Turning pastoralists from subjects of research into producers of knowledge.
For too long, pastoralists were studied but seldom heard — their realities analyzed through external lenses that rarely reflected their lived experience. We’ve turned that model upside down.
Through collaborations with IDS, Tufts University, Friends of Lake Turkana, and other research institutions, we developed a pastoralist-led research framework rooted in grounded theory and participatory methodologies.
Our studies — including the Etamam Reports, TAPE Step-0 Study, and papers under the FCDO-funded XCEPT Programme — have repositioned pastoralist knowledge as central to policy making.
This approach ensures that research serves communities, not just academia. Our findings now inform the UNDP Regional Stabilization Framework, FAO agro-ecological assessments, and donor strategies across fragile drylands.
By generating evidence from within, we’ve changed how the world understands pastoralism — as a system of intelligence, governance, and innovation, not vulnerability.
Research cited in international policy; pastoralist-led data informing UN, FAO, and government strategies in the Horn of Africa.
