Final answer:
Drought is a common challenge in pastoral life, leading to malnutrition for livestock and poor market prices which impacts food security. Famine, though not normal, is an extreme outcome that can occur due to severe climatic disturbances. Both are exacerbated by climate change.
Step-by-step explanation:
Is drought a normal feature of pastoral life? Yes, drought is indeed a common aspect of pastoral living conditions. Pastoralists, who rely on herding livestock across vast landscapes, often experience challenges due to climate variability such as erratic and reduced rainfall, leading to prolonged drought periods. These environmental stresses can result in malnutrition for herds and decreased milk production, which subsequently brings poor market prices and can negatively impact the food security and income of local human populations. Famine, while not a "normal" feature, is an extreme consequence that can occur when droughts and other climatic challenges, trends of desertification, competition for land, and conflict severely disrupt the ability of pastoralists to feed their animals and maintain their livelihoods. Such conditions have been exacerbated by climate change, leading to more frequent and severe famine instances in some regions, necessitating humanitarian aid to prevent widespread hunger and societal impacts.