Pastoralist communities are trapped in an unrelenting cycle of vulnerability. Repeated droughts, erratic rainfall, and occasional floods have eroded the stability of their livelihoods, leaving herders struggling to maintain even the most basic sustenance. What were once predictable environmental cycles that allowed recovery have shortened dramatically, forcing families to cope with persistent losses. Livestock, the backbone of both survival and social status, are increasingly at risk, and every death carries not only economic but social consequences. Traditional systems of support and reciprocity, such as clan networks, shared grazing rights, and community labor, are stretched to breaking, leaving the most marginalized households without safety nets.
The effects of climate change deepen existing inequalities. Communities already on the periphery of political and economic structures find themselves further excluded as the environment fails them. Competition over shrinking grazing lands and scarce water sources has intensified, producing rifts within and between pastoralist groups that once coexisted with shared access to resources. Disputes over pastures and watering points have grown more frequent, sometimes escalating into violence. Families with fewer animals, less access to critical water points, or weaker social connections are disproportionately affected, reinforcing cycles of poverty and exclusion.
Children and the elderly bear the brunt of this compounded marginalization. Malnutrition rises as milk production falls, and households lose the capacity to care for the most vulnerable. Social cohesion frays as migrations stretch across greater distances, breaking down community networks that once provided both material and social support. The cumulative pressure of environmental shocks and long-standing marginalization creates a population where insecurity, hunger, and deprivation are the norm rather than the exception.
In essence, climate change is amplifying historic inequities while creating new social and economic fractures. It is not merely an environmental threat but a force that reshapes social structures, intensifies competition over resources, and deepens the marginalization of communities that already live at the edges. For pastoralists, every drought, heatwave, or flash flood is a reminder that survival is increasingly determined not just by nature but by the intersection of environmental stress and social vulnerability.