“When the donkeys start dying, the people are next”: working animals as agents of climate-related drought resilience in marginalised communities

Exacerbated by climate change, the worst drought in 40 years has impacted East Africa, leading to the loss of livestock and livelihoods, rising poverty, gender inequality, food insecurity and resource conflict. Drought-tolerant working donkeys are crucial for community resilience, facilitating access to water, animal feed, healthcare, income, and food production. Despite their importance in climate change resilience, working equids remain largely absent from agricultural policy and emergency aid contingencies. With in-kind support from non-academic partners, we will triangulate interdisciplinary data from policy-based research, key informant interviews, and community participatory methods in drought affected regions of Kenya and Ethiopia, providing the first in-depth exposition of working donkeys’ contribution to drought resilience in East Africa and identifying evidence gaps in policy guidelines and governmental support. Ultimately, this project will provide evidence-based recommendations for policy-makers, animal welfare NGOs and humanitarian organisations on the support of marginalised donkey-owning communities coping with increasing climate shocks.

Research Team: Dr Leanne Proops, University of Portsmouth; Dr Tequiero Abuom Okumu, University of Nairobi; Dr Emily Haddy, University of Portsmouth