Pastoralists have traditionally made use of lands that agriculturalists shunned, existing in these sparse expanses by moving in tandem with shifting seasonal rains and pasture. This mobility has afforded them the flexibility to withstand the occasional drought or raid and to recover relatively quickly. With population growth and increased competition over even marginal lands, the constraints on movement have tightened. In the Horn of Africa, these limits have coincided with a decade of poor rains, putting their livelihoods at risk of collapse.
