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Although nomadic pastoralism has been treated and practiced as the most rational production system in the arid and semi-arid area of Asia and Africa for centuries, pastoralists have experienced dramatic environmental and socio-economic changes in the twentieth century. Frequent droughts, animal diseases, the loss of natural resources, human population growth, ethnic conflicts, political interference from both colonial and new independent governments, international and national development projects, and an encroaching market economy have all had a heavy impact on the circumstances of pastoralists.

My research focused on the dynamics of continuity and change of nomadic pastoralists in East Africa. Based on the fieldwork with the Rendille of Kenya, I examined how pastoralists have coped with complex natural and socio-economic changes and have improved their lives under the pressures of development. The result shows that the Rendille demonstrate great flexibility in their current pastoral subsistence. With the influence of development projects in 1980s, most people have settled near the new developing towns. However, by separating the settlement and livestock herding camps and moving such camps frequently, continuing with the communal use of rangeland and water resources, and maintaining social institutions and cooperative relationships, the Rendille have successfully maintained high mobility of livestock under the sedentarization. Such high mobility supports a sustainable use of natural resources. On the other hand, they have been challenging and developing new economic opportunities in response to the growth of market economy.

I am now setting up a comprehensive and comparative study to examine the sustainability among various pastoral societies in Asia and Africa.