information. Leveraging these networks can enhance the trust and acceptance of CIS.

While digital methods like SMS, mobile apps, and websites offer cost-effective and localised information, their reach is limited due to barriers like poor digital infrastructure, low mobile phone ownership, and limited digital literacy. There are also gender disparities within pastoral households that contribute to unequal access to CIS, with women particularly excluded from digital CIS due to lower ownership and access to mobile phones compared to men.

To address these challenges and ensure equitable access to CIS, it is important to design CIS with lower levels of mobile phone ownership and literacy rates in mind, especially among women. Combining digital and non-digital methods can prevent excluding disadvantaged groups, including women. The most effective dissemination methods should enable interaction and feedback with pastoralist end-users, utilising multiple channels to reach diverse audiences.

4. Use: How pastoralists uptake and use information

For CIS to effectively reduce vulnerability, pastoralists must access and receive the information and understand and act upon it. The uptake and action on CIS are influenced by four key factors: trust, choice, resources and authority.

1. Trust: Pastoralists may prefer local sources of information over CIS due to trust issues. Trust is enhanced when respected community members endorse CIS or integrate indigenous knowledge.
2. Choice: Some pastoralists may choose not to act on CIS if they perceive it as irrelevant to their livelihood goals. For example, they might resist destocking livestock if it conflicts with their risk management strategies.
3. Resources: Even when CIS is relevant, a lack of resources, such as financial means to purchase fodder, can prevent pastoralists from acting on the information.
4. Authority: Gender norms and structured inequalities can limit the ability of some pastoralists, particularly women, to act on CIS, even when they have access to it.

Finally, pastoralist communities take collective rather than individual action through traditional decision-making processes (often guided by elders or customary institutions). CIS must be integrated into these collective decision-making processes to be effective.

Key recommendations

The results emphasize several key considerations when designing and delivering tailored CIS for pastoralists:

• To tailor CIS for pastoralists, we need a better understanding of the local context, social networks, language, infrastructure, technology and literacy levels. This is best done jointly with pastoralists leading;
• Using CIS is only one-way pastoralists adapt to climate change. CIS should be integrated into broader adaptation;
• Pastoralists’ access to land, inputs and finance needs to be stronger if pastoralists are to make good use of climate information; and
• Initiatives should be sensitive to gender: we need specific measures to help women pastoralists. 

Suggested citation

Bedelian, C. (2024). How Climate Information Services (CIS) Can Help Pastoralists in the Horn of Africa (SPARC Policy Brief). Supporting Pastoralism and Agriculture in Recurrent and Protracted Crises (SPARC).