Problems of Transforming Pastoralist Societies into Modern Agricultural Societies in Amudat District

ABSTRACT This study was to investigate the problems of transforming pastoralist societies into modem agricultural societies in the Amudat district. The research objectives were to find out the ways of transforming a pastoralist society into a modem society in the Amudat district, to establish ways of transforming the pastoralist lifestyle of Amudat residents into a modem agricultural society, and to determine the challenges of transforming a pastoral society into a modem agricultural society in Amudat district. A descriptive cross-sectional survey research design was used in order to measure the characteristics and responses of the sampled participants on the specified variables of the study at the same time. A population of 50 is approximated as a sample size of 44 respondents. The fmdings according to the objectives finally expressed the challenges of transforming a pastoral society to a modem agricultural society, and these challenges included; unfavorable climatic conditions, high illiteracy rate, poverty among the people of the region, strong cultural ties of the pastoralists and then poor image and the negative attitude of the pastoralists such as being cruel and brutal as assumed by other people of other parts of the country. According to the findings the researcher recommended that the government should encourage the construction of modem houses thus modem homesteads through sensitizing the pastoralists about the advantages of a permanent and modem homestead compared to the temporal homesteads, the government and non-government organizations should encourage and sensitize the pastoralists to carry out agriculture, especially in favorable season. They should also provide them with treated seeds and knowledge and skills of cultivation,· The government should ensure the construction of a good road system so as to easy transportation of agricultural inputs and outputs in the region. In relation to this recommendation is t.he government should establish modem markets in the region so as to boost business transactions and The government should impose laws that ensure that pastoralists send their children to school to attain formal education, and also laws that ensure that pastoralists engage in activities that enable food production that's agriculture. xi