Search

Background: This article presents a new analytical approach to acute malnutrition causal analysis that is different from the orthodox approach in 2 respects. First, it engages with basic causes, that is, beyond the usual focus on individuals and households. Second, it uses a relational view in the causal analysis. The orthodox approach identifies the malnourished and their individual and household characteristics. In contrast, a relational approach explores the ways in which the relationships between people, their livelihoods, and the environment, mediated by systems and institutions, create the underlying drivers associated with acute malnutrition for some, while simultaneously creating better conditions for others. Methods: The article draws on 2 case study communities in West Darfur, Sudan, first considering the Darfur context and the inequitable policies and weakened institutions that have led to ethnic polarization, multilayered conflict, and humanitarian crises. The article explores how this context has played out differently in each community, contrasting their livelihood specializations, conflict-related losses, and livelihood diversification over time. Findings: This analysis shows how the relative vulnerability of some people versus others is strongly influenced by their social, economic, and political relationships, as reflected in their shifting power relations and uneven control over livelihood resources. Conclusions: Shifting the focus to the basic drivers, especially the institutional structures, processes, and relationships, will deepen the causal analysis of child acute malnutrition, make it more meaningful, and provide a new direction for engagement, learning, and action to address the deepening problem of child acute malnutrition. Plain language title: A Relational Approach to the Drivers of Acute Malnutrition Plain language summary: This article introduces a new approach to understanding the causes of child acute malnutrition that differs from the traditional methods in 2 key ways. First, it goes beyond focusing solely on individuals and households by examining the underlying and basic causes. Secondly, it adopts a relational perspective in analyzing the causes. The traditional approach to studying the causes of acute malnutrition identifies malnourished individuals and examines their personal and household characteristics. In contrast, the relational approach looks at how the connections between people, their livelihoods, and the environment, influenced by systems and institutions, contribute to the development of acute malnutrition while also creating better conditions for some others. To illustrate this approach, the article presents findings from 2 communities in West Darfur, Sudan. It examines the Darfur context, including the policy and institutional context that has contributed to ethnic polarization and multiple conflicts and led to humanitarian crises. The article compares these 2 communities, focusing on their livelihood specializations, losses related to conflict, and changes in livelihood strategies over time. The article argues that by concentrating on the basic drivers of acute malnutrition, particularly the institutional structures, processes, and relationships, we can gain a deeper understanding of the issue. This approach can make the analysis of child acute malnutrition more meaningful and provide new insights for addressing this pressing problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the dynamics of pastoralist herd mobility in West Darfur State, Sudan, a region affected by persistent conflict. The paper examines the annual cycle and seasonal trajectories of mobility for camels, cattle, and sheep, comparing mobility patterns by livelihood specialisation and reviewing the mobility of multi-species herds. Using social research tools and remote sensing livestock tracking technology, the study found diverse livestock mobility patterns within the region. Conflict and insecurity have reduced the freedom and flexibility of these movements. Persistent insecurity combined with climate shocks have led to adaptations, including changes in herd species composition and owner preference, and a shift from long to short-distance mobility closer to the home area. Ultimately these changes have undermined the resilience of the pastoral system. The paper considers the implications of these changes in pastoralist mobility for humanitarian needs, building livelihood resilience and promoting peaceful integration with other users of natural resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The Sudanese cattle migrations described here traverse a distance of 400 km. • In East Darfur, migratory livestock production is resilient to rainfall fluctuations. • Mobile producers are exposed to increasing pressures on their mobility. • Pastoralists need sympathetic governance to mediate shared land use. At their furthest extent, the livestock migrations examined in this paper traverse a distance of 400 km or more along a north-south transect, crossing up to half a dozen distinct ecological zones and, upon occasion, the international border between Sudan and South Sudan. Official Sudanese recognition of the value of migratory livestock production has led in recent years to policy and legal changes that support pastoral mobility, but there remains a gap in the scientific evidence that can be called upon to inform this emerging awareness. This paper uses remotely sensed livestock tracking data to document pastoral behaviour in relation to some of the biophysical factors that are important for livestock survival and production. This research supports several policy-relevant conclusions: 1. In East Darfur, long-distance migratory livestock production is remarkably resilient to rainfall fluctuations, including drought and flooding, because movement cycles are already designed to accommodate this kind of variability. 2. Mobile livestock producers are exposed to human-generated disruption and increasing pressures on their mobility from expanding farms, localized conflict and insecurity, and a new international border. 3. Pastoralists need sympathetic governance to mediate their interactions with other forms of land use, which is unlikely to happen unless authorities appreciate the technical sophistication and economic advantages of migratory systems. 4. Migratory production in East Darfur uses locally available resources which leaves livestock owners and government free to expend cash reserves on other kinds of inputs, investments or activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]