Ms Maanda Ngoitiko:

I am from Tanzania and I work with an organisation called Pastoral Women's Council. I am very pleased to be here. I studied in Ireland some time ago and I feel as though I have a special connection with Ireland. I have returned to Kimmage Manor.

I will talk specifically about the impact of climate change on pastoralism. Pastoralism is a livelihood system which is entirely dependent on land-based resources. There are three main pillars which maintain and sustain pastoralism. The first pillar is the availability of pasture, which is crucial. Mobility is another pillar in the maintenance of pastoralism, because it is necessary to move from one place in order to sustain pastoralism. Water is also essential in order to sustain our livelihoods. In the dry land of east Africa we have been experiencing extreme weather conditions. This has led to frequent droughts, which in turn leads to massive loss of livestock. For example, I am from the Ngorongoro area of east Africa. In my district, more than 200,000 livestock were lost in 2009 and 2010. This has led to extreme poverty and great numbers of people have fled their homes because of poverty. This is a result of climate change. For example, Ngorongoro division is also a very popular conservation area because it is a tourism destination. There are between 70,000 and 136,000 pastoralists living there. This means it is difficult to sustain the pastoralist life. The children and women have suffered and died from starvation in great numbers. The young people have migrated all over Tanzania and even to Kenya because of famine and starvation. The only employment they can get is as security guards, because most of them are not educated. This is a significant consequence of the impact of climate change on our livelihoods. This also has to do with the appropriation of pastoralist land for conservation and farming purposes, which has reduced the grazing pattern. Water has been very scarce in east Africa because of climate change. The weather conditions are not predictable and they have changed over time. The people do not know when to farm or when to plant, nor where to graze the livestock. There has been frequent movement of pastoralists to other areas and an increase in conflict over resources between farmers and pastoralists. Climate change is a man-made reality.

I wish to describe a brief case study from my own village. When I was growing up in the Loliondo area, all sorts of traditional fruits were available to us to eat while herding our livestock. There were beehives and plenty of water sources in the area. Now the situation has changed completely. The bees are no longer there, while some species of tree have mostly disappeared and those remaining no longer bear fruit. The seasons are no longer understandable or predictable, even for the plants. The main diet of the pastoralists has changed and has been reduced to a little milk and very stiff porridge. The pastoralists' diet used to be mainly milk and meat but now it is cornflour and tea. When a family has no money it is difficult to feed the children. Milk is scarce because the cattle are spending long periods searching for water and pasture. When the rain comes and some milk is available, my family and our neighbours must sell some of the milk to raise money to supply the basic needs of the family. The source of our staple food is the shops and grain. When one has no money, one has no food. Many families are going through a similar situation all over the Ngorongoro district and the situation is worsening. When members of a family are poorly fed they tend to spend more time sitting and waiting for medical attention because there is a high incidence of disease along with much physical suffering. Many families are being separated, and women are virtual widows. There is a high level of migration from rural areas to the towns, with young people in particular going to look for employment. Disease, fatigue and poor diet are common problems. During the drought period the village women have to walk nine hours to fetch water and sometimes the water is not available when they reach the water source. The men have migrated completely in an effort to find work in order to support their families. The situation is completely unbearable and this is all the result of climate change. There is much malnutrition, disease and uncertainty in the pastoralist community as a result of climate change.

Traditionally the Masai have their own ways of coping with drought. One of the best ways is through mobility. Nowadays, mobility is not possible because the grazing land has been reduced. Cows and goats are concentrated in a small area and this also causes significant problems of land degradation. Another Masai coping strategy is the sharing of resources. This has sustained the livelihoods of pastoralists. Any little amount of food is shared with the rest of the family. This has become a problem because climate change is significantly reducing the number of livestock. These are a few examples of how the food sources of pastoralists are affected.

Developing countries have been affected by something we have not caused. Ireland should take responsibility for a reduction in climate change by setting an example. This can be done by deciding on specific targets to reduce emissions of carbon gases into the atmosphere. The Irish Government should ensure such targets are legally binding.

We request the committee to take this seriously and set an example. We are very happy because we were told in the workshop that Ireland would hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union for the next six months. We request that Ireland set an example. We know Ireland has a long history of famine which was overcome by the collective effort of the Irish people.