Supportive Policy and Governance to Pastoralism
A system of subsistence centered on large-scale cattle production called pastoralism.Â
The primary features of one of the most important production systems in the world’s drylands are animal mobility and shared resource utilization, which are essential tools for handling shocks and variations in the environment.
 Over 200 million pastoralists are thought to be raising cattle, sheep, goats, and camels on drylands, which make up more than one-third of the planet’s surface and are unsuitable for crop growth.
Promoting dialogue for pastoralist-friendly policies and regulations.
Pastoralists contribute socially, economically, and environmentally to their communities, yet they are frequently misunderstood and left out of policy-making processes.
Thus, among other things, FAO works to increase public understanding of the role that pastoralists play in local and national economies, as well as the justification for their land administration and transboundary movement.
Through the Pastoralists Knowledge Hub (PKH), FAO spearheads, promotes, and fosters international discourse aimed at advancing policies and regulations that are pastoralist-friendly.
Key policy messages
- A variety of ecosystem services are provided by pastoralism, an environmentally sustainable production strategy, including the preservation and restoration of biodiversity in rangelands and croplands, as well as the supply of food and byproducts derived from animals to markets. Research projects to evaluate pastoralism’s impact on ecosystems are supported by the Pastoralists Knowledge Hub (PKH). It draws attention to its crucial significance for the cattle industry’s future as well as, more generally, for global food systems.
- Pastoralism has demonstrated strong adaptive abilities to weather changes and withstand shocks from the outside world. The effects of climate change, such as increased temperatures, longer droughts, or altered seasonality, have an impact on pasture availability and deplete water supplies. By supporting their right to movement and demonstrating how they complement other systems of production and subsistence, such as rain-fed agriculture or agroforestry, the PKH aims to increase the resilience of pastoralists.
- The creation of data is essential for evidence-based policymaking, which will raise the profile of pastoralism. To fully comprehend pastoralism’s significance, and its impact on regional and national societies, and to improve policymaking, data collection is necessary. To determine the full value of pastoral systems, including their entire economic tangible and intangible value, the PKH directs and supports field operations.
- Pastoralism is a livelihood and land-use system that encompasses more than just production; hence, policy-making must take a multifaceted approach that takes into account factors like food, feed, the environment, the economy, society, and so on. To make sure that policies take into account the unique characteristics of pastoralism, the PKH promotes and directs communication with political institutions at all levels, including local, national, regional, and international.
- Pastoralism, by its very nature, requires flexible and adaptive tenure and governance systems to function at its best. Even though beneficiaries may be able to exercise their rights to access natural resources and secure pastoral tenure under established laws, it is frequently necessary to acknowledge and take into account local customary governance systems as well as informal systems of governance when making decisions. As an example, the PKH assists nations in putting the “Technical Guidelines on Improving Governance of Pastoral Lands” into practice.
Supportive Policy and Governance to Pastoralism
