Applying Resilience Thinking to Questions of Policyfor Pastoralist Systems: Lessons from the Gabraof Northern Kenya

摘要

The aim of this paper is to explore the relevance ofa systematic application of resilience thinking to questions ofpastoralist policy, a task that requires taking the conceptof resilience beyond the level of a metaphor and operation-alizing it. One approach to accomplishing this is thecomponents-relationships-innovation-continuity framework(Cumming et al. 2005), which, in this paper, we apply toanalysis of the social-ecological system of the Gabra peoplein north-central Kenya. While some types of indicators, suchas those monitored by humanitarian information systems,can help to identify when the resilience of a system has beeneroded, indicators of the components, relationships, andsources of innovation and continuity help o "flake clear thedynamics of how resilience is being lost. In the case of theGabra, our analysis suggests that there is a need to envision athird alternative—a stability domain that is distinct both fromtraditional pastoralism whose viability has been underminedand from the perversely resilient poverty trap that is comingto dominate. While this kind of conclusion may not be new,a resilience-based analysis helps to uncover specific detailsregarding what such a third alternative might entail and whatkinds of policy levers might help to make it possible.