Nineteen microsatellite markers were used to investigate the genetic diversity, phylogenetic

relationships and herd structure of Ugandan Ankole cattle. A total of 304 animals from 8 herds in

Mbarara District were characterised. Across all loci, 200 alleles were observed. A high mean

number of alleles (MNA) per locus, ranging from 5.89 to 6.79 per herd, was observed. Polymorphic

information content (PIC) ranged from 0.403 (ILSTS013) to 0.817 (ILSTS036), with an overall

Nickson Parmisa, a resident of Kitengela just outside Nairobi in Kenya, talks about the challenges of livestock herding in the face of climate change.

Jan de Leeuw from ILRI reflects on the recent conference in Addis Ababa on the future of pastoralism in Africa. He concludes that pastoral systems in Africa are very much in transition. He notes that external influences on pastoralism (education, religion, land rights etc) are much more visible than in the past; the "full mobility" pastoralism that we knew is changing.

Ian Scoones from the Institute of Development Studies and the Future Agricultures Consortium reflects on some key issues emerging from a recent conference on the future of pastoralism in Africa. His overwhelming conclusion: Pastoralism is "alive and well" in some parts of the continent. But there are downsides: constraints caused by pressures on land, as well as recurring conflicts. This leads to a division between those who are "really making it" and those who are "really struggling." This poses major policy issues at the two ends of these extremes.