The patterns of pastoralists seasonal migration in Gambella region: the case of Itang special district

Abstract

There were insufficient studies on the pastoralists’ seasonal migration in the district. This study was the first to provide empirical findings across the community. Thus, the primary purpose of this research is to assess the patterns of pastoralists’ seasonal migration in the study area. The study specifically described the spatial distributions of seasonal migration, assessed the temporal distributions of migration and described the main reasons and features of seasonal migration in the study area. The study used a three-stage sampling technique to choose 100 respondents and areas, focusing on group discussions and a questionnaire survey. The data were summarized using percentage and frequency. About 43% and 57% were nonmigrants and migrants, respectively, in the study area. Moreover, the households have migrated between December–February (41%), March–May (3%), June–August (40%) and September–November (6%) in the study area. Similarly, utilizing resources (19%), cultivating crops (26%), coping with conflict (27%) and evading floods (28%) were the main reasons for seasonal migration in the study area. Thus, the pastoral households have been involved in various migration patterns in the study area. Therefore, the concerned institutions should provide need-based policies to improve the livelihood of pastoralists.