Food acquisition during the African drought of 1983-1984
A study of Kenyan herders
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 3898282 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Louise Sperling (0000-0002-2134-2638, McGill University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 1987 |
| Volume | 11 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 263-272 |
| Publication date | 1987-12-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Disasters (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0361-3666 • E-ISSN: 1467-7717 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/j.1467-7717.1987.tb00648.x |
| OpenAlex | W2086806822 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 20 |
| References cited | 1 |
In 1983 and 1984, drought spread across the northern rangelands of Kenya and herders in lowland Samburu lost substantial portions of their livestock. Food aid arrived when 50 to 75% of the cattle had already died, and after poorer pastoralists were hungry enough to sell their remaining productive animals. No pastoralists died of the immediate effects of the drought, but many were so impoverished that their longer-term prospects for remaining as herders look dim.This essay discusses the timing and content of famine relief as it applies both to Samburu and other food-stressed areas. It focuses on the process of food acquisition during the northern Kenyan drought itself. The more "indigenous" food strategies of herding, hunting and gathering offered limited benefits. Equally, however, commercial channels for procuring food proved inadequate. Herders could not reliably sell animals to obtain cash for purchased food, nor were the grain and sugar staples always available even when cash was on hand. Lacking means to provide for themselves, Samburu came to depend on varied kinds of handouts
Agriculture · Agroforestry · Biology · Business · Cash · Economics · Famine · Food security · Geography · Herding · Indigenous · Kenya · Livestock · Pastoralism · Rangeland · Socioeconomics · African history and culture analysis · Rangeland Management and Livestock Ecology · Ecology · Forestry
China and India
Famines, Markets and Intervention
Experiences and Lessons
The Economy, the State and the Public
Nutrition and Capability
Strategies of Entitlement Protection
Production, Entitlements and Nutrition
Entitlement and Deprivation
Economic Growth and Public Support
Experiences of Direct Support
Famines and Social Response
Society, Class and Gender
Hunger and Public Action
Drought and economic differentiation among Ariaal pastoralists of Kenya
Strategies for coping with severe food deficits in rural Africa
Response to Drought Among Farmers and Herders in Southern Kajiado District, Kenya
Post-famine recovery in highland Bwisha, Zaire
Droughts have Different Tails
African Famines and Food Security
Pastoralism and Wealth Inequality
| Unique citing works | 20 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,56 |
| Citation span | 1990 - 2010 (21) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 20 |