Innovation for bulletins for early warning in pastoral areas | Institutional Innovations (Innovations, Training Services & Management Practices)
Description of the technology or innovation
The innovation bulletins for early warning in pastoral areasfeatures a summary of weather indicators as well as their interpretation andreliability to communities. This is particularly important given the weatherextreme events and manifestations of climate change or weather variability inmany parts of Africa. Pastoral areas are characterized by several aspects thatdefine fragile ecosystems and hence the need for information to equipcommunities and improve their adaptation to uncertainties and risks in farming,particularly livestock farming.
Assessment/reflection on utilization, dissemination & scaling out or up approaches used
The key target groups for this innovative bulletins arepastoralists, extension staff in pastoral systems, and policy makers for thelivestock sector in drought prone areas. The innovation which is at the up-takepathway stage has undergone validation in Tanzania, Ethiopia and Kenya.
Current situation and future scaling up
This innovation brings together scattered information andorganizes it in a coherent and easy-to-reference bulletins that can be accessedby farmers. The bulletins are gender neutral, hence ensuring accessibility tomost categories of people. The bulletins are useful in enabling prompt responseto climatic stresses. Given that the innovation equips communities withinformation to enable them prepare for climate variability, it’s recommendedthat this innovation, be integrated into the climate adaptation strategies forpastoral communities in the target areas.
Economic Considerations
The innovation is considerably affordable as a wealth ofinformation can be accessed in a single bulletin. This may save farmers fromsevere yield losses and probably famine.
Gender considerations
The innovation is gender neutral and isintended to benefit all members of the communities, including vulnerable andmarginalized groups. The innovative bulletins particularly address the contextand situation of women farmers, who constitute majority of small scale farmersin the target areas.
Contact details
Muthiani, E.N;
Kenya Agricultural Livestock and Research Organization(KARLO)-Kiboko;
P.O. Box, 12-90138;
Makindu, Kenya.
Zewdu, E;
Yabello Pastoral and Dryland Agriculture Research Center;
P. O. Box 85;
Yabello, Ethiopia.
Kaganda, S;
Livestock Production Research Centre – (LRC) Mabuki;
P.O. Box 352;
Mwanza, Tanzania.
Ogillo, B. P;
Kenya Agricultural Livestockand Research Organization (KARLO)-Kiboko;
P.O. Box, 12-90138;
Makindu, Kenya.
Mnene, W.N;
Kenya Agricultural Livestock and Research Organization(KARLO)-Kiboko;
P.O. Box 12-90138;
Makindu, Kenya.
Hussein, N;
Yabello Pastoral and Dryland Agriculture Research Center;
P.O. Box 85;
Yabello, Ethiopia.
Adane, D;
Yabello Pastoral and Dryland Agriculture Research Center;
P.O. Box 85;
Yabello, Ethiopia.
Additional information
Additionalinformation
Table below provides detail aboutindicators of drought, their interpretation and reliability by communities
| Indicator | Community | Observed status | Duration before event | Magnitude of prediction | Reliability |
| Animal indicators | |||||
| 1. Livestock behaviour | 1. Orma | 2. Reluctance to walk to a& from grazing fields | | | |
| 3. Borana | a) Cattle drop dung and urinate lying down in the kraal b) Poor body condition of livestock despite availability of good pasture c) Congregation of livestock in the Kraal d) Curly hair in livestock e) Livestock refusal to consume salt f) Breeding bulls lack libido | 4. Up to six months | 5. Moderate to severe | 6. Reliable | |
| 2. Observation of animal cattle, sheep and goats intestines (Uusa or Moora) | 7. Borana | a) Reddish in color b) Smaller in size c) Irregular patterns of the intestine d) Red in color | 8. Not known | 9. Moderate to severe based on pattern of veins | 10. Not reliable |
| 11. Endorois Il Njemps | 12. Black dot | 13. Give indication but not timeframe | 14. Severe | 15. Highly reliable | |
| 3. Hyena | 16. Orma | 17. Characteristic laugh interpreted to mean lots of carcasses | 18. Immediately | 19. Severe | 20. reliable |
| Birds | |||||
| 4. Lakkham | 21. Borana | 22. Does not produce voice during the night | 23. Not known | Not known | 24. Reliable |
| 5. Mukololi | 25. Wailwana | 26. Mukololi | 27. Make sound called mukololi | 28. Severe | 29. Highly reliable |
| 6. Faji | 30. Wailwana | 31. Flies high up and makes sound ‘Faji’ | 32. Start immediately | 33. Severe | 34. reliable |
| Insects | |||||
| 7. Insect-Kormamwe or Dume la jua | 35. Wailwana | 36. Makes sound to indicate high temperatures | 37. Starts immediately | 38. Severe | 39. Highly reliable |
| 8. Insects | 40. Sukuma | 41. Many appear | 42. Not known | 43. severe | 44. Reliable |
| Plant indicators | |||||
| 9. Acacia tortilis | 45. Borana | 46. Lack of flowering | 47. Not known | 48. Not known | 49. Not reliable |
| 50. Endorois | 51. Flowering | 52. One month | 53. Normal | 54. Reliable | |
| 10 .Commiphora species | | 55. Lack of flowering | 56. Not known | 57. Not known | 58. Not reliable |
| 11. Aruet | 59. Endorois | 60. Failure to shed leaves | 61. 2-3 weeks | 62. Normal | 63. Reliable |
| 12. Acacia tortilis ‘(Dadacha)’, Delonix elata (Sukela) & Terminalia brownii (Bisik) | 64. Orma | 65. The trees shed leaves | 66. Immediately | 67. Moderate | 68. Not reliable |
| 13. Mango | 69. Wailwana | 70. Do not flower | 71. Immediately | 72. Severe | 73. Highly reliable |
| 74. Sukuma | 75. Do not flower | 76. Not known | 77. Normal | 78. Reliable | |
| 14. Acacia spp (muga) | 79. Wailwana | 80. Do not flower | 81. Immediately | 82. Severe | 83. Highly reliable |
| Astronomical indicators | |||||
| 15. Stars | 84. Orma | 85. Absence of ‘Dankass’ star – normally appear at the East or West | 86. Immediately | 87. Severe | 88. Highly reliable |
| 89. Endorois Il Njemps | 90. Star with red tail | 91. 3-4 months | 92. Normal | 93. Reliable | |
| 94. Borana | a) Constellation -observed later than the normal b) Smaller in size c) Red in color | 95. 3- 6 months | 96. Moderate to severe | Not reliable | |
| 16.New Moon | 97. Wailwana | 98. Not tilted | 99. 1 month | 100. Moderate | 101. Reliable |
| 17. Young moon and star called Mukara | 102. Taveta | 103. Large distance between the two | 104. 1 month | 105. Severe | 106. Highly reliable |
| Meteorological | |||||
| 18.Wind | 107. Orma Sukuma | 108. Cyclone or whirl wind | 109. Immediately | 110. Moderate | 111. Not reliable |
| 19.Sky | 112. Orma | 113. Not clear , stars dim and appear reddish | 114. 1-2 months | 115. Severe | 116. Not reliable |
| 20.Temperature | 117. Taveta | 118. Extended cold season | 119. 3 months | 120. Severe | 121. Highly reliable |
| Physical features | |||||
| 21.Lake Baringo | 122. Il Njemps | 123. Shoreline of Lake Baringo retracts | 124. Immediately | 125. Severe | 126. Not reliable |