The way of the Borana: on the beautiful yet unforgiving arid plains of southern Ethiopia lives a people whose ingenuity, strength and customs have stood the test of time for centuries. Kate Eshelby visited the lands the Borana call home and experienced firsthand their resourceful and traditional ways of life.

Dust kicks up as a long line of camels and cows wander down a path dug below ground leading to a deep well. Men stand on top of one another, forming a human chain down the well. They toss buckets between each other on a precarious ladder, gathering one of the world's most precious resources--water. A loud chorus of singing keeps the rhythm going as the buckets are lowered and raised at a mesmerising pace and the drinking troughs at the mouth of the well are gradually filled.

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These are the singing wells of Borana, a region in southern Ethiopia close to the border with Kenya. This lowland area frequently suffers from drought, the seasonal rains are erratic and the Borana struggle to keep their vast herds alive. Part of Ethiopia's largest ethnic group, the Oromo, the Borana have, however, an ingenious way of sourcing water to combat the problem. They have mastered the harsh ecosystem by creating a series of wells, often up to 30m in depth, and which the Borana have been using for over 500 years.

The traditionally semi-nomadic pastoralists are estimated to number around 500,000, but because many of their kin live in such remote areas, exact figures are unknown. Depending exclusively on their livestock for subsistence in one of Africa's more demanding environments, their lives revolve around the cattle, which they love and revere.

Traditional hand-dug desert wells are vital to the Borana people, especially during the dry season when they provide water for both animals and people. All the more valuable as there are no other substantial water sources in the area. Hundreds of years ago the Borana discovered 35 productive aquifers using only their immense knowledge of the land and without the aid of scientific equipment. In these areas they dug nine wells deep through the surface rock, which appear in clusters and are known locally as tulas.

There are many signs that the world is using the planet's natural water resources at an unsustainable rate amid warnings that over usage and inevitable shortages could be the cause for future conflicts. The largest rivers, such as the Nile, no longer reach the sea for some parts of the year, exhausted by mankind's demands to irrigate land water crops, provide drinking water and generate hydro-electricity. And for the Borana, they harbour similar concerns.

However, despite many of Africa's wars having been fought over resources, the Borana society is peaceful. Their two most important resources, water and land, are shared fairly among the tribe using a unique system of indigenous management, known as the Ga'ada system.

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The Ga'ada system is integral to the Borana and governs all parts of their life, acting as a political, religious, judicial and social institution. The Borana are a highly organised society, divided into different age sets whose overall leader is the Aba Ga'ada who rules, taking advice from the elders and consent from the community. He is elected in a meeting known as the Gumi Gayo, a huge, open gathering that takes place every eight years. The rules and regulations dictating the way a Borana should live are renewed and adapted at each meeting so that the system advances with time. All disputes are resolved through the Ga'ada and it is believed to be one of the most democratic systems in Africa.

"If there is a problem we investigate it with the help of the traditional judges and the elders. We all come to the shadow of the tree to discuss the problem. Anyone in the community can voice their opinions and problems are discussed until we resolve them," Goya Goba, a Borana man, explains.

The Ga'ada system ensures there is no conflict over water as it sets out a clear set of rules which everyone agrees with. The Borana tribe is divided into different clans each with its own well, and assigns one man, known as the Aba Harega, to manage this well. The Borana take their cows in search of water every couple of days, and rotas are drawn up by the Aba Harega, which allocate times for each person to visit the well. If anyone needs water from a well that does not belong to their clan, they must appeal to its owners who will decide, basing their decision on how much water is available. If water is low, the clan owners will order the man to move on, but only after his animals have drunk and grazed enough for that day as both land and water are seen as a common resource in this part of Africa.

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"The water points are managed by the clan. They have their own system, in which water utilisation and management are well adapted. The communal usage system is unique and they have their own bylaws, from which we are learning," says Girma Getachew the project manager of Goal Borana, a non-governmental organisation whose work includes a pastoralist support programme involving healthcare, education, water and sanitation.

Social cohesion is built up around the well, which are important meeting points and all clan members, young and old, help to maintain them. The wells are built from mud so they need constant repair and attention. If one person does not contribute to this labour, they must slaughter a cow for the others or they are not allowed to use the well. The Ga'ada system works like social welfare with all Borana people in the same clan expected to help each other in times of hardship. If one person, for example, loses his cattle to disease, other clan members will club together to provide him with more cows in order that he is able to survive.

The Borana's way of life preserves the very environment in which they live as a result of their nomadic existence. After an area has been grazed, they move on to allow the grass to regenerate. "We have to sustain the pasture," Shona, a Borana explains. They also set aside certain areas of land where grazing is not allowed, and these protected areas are kept only for the use of calves. Their whole lifestyle is geared towards living sustainably with their livestock, within a very fragile dry land area.

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Today, however, is a critical time for their way of life; land degradation and a growth in both human and cattle populations is putting pressure on the Ga'ada system of natural resource management. Farming is also encroaching on their grazing lands, even though it is not suited to the Borana environment because of the scarcity of rain. Yet "rural development" is always measured in the context of farming and increased agriculture is promoted by Ethiopian government policies. Farming works in the highland areas of the country but it is counter-productive to impose practices from other cultural and environmental contexts on the Borana.

These peoples are traditionally pastoralists, having adapted to the environment they live in over thousands of year. "We are pastoralists today and tomorrow. Farming is an invasion," says Murku, a Borana elder. It is also important that pastoralism is recognised as a valid and important livelihood and existence. Mobility is a rational response towards the need for effective utilisation of scarce and unevenly distributed resources.

In the past, NGOs have prescribed solutions to problems experienced by the Borana, but at the same time, ignoring already held local knowledge. This has resulted in inappropriate development policies for pastoral areas. Poorly planned and constructed boreholes have caused overgrazing in some areas as people automatically gather around such water points. "It is important that hand pumps and boreholes are drilled in collaboration with the community. We know the right places to prevent overgrazing," Murku explains. Misjudged interference from both development agencies and the state is detrimental to the successful continuation of the Ga'ada system.

Large areas of Ethiopia are inhabited by pastoralist groups like the Borana, which make up a significant proportion of the country's population. Yet due to their traditionalist existence, they have been marginalised in the past. The Ethiopian government views pastoralism as a hindrance to development and has tried to resettle them elsewhere. Recently, however, there have been changes in the political representation of pastoralists and more attention is being focused on their issues. The Pastoral Development Commission has been formed in the Oromia region, the first to be set up in Ethiopia, and also the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Pastoralist Affairs (PSC) and Pastoralist Communication Initiative (PCI). These are certainly signs of the situation moving forward but there are still contradictions in pastoralist support, and nothing conducive to their lifestyle is provided such as mobile schools.

The Ga'ada system shows that tradition works and is still strong among people like the Borana. It illustrates how indigenous knowledge is not backward, as some people believe it to be, rather that it is well adapted and suited to environments that may seem harsh or inhospitable to others. The Borana are able to share natural resources fairly, maintaining a peaceful society and prevent environmental damage by regulating access to them. Yet it is only the preservation of these methods which will secure their continued and harmonious existence in the lands in which they inhabit.