Fulani Nomads. Image credit todayonline.com

ZIMSEC O Level Geography Notes:Agriculture:Farming types in Africa: Subsistence farming: Nomadic Pastoralism

  • Another traditional farming system still practiced in Africa and dates back for centuries is nomadic pastoralism.
  • The people who practice nomadism are called nomads.
  • Livestock kept by the nomads in Africa include goats, sheep, donkeys, camels and mules especially in the Sahara desert and cattle in wetter parts, particularly the big-horned Zebu.
Nomadic groupArea of operation
FulaniSahel of West Africa
MasaiSouthern Kenya and Northern Tanzania
TuaregsSahara
BedouinsSahara
Rufa'a Al HoiSudan
IngesanaSudan/Ethiopia
ButanaSudan
BamaNamib desert
BushmenKalahari desert

Reasons for practicing nomadism

  • Nomads move from place to place in the manner they do because of the following reasons:
    1. low rainfall.
    2. existence of long dry seasons which destroy pastures and evaporate all surface water storage.
    3. lack of pastures.
    4. lack of permanent water storage.
    5. tradition of the people.
    6. marginal nature of the environment in arid and semi-arid areas.
    7. shifting positions of the ICT rainbelt coupled with the advance and retreat of the tsetse fly

To access more topics go to the O Level Geography Notes page