Mutual-Help among Afar Pastoralists of Ethiopia

Abstract

Mutual-help arrangements are quite essential for rural households in developing economies but empirical evidences show different success
stories. This paper discusses the existence of variability among Afar pastoralists in regards to participation in mutual-help arrangements and
identifies factors contributing to those variations. The analysis is based on the data collected through a household survey constituting interviews of 180 randomly selected pastoral households and several focused group discussions. The results show that those households with better social
ties are in a better position to participate in mutual-help arrangements.
Moreover, mutual-help arrangements are influenced by livelihood conditions at household and community levels.

Keywords: Mutual help, social ties, poverty, pastoralists, Afar