Qualitative identification of Pioneer Positive Deviant households for animal health and feed/forage management in Afar, Ethiopia

This field study applied a qualitative and participatory approach to identify and preliminarily validate Pioneer Households implementing successful livestock health and feed/forage management practices in Sabure and Dudub kebeles of Awash Fentale Woreda, Afar Region, Ethiopia. The sequential process combined key informant interviews, gender-disaggregated community workshops, independent community validation, household interviews, transect walks, field observations, and a Pioneer Household Validation Matrix. The process identified 87 potential Pioneer Households, shortlisted 40, and preliminarily identified 27 Pioneer Households, 11 in Sabure and 16 in Dudub. Community-identified practices included grazing and livestock mobility, feed and forage management, livestock health management, and parasite and disease management. The fieldwork demonstrated the value of combining community knowledge with household-level verification and highlighted the need to adapt P-PD methods to pastoral mobility, seasonal variation, and the limited visibility of some practices. The findings provide a basis for further qualitative analysis of Pioneer Households and their practices.