Pastoralist livelihood diversification and social network transition: a conceptual framework

Abstract

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Around the world, many pastoralists are diversifying their livelihoods by incorporating alternative income generating activities. Much scholarship has examined the causes of this trend, however, less has been written about the consequences of diversification, especially how it may affect the structure and function of pastoralists’ social networks. This perspective presents a conceptual framework for a pastoralist social network transition, driven by livelihood diversification, and its effects on resilience at household and community scales.

Keywords

• livelihood diversification
• social networks
• reciprocity
• information
• strength of weak ties