Social soundness of the Masai livestock and range management project

The report"s opening section stresses the Masai economic behavior is as rational and self-interested as that of any other society, despite current theories of Masai tradition-bound impracticality. The report then reviews the history of Masai economy, ecology, and society, pointing out that Masai economic behavior has typically been "reasonable from the individual decision-maker"s perspective, even if it was not always consistent with national political and economic objectives." An assessment of Masai response to the current AID Tanzanian development project follows. It is noted that the most successful Masai projects are those which reward initiative, give the Masai some project responsibililty, ensure their land occupancy right, and do not entail high risk. The report concludes by reviewing key aspects of recent Masai development and recommending steps for further development action.