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Portions of group ranches of northern Kenya communally held by pastoralists have been removed from grazing to support wildlife and encourage tourism and the resources that follow. These community-based conservancies (CBCs) were designed to benefit CBC members through regular payments, potential for wages, improved security, etc. We used a coupled-systems simulation approach to quantify potential changes in livestock numbers and pastoral well-being associated with the presence of CBC core and buffer areas, and we did so under the current frequency of droughts and increased frequency associated with climate change. The interannual precipitation coefficient of variation (CV) for our focal CBCs in Samburu County was 22% (706 mm average precipitation). We altered precipitation variability to span from 10% to 60% CV while maintaining the average. Compared to a simulation with observed precipitation and all rangelands available, when herders did not use the CBC core areas and seasonally avoided buffer areas, there was an 11% decline in tropical livestock units supported. More predictable precipitation patterns supported more livestock and improved pastoral well-being. At CVs above 30%, dramatic declines in livestock populations were simulated. When drought was made moderately more frequent (i.e., CV from 22% to 27%) there was a 15% decline in the number of livestock. Members receive a variety of benefits as part of CBC communities, but payments are small for these CBCs, and most households do not receive payments. Our results suggest that, from an economic perspective alone, payments must be raised to make membership of residents in conservancies more tenable. Additional adaptive pathways and perhaps external supports will be needed in the future as the frequency of drought increases and livestock populations decrease.

Pastoral communities living in the arid and semi-arid lands of Kenya raise livestock herds within highly patchy environments, and experience chronic food insecurity and inter-ethnic conflicts linked to resource access. For these primarily rural communities, livestock are a source of calories and income and are therefore crucial to achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) associated with food security (SDG 2). Achieving sustainable improvements in household well-being in this region is contingent on understanding how diverse policy decisions complement or undermine the ability of pastoral households to raise livestock. Of near-term relevance is the question of reconciling food security with biodiversity conservation goals (SDG 15) across Kenya’s drylands, which are also known for their exceptional biodiversity. World over, protected areas are associated with diverse impacts on local communities. However, spatial variation in how these areas contribute to pastoral food security and household well-being across Kenya remain poorly understood. Using our newly developed model SPIRALL, we examined spatial variation in changes in household well-being that result when pastoral households across Kenya lose access to neighboring protected areas. SPIRALL is a country-scale, agent-based pastoral household decision-making model. We joined SPIRALL to L-Range, a model that simulates rangeland ecosystem functioning. The resulting coupled model simulates reciprocal interactions between pastoral households and the environment in Kenya and can be used as a scenario analysis tool to understand impacts of broadly defined policies on food security. Our scenario-based analysis showed that loss of protected-area access caused increases in rates of hunger, debt, and trans-boundary movements, particularly among non-sedentary and agropastoral households. These effects were spatially heterogeneous and influenced by county size and proximity to protected areas. We conclude by outlining the policy-implications result of the interactions between SDG 2 and SDG 15 in Kenya. We also highlight additional uses and avenues for improvement for SPIRALL.

The civitas Batavorum is located on the northwestern frontier of the Roman empire. Following a long tradition of archaeological research, rescue archaeology has enormously increased the number of excavations in the last fifteen years. The quality of the data now available, particularly with regard to rural settlement, is excellent. This study investigates animal husbandry and food production. On the one hand, it uses zooarchaeological data to answer broader economic questions and to trace economic developments in a Roman frontier province. On the other hand, it is a regional synthesis and includes all zooarchaeological data for the region. It compares data from rural settlements, military sites, towns and temples, and gains insight into the interaction between farmers and people who relied on the farmers to produce food. This study is essential reading for anyone interested in the economy of the Roman provincial countryside or food supply to the Roman army and towns.

Fire blight is a major disease of apples, pears and certain woody ornamental plants. It is caused by the bacterium Erwinia amylovora. This organism was one of the first plant pathogenic bacteria to be extensively investigated, and has become a model for study by bacteriologists in the development of their subject. Written by leading research workers from the USA, Europe and New Zealand, this book is the first comprehensive volume for twenty years to address this subject.