Camels, climate, and capital: Subverting the narrative of pastoral sustainability

From
International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)
Published on
14.03.25
Challenges
Food security, Poverty reduction, livelihoods & jobs

As pastoralist communities seek ways of adapting to climate change, rearing of camels is taking precedence, with the sale of camel products providing sustainable livelihoods in regions facing recurrent drought.

In an analysis published in The Elephant, an online platform on African analysis, opinion and investigation, Tahira Shariff Mohamed and Roba Jillo discuss the potential of camel production in contributing to nutrition, food security, and economic growth in pastoral communities.

Tahira Shariff Mohamed is a postdoctoral fellow at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) while Roba Jillo is a PhD fellow at Tufts University.

The authors argue that camels are well suited to climate change adaptation. This is because camels have lower emissions than other livestock and contribute to biodiversity conservation.

For instance, during the 2020–22 drought in the Horn of Africa, losses in camels were less than in cattle and small ruminants.

In terms of economic benefits, the sale of camel milk has greatly improved the livelihoods of pastoralist communities in the Horn of Africa region.

“Other products, including camel yoghurt, cheese, sausages, and cosmetic products, have bolstered the significance of the camel for livelihoods and economic growth. The camel milk industry has empowered millions of women, many of whom sell milk by the roadside or through cooperatives that collect camel milk and supply it to processing plants,” they observe.

Despite this great potential, however, there are still several challenges that communities and governments would need to address.

These challenges include lack of laboratory facilities to detect camel diseases, expansive infrastructure (roads and wind farms) that encroach on grazing lands, and high losses of camel milk due to a lack of a cold chain.

Recommendations

The authors recommend several interventions to ensure that pastoral communities continue to reap the nutritional, economic and livelihood benefits of camel keeping.

For example, a better understanding of the role of women and the youth in the marketing of camel products will inform future investment in camel production.

Considering the health benefits of camel milk, such as its higher content of Vitamin C, governments should encourage camel milk consumption in schools to boost children’s immunity to diseases.

Development of the camel dairy industry by using solar energy in milk processing plants could lead to reduced post-harvest losses of milk and value addition through processed camel milk products.

At the institutional level, pastoralists need to strengthen their grassroots networks and smallholder cooperatives.

They should also seek representation at higher levels at the national dairy boards to have a stronger voice to influence policy development and investment in support of the camel industry.