Djibouti, where livestock munch on pasta and paper
By JANET OTIENO | Thursday, May 17 2013 at 14:02
Despite the fact that Djibouti city is hot and dry throughout the year,
receiving an average of only 0.20 litres of rain water per square meter per
year, in the past seven years even these precious drops have been missing.
The debilitating situation has led to the country losing up to half of its
livestock in the past five years. According to the country's Ministry of
Agriculture, the national livestock population currently stands at 800,000,
compared to the normal capacity of 1.6 million heads.
It is estimated that 80 per cent of the country's population depend on
pastoralism and agro-pastoralism. The rural areas, where the majority
reside, have in particular experienced a significant deterioration of
rangeland resources due to prolonged drought, with shortages of both water
and pasture.
A tour of BalBala, 10 kilometres away from Djibouti city, reveals the worst
of the drought, but this to a surprising extent has not deterred the herds
of sheep, goats and cows from looking healthy.
Considering the harsh climate in the country, one could be forgiven to think
the animals have just been shipped from another country which enjoys better
water and pasture. However, these are 'desert' animals that have been
conditioned to survive on an unfamiliar diet.
It is here that we meet Ahmed Khassim who is tending to his herd. He says
the drought in Dikhil region, which is situated about 100 kilometres
southwest of the capital, pushed him towards the city in search of pasture
for his animals.
However, even the city is dry, and the sweltering heat and rocky terrain
tell a story of a desert, leading one to wonder how Ahmed and other
pastoralists manage to cope.
At first he is reluctant to tell us and says "Wassan Allah" meaning 'God
provides' in the local dialect. Here everybody is cautious or afraid to
talk; they think outsiders are spies for the government.
However, when my translator explains to him that we are journalists, his
face suddenly brightens and he opens up. Ahmed says harsh weather patterns
have forced pastoralists to find alternatives to survive. It is either
survive by any means, or die.
Breadcrumbs
As he explains, we hear noise from the distance, much like fighting. We move
closer, only to see a group of men in colourful foutas (wrapper) chewing
khat and making drawings on the dusty ground with sticks.
I am told the men are not arguing but are the older pastoralists deciding
among themselves how many animals one can sell to buy enough food stock. The
number cannot be exceeded, because they do not want to sell all their
animals otherwise the pastoralist culture would die.
Ahmed adds that when he arrived in BalBala some ten years ago, he realised
grass was a rare and expensive commodity and had to think of options to
ensure his animals were not lost to drought.
"We sold some in the market here then bought a lot of food stocks like
maize, rice and pasta," he says. He adds that a goat or sheep is sold at
between $39 and $56 while a cow sells for $195 and $278 depending on its
size. Most of them are sold to Saudi Arabia.
In Djibouti, for the livestock to survive, rice, maize and pasta feature in
their menu as well. Ahmed says they have had to train the animals to eat all
available foodstuff such as bread crumbs then wash it down with water from
River Ambouli, which is not too far from the city centre.
At this point another pastoralist who only gives us one name, Hussein, chips
in. He collaborates Ahmed's comments and says the pastoralists of BalBala
collect leftovers from family tables, pool it together and then feed it to
animals.
Whereas in other countries dogs and cats are the sole beneficiaries of such
remains, it is a completely different story in Djibouti. Hussein says he was
also forced to move from Ali Sabieh region towards the city in search for
pasture for his animals. Ali Sabieh is located 90 kilometres southeast of
the capital.
Selling grass
But the leftovers are not the only food; a lot of cartons which end up in
the rubbish bins are also favourite meals for the animals, so the
pastoralists collect a lot of them, keep stock and feed it to animals in
small portions.
Sure enough, we come across another pastoralist, Mohammed, feeding cartons
to his calves. When asked if that is healthy he says, "Desperate times calls
for desperate measures". The animals have hardly enough and this is part of
their daily diet, he adds.
When asked why he thought the city centre was the best place for the
animals, Hussein points out to me some green dots of thorny weeds around the
town which he says they cut to feed their goats. They also supply milk to
the city and its environs and use the money to buy food.
However, all is not dry according to Abdillahi, another pastoralist who we
decided to follow to the muddy Ambouli River, where he had taken his cattle
to drink some water.
He says whenever it chances to rain; grass grows along the river bank. They
cut this and store it for drier periods. "We feed them in small portions and
they seem used to it," he points out.
A few meters away, we come across some men and women cutting grass ready for
sale at the Place Rimbaud market. It is sold in small portions to the
pastoralists. Earlier in the day, we passed through the market and saw
stalls selling only grass, and people flocking to buy it.
Asma who sells the 'green commodity' tells us at times they get it from as
far as Ethiopia and it is usually sold quickly.
As we drive back to the city, we see young men selling milk by the roadside.
We stop and talk to one of the youth, Farhan Osman. who is selling milk. He
tells us he buys it at a cheaper price from pastoralists for sale it at a
profit.
To him; these pastoralists in BalBala region were God sent since selling
milk is a key source of livelihood to the youth in a country where the
unemployment rate in urban areas stands at 59 per cent. According to the
CIA, three-fourths of Djibouti's population live in the capital city.
Email: ajotieno_at_ke.nationmedia.com Twitter: _at_JanetOtieno
A woman selling grass at the Place Rimbaud market located in Djibouti's
capital city. The "commodity" is in great demand in this dry country. JANET
OTIENO | NATION MEDIA GROUP
Received on Fri May 17 2013 - 22:39:20 EDT
