The Cattle Assemblage

The Cattle Assemblage consists of cattle herds, their owners, local markets, and veterinary services fighting viruses and other microorganisms. Why cattle in a research project focusing on wildlife? Cattle numbers have increased tremendously in some parts of the KAZA TFCA region. One major reason for this is the removal of Trypanosomiasis in the region. In the Namibian Zambezi Region, about 40 % of households own cattle. Cattle ownership facilitates the expansion of agricultural fields, as most ploughing is still done with oxen-drawn ploughs. Poorly paid farmhands often manage cattle herds throughout the region. The elite, often absentee farmers with good paying jobs in the administration, own large cattle herds. They typically loan cattle to poorer relatives and friends, creating networks of dependence and clientelism. Large cattle herds compete with other ungulates for fodder, predator-cattle conflicts are frequent, and many wealthy cattle owners are therefore sceptical about conservation. They see gains from conservation as restricted to national elites and foreign investors, whereas cattle are the mainstay of local elites. Salient questions for this work package include:

1. How is growing rural inequality and cattle ownership intertwined? What drives the increase of cattle herds in the region? How are cattle ownership and success in farming related?
2. What does the interface between cattle and other species look like? Where are there convivial relations, where are there damaging ones?
3. How do increasing cattle numbers drive landscape transformation? How does the differential accumulation of cattle drive societal change?