Pastoral women, tenure, and governance

Abstract

Customary pastoral tenure and governance systems are relatively broad sets of institutions characterized by principles of collectivity, flexibility, adaptability, and multiple uses by multiple users (Davies et al. 2016; Flintan et al. 2021). These tenure systems are becoming ever more complex as livelihoods and land use diversify and as pastoralists attempt to access land and resources through mechanisms other than their customary institutions, including through privatization and formalized land certification (Flintan et al. 2021; Nori 2021). The resulting tenure systems are described by Robinson (2019) as “complex mosaics.” Alternatively, Flintan (2021) (following Niamir-Fuller 2005) refers to them as “nested” systems where regulating laws and institutions work on the basis of “territory” or “domain,” under which there is a hierarchy of nested, overlapping bundles of rights for diverse sets of users and often for the same resource. Despite these complexities, collective tenure continues to be core, ensuring pastoralist systems function well and their resilience to crises such as drought is strengthened.