The Factors That Influence Beef Cattle Marketing Efficiency and The Behavior Of Pastoralists: A Case Study In Kenya

Stephen G. Mbogoh, Kimpei Munei, Mathew K. Komen, Juma M. Mohammed

This review article shows that the paradigms on the best methods of utilizing the fragile land resources in arid and semi-arid land areas (ASALs) vary, but nomadic pastoralism which is livestock keeping under constant mobility in search of water and pasture often is the main source of livelihoods for the people living in such areas. For Kenya, the ASALs constitute about 80% of the country's land area that is home to about 60% of Kenya's livestock population. However, the ASALs in Kenya suffer frequent droughts with concomitant devastating effects on livestock, and the poverty incidence in these areas is way above Kenya's national average. This situation calls for efforts to explore effective interventions to reduce poverty for pastoralists in the ASALs. Improving marketing efficiency and off-take rates for pastoral livestock to enhance household incomes has been recommended as one of these strategies. However, attempts to implement this strategy have proved ineffective, primarily because even though the pastoralists tend to keep large livestock herds, often they are unwilling to offer much for sale in the market. This study sought to identify and evaluate the factors that influence the pastoralists' beef-cattle marketing behaviour and efficiency in the ASALs of Kenya. The study found that cattle calving rate, cattle purchases rate, off-pastoral income and pastoral household dependency ratio are the main factors that influence pastoral beef-cattle marketing behaviour and efficiency. Contrary to conventional expectations, this study found that pastoral household decisions on beef cattle off-take rate in Kenya are not influenced by market information.