Lessons from the 1999–2001 Emergency Response in the Pastoral Sector in Kenya
The livestock intervention programme that took
place during the 1999-2001 drought in Kenya's
pastoral areas was the largest the country had ever
seen. Donors made more funds available than ever
before; more types of intervention were carried
out; more agencies were involved in implementing
programmes; a larger geographical area was
covered; and coordination at national level was
more extensive than ever before.
This paper documents the experiences and lessons
learnt from the livestock interventions in response
to the drought. It focuses on the arid and semi-arid
districts of Kenya, where the drought's effects were
most severe. The first chapter describes the severity
and impact of the drought, introduces some of the
response activities that were implemented, and
underscores the livestock sector's importance to
Kenya's economy. The second chapter describes in
more detail the range of livestock-related interventions
that were implemented, and discusses their broader
socio-economic impact. In chapter three, the costs and
benefits of the various interventions are laid out. The
paper concludes with the key lessons of the
intervention, and offers recommendations and
suggestions to guide future work.