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The Conversation
The Conversation
Anne Pisor, Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Demography, Penn State

Relentless heat and drought take a toll on herders’ physical and mental health, in Kenya and the US

A herder helps to move a flock of sheep near California's border with Mexico to graze on alfalfa in 2025. Scott Olson/Getty Images

If being outside in the heat for even a few minutes felt miserable this summer, imagine what it’s like for herders who are always out walking with their livestock and rarely get a break.

“We have never experienced such hot days,” a woman herder in northern Kenya told our research team in 2024. “It is difficult to [do things] outside [with] the high temperatures.”

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