Development projects must take into account not just technological feasibilities and national-level aims, but also the production system to be developed, and the desires of the society involved. Provided in this paper is a proposal for linking project implementation to systems research in the Ethiopian Rangeland Development Project. Following brief introductory sections in which the author explains the philosophy underlying the systems research approach to development, the approach itself is outlined, using as an example two Ethiopian pastoral societies – the wild northern Afar or Danakil and the Borana husbandmen of the South. The situation – geography and ecology, external pressures, development options, leadership, and social units – of each society is described. Also included are (1) study models prepared for the two societies outlining questions which need to be answered on nutrition, decisionmaking, herd structure, relationships with neighboring pastoralists and farmers, market offtake, water resources, and technical inputs and (2) information on the level (personnel, specific tasks) at which studies can be initiated. In conclusion, the author suggests that the methods being pioneered in the Ethiopia project may lead the way for complete reorientation of livestock development projects in Africa.
