a grid or hexagon design to eliminate overlap, but are more difficult to implement in the field or would require more expensive GPS hardware (Reams et al 2005).

We developed the RGCS approach to address the shortcomings of the other available data collection methodologies while taking into account the limited technical capacity of the implementing partner. We note some advantages of the RGCS over a traditional household-based survey, but also report the many challenges encountered. Unfortunately, some of the difficulties in implementing the design seem to be due to interviewers’ failure to implement the procedures. Though unforeseen challenges, such as natural disasters and ethnic violence, also played a role, it is also possible that the design, which at times required interviewers to cross long distances on foot in very harsh conditions, is not feasible in terms of what it is realistic to require of an interviewer. We conclude with thoughts on the limitations of RGCS specifically in the drylands context but also discuss more generally its potential use in surveys of persons.

# **2. Background on Afar Region**

To test the RGCS approach in the field, we carried out a survey in July and August of 2012 in the Afar region of Ethiopia. This region was selected for the pilot project for a number of reasons. First, the CSA had conducted an agricultural and livestock household survey, the Ethiopia Rural Socioeconomic Survey (ERSS), six months prior to the implementation of the RGCS field work. In Afar the ERSS included a module on pastoralist issues. We had therefore expected to be able to use the ERSS data as a point of comparison for our RGCS results. Unfortunately, we have concerns about the ERSS data as a benchmark, as discussed below.

The second factor in our choice of Afar for this project was the high-quality existing GIS infrastructure at the CSA compared to other potential study areas. The CSA has compiled GIS data layers for the entire country and has several trained staff members. The agency also maintains a stock of GPS devices suitable for the specialized fieldwork. We expected that the CSA’s previous experience with the technology used during planning, sample selection, and data collection would be beneficial to the project outcomes.

Third, the Afar region also offered geographic advantages over other pastoralist areas in the region. Afar covers a land area of approximately 72,000 square kilometers located in the north of the country, and is relatively isolated. It is bordered to the north by Eritrea, to the east by Djibouti and the Ethiopian state of Somali, to the south by the state of Oromia, and to the west by the states of Tigray and Amhara. In addition to being a well-guarded national frontier, the northern border retains many landmines placed during the Eritrean war for independence. To the west, the country of Djibouti and the Ethiopian state of Somali are ethnically distinct, and have a history of livestock raiding and armed conflict with the Afar people. The states of Oromia, Tigray, and Amhara, on the western border, are largely agricultural and traditionally hostile to the Afar. The Tigray and Amhara borders are also mountainous, further limiting contact. For these reasons, the migration patterns of the Afar people are not likely to take them outside of the Afar region, which simplifies comparability between the RGCS and ERSS data sources.

The Afar region is divided into five administrative zones. The companion ERSS survey covered only Zones 1 and 3. As the RGCS survey was designed to make comparisons to this survey, these two zones were taken as a basis for the new approach. However, since seasonal migration patterns take regular residents of Zones 1 and 3 into Zones 4 and 5, these two zones were also included. (See Figure 1 for a map of the usual migration patterns.) Zone 2 in the far north of the region, is excluded from both 3