Trees for semi-nomadic farmers: A key to resilience

Like many peoples of the dry lands of Africa, the farmers of the savannahs in the western lowlands of Eritrea have survived the variation and stresses of their hostile environment through developing a flexible farming system involving a mix of crops and animals, production for cash and for subsistence, and widespread dispersion of activities over hundreds of miles. They are traditionally viewed by the outside world as semi-nomadic herders and opportunistic farmers (‘agro-pastoralists’). These farmers are also dependent on a third strand of the farming system such as the management, collection and processing of forest products, and in particular of the dom palm (Hyphaene thebaica). This third strand does not become important when disaster strikes in the form of drought and war forests. The dom palm, are an essential resource for the survival of farmers. So, the farmer shows great flexibility in switching emphasis between the components of their farming system (crops, livestock and forest) to meet changing conditions, but their ability to cope with the uncertainty of marginal farming and the stresses of war and drought is ultimately underpinned by their reliance on the forest for income and food.