Seeing cattle like a state: Sedentist assumptions of the Namibian livestock identification and traceability system

Livestock identification and traceability systems (LITS) are an increasingly prominent component of national livestock development policies around the world. In theory, LITS allow governments to track and respond to disease and livestock theft efficiently. However, this paper argues that LITS are suffused with sedentist assumptions that are at odds with the livestock management practices of pastoralist communities. Drawing on qualitative interviews with implementing bureaucrats and affected pastoralist communities as well as one author’s experience of growing up and managing cattle in a pastoralist community, we review the sedentist assumptions that animate the Namibian Livestock Identification and Traceability System (NamLITS) and describe how pastoralists in north-western Namibia perceive that NamLITS has affected their economic, social and political lives. We then show the strategies that pastoralists use to comply and circumvent NamLITS, and conclude with lessons for governments and development practitioners considering livestock tracing systems and mobile communities affected by them.

Title	Seeing cattle like a state: Sedentist assumptions of the Namibian livestock identification and traceability system
Creator	Mauerman, M.
	Tjiseua, V.
	Groves, Dylan W.
Publisher	Nomadic Peoples
Academic Department	Government & Law
Division	Social Sciences
Organization	Lafayette College
Date Issued	2023
Date Available	2023-12-19
Type	Article
Language	English
Keyword	Africa
	sedentism
	Namibia
	livestock tracing
	pastoralism
Bibliographic Citation	Mauerman, M., V. Tjiseua, and D. W. Groves. (2023) "Seeing cattle like a state: Sedentist assumptions of the Namibian livestock identification and traceability system." Nomadic Peoples 27: 171–197.
Standard Identifier	DOI 10.3197/np.2023.270202
Standard Identifier	Handle 10385/vm40xt09m
Permalink	http://hdl.handle.net/10385/vm40xt09m
Rights Statement	Creative Commons - Attribution, Non-Commercial
Rights Holders	Mauerman, M.
	Groves, Dylan W.
	Tjiseua, V.