Connecting agropastoral food culture research to livestock commercialisation policy

研究背景：在东非和西非，畜牧业都是一项重要的生计活动。对富拉尼人（西非）和伊尔查穆斯人（东非）等群体来说，这是一种民族职业活动，有时与农牧业结合在一起。对许多群体来说，畜牧业或农牧业包含着一种独特的文化，其许多方面与粮食生产、加工、交换和消费活动有关。人类学研究的重点是农牧民的饮食文化，例如，描述了在全球技术变革的背景下，牧民在几个世纪以来参与当地和国际市场时，粮食生产、加工、贸易和消费的文化和做法是如何适应的。农业和畜牧业的现代化和正规化。许多涉及畜牧业商业化和现代化的政策与农牧民饮食文化研究之间存在明显的脱节，尽管生产和消费实践将它们联系起来。例如，乳制品行业的拟议商业化有时很难与富拉尼人等文化中牛奶贸易的性别关联联系起来。其结果是，牧民以及妇女或特定族裔等特定群体可能无法从畜牧业发展中充分受益，甚至可能处于不利地位。因此，有必要绘制之间的联系畜牧业和畜牧业部门的发展为导向的政策在Africa.The aims and objectives of the work.This explorative research aims to define a new research agenda for connecting policy on lastician sector development to research on agro-pastoralist food cultures.该项目召集了一批来自东非和西非的相关利益攸关方-决策者和执行者、研究人员、发展行动者和当地社区代表。他们一起通过参与性摄影和对牛奶和乳制品行业案例研究的案头研究，共同构建对农牧食品文化的理解。在一个以当地会议论坛Baraza为模式的研讨会上分享了成果。Baraza要求社区成员和代表、舆论领袖、政策行为者和其他有关各方聚集在一起，通常在市场等公共场所就政策举措等问题进行辩论。该项目旨在通过一个Baraza式的研讨会，鼓励这些团体更密切地合作，将社区观点和对社区观点的研究纳入政策制定和执行。然后，向更广泛的社区和政策部门分享关键信息。这项工作的短期效益是提高所有群体对农牧食品文化研究与畜牧业商业化政策之间存在差距的认识。社区成员将提高他们向决策者和在社区内进行宣传的能力。从中期来看，政策制定者将更加了解如何与研究合作并考虑文化，研究人员将更好地了解如何与政策行为者就这一主题进行接触。从长远来看，可能会有更相关和文化上知情的畜牧业商业化政策，从而为牧民带来更好的结果。

The context of the research.In both East and West Africa, pastoralism is an important livelihood activity. For groups such as the Fulani (West Africa) and Ilchamus (East Africa), it is an ethnoprofessional activity, sometimes combined with agriculture in agropastoralism. For many groups, pastoralism or agropastoralism entails a unique culture, many aspects of which are connected to food production, processing, exchange and consumption activities. Anthropological research has focused on agropastoralist food cultures, for example describing how cultures and practices of food production, processing, trade and consumption have adapted as pastoralist people have engaged over centuries with local and international markets, in global contexts of technological change.In recent decades, agropastoralist livelihoods have continued to change, in the context of continent-wide agricultural policy favouring commercialisation, modernisation and formalisation of the agricultural and livestock sectors. There is a noticeable disconnect between many policies dealing with livestock sector commercialisation and modernisation, and research on agropastoralist food culture, despite the practices of production and consumption which connect them. For example, proposed commercialisation of the dairy sector is sometimes difficult to connect to gendered associations of milk trade in the cultures of people such as the Fulani. The results is that pastoralist people, and specific groups such as women or those of given ethnicities, may not fully benefit from livestock sector development, or may even be disadvantaged. So, there is a need to draw connections between research on food cultures of pastoralism and development oriented policy on the livestock sector in Africa.The aims and objectives of the work.This exploratory research aims to define a new research agenda for connecting policy on livestock sector development to research on agropastoralist food cultures. The project convenes a group of relevant stakeholders - policy makers and implementers, researchers, development actors, and local community representatives - from East and West Africa. Together, they co-construct understandings of agropastoral food cultures, through participatory photography and desk research on a case study of milk and the dairy sector. The results are shared in a seminar modelled on the local meeting forum, the Baraza. A Baraza entails community members and representatives, opinion leaders, policy actors and other relevant parties convening to debate issues such as policy moves, usually in a public place such as a market. Through a Baraza style seminar, the project aims to encourage these groups to work more closely together to incorporate community perspectives, and research on them, into policy making and implementation. Key messages are then shared to the wider community and policy sector. This aims to define a clearer agenda and raise support for follow-up research.The potential applications and benefits or the research.The short term benefit of this work is that awareness will be raised, among all groups, of the gaps that exist between research on agropastoralist food cultures, and policy approaches to livestock sector commercialisation. Community members will enhance their abilities to advocate to policy makers, and within their communities. In the medium term, policy makers will be more cognisant of how to work with research and consider culture, and researchers will have a better understanding of how to engage with policy actors on this theme. In the longer term, there may be more relevant and culturally informed policy on livestock sector commercialisation, leading to better outcomes for pastoralists.