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Pastoralism as a production system is under threat due to impacts climate change. Climatic changes effects like drought and high temperatures greatly influence pastoralism affecting forage availability and quality,livestock production,performance and physiology and ultimately the livelihoods of the people.The variability in climatic conditions therefore directly affect all facets of pastoralism resulting in adaptation by pastoralists of their social and herding systems in order to be sustainable and remain an integral part of the environment it is solely dependent on. The key to these adaptations has been mobility. However, this mobility adaptation strategy is rapidly changing in the face of the adverse climatic conditions and government policies that encourage settlement of pastoralists groups. The various government policies are aimed at easing the socio-economic hardship pastoralists groups face through provision of development infrastructure.Key among this policies is land tenure system change from communal ownership to group ranches or individual ownership. Nevertheless, this policies have adverse socio-economic and environmental consequences.

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Ibrahim M.Adan, MSc:Environmental and Energy Management at Twente University, The Netherlands. Environment Officer at Kenya Pipeline Company Limited, Nairobi, Kenya.

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