This chapter, based on statistical data from the household survey, primarily highlights key features of the Borana pastoral mode of production and the household economy. The characteristics of the Borana pastoral household economy are presented using statistical evidence, including women's labour. Following basic descriptions of the salient features of Borana pastoralism and the household economy, the central issue of two interrelated recent developments—the prevailing crisis in the crumbling state of the pastoralists’ indigenous social protection schemes and the concomitant increase in dependence on external agents—is generally assessed. Furthermore, the core issue of the implied positive effects of the region’s informal cross-border economic integration on pastoral household welfare is briefly explained at the end. The informal cross-border trade is a key area of clash of interest in the center-periphery interactions.