The March 2010 issue of ILEIA’s ‘Farming Matters’ magazine is subtitled ‘Going for more animals.’ The issue “focuses on how small-scale farmers manage their animals, how they link animal husbandry with other activities, and what their livestock means to them. An integrated perspective on the role of farm animals is crucial in overcoming simplistic assumptions … Continue reading
Category Archives: Pastoralism
Optimal long-term stocking rates for livestock grazing in a Sahelian rangeland
A recent paper in the African Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics presents a model for calculating the optimal livestock stocking rate in a semi-arid rangeland that accounts for stochastic rainfall, the ecological feedback effect and variable prices. The model is developed for rangelands dominated by annual rather than perennial grasses, such as the African … Continue reading
Review of evidence on drylands pastoral systems and climate change
In light of global concerns over the impacts of climate change and climate variability, this FAO document provides an overview of opportunities for adaptation and mitigation in dryland pastoral and agropastoral systems. It makes a case for a concerted global effort to promote mitigation practices that also have benefits for adaptation and livelihoods of pastoralists … Continue reading
Pakistan: First-ever national rangeland policy on the cards
The long wait spanning more than 62 years for having the national rangeland policy is almost over. Alarmed by the rangelands and pastures’ degradation and adverse impacts of climate change on them coupled with growing loss of biodiversity, the Ministry of Environment has finally come up with a draft strategy to ensure sustainable development and … Continue reading
Nomadic alarm bells
ceaselessly across some of the harshest environments in the world in search of grazing land are vital for Africa’s economic prosperity. However, their way of life is being undermined by governments, conservationists and large-scale farmers, says a study. Read more … (Mail and Guardian) Continue reading
Africa / Agriculture / East Africa / Environment / ILRI / Insurance / Pastoralism
Farm aid from space
Dusty northern Kenya doesn’t look like a laboratory, but across its dry plains, cattle herders are pioneering a new way to fend off poverty and teaming up with unlikely partners – insurance agents. The two groups have been brought together by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), headquartered in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi. A few years … Continue reading
Africa / Drylands / DRYLANDSCRP / East Africa / Livestock / Pastoralism
End of the road nears for pastoralists’ way of life
The government of Kenya and the donor community should act fast to preserve the way of life of nomadic people. For long, the economic worth of nomadic people has been underplayed, though the role they play in preserving fragile ecosystems is vital. That’s the conclusion of a new book published by the Institute for Environment … Continue reading
End of the road nears for pastoralists’ way of life
The government of Kenya and the donor community should act fast to preserve the way of life of nomadic people. The economic worth of nomadic people has long been underplayed, though the role they play in preserving fragile ecosystems is vital. That is the conclusion of a new book published by the Institute for Environment … Continue reading
Africa / Drylands / DRYLANDSCRP / East Africa / Livestock / Livestock Systems / Pastoralism / West Africa
Modern and mobile: The future of livestock production in Africa’s drylands
This 2009 book is about the critical role mobile livestock keeping plays in the economic prosperity of Africa’s drylands. Across East and West Africa, an estimated 50 million livestock producers support their families, their communities, and a massive meat, skins and hides industry based on animals that are fed solely on natural dryland pastures. Where … Continue reading
Africa / Climate Change / Drylands / DRYLANDSCRP / Livestock / Pastoralism / Trade
African livestock can triumph in the face of climate change
Africa’s livestock producers are bucking a trend, by proving resilient to climate change and generating huge economic benefits for their nations and regions, say researchers in a book published today by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) and SOS Sahel. It shows how pastoralism is a major economic player and contributor to many … Continue reading
ILRI Clippings 