Climate hazards & pastoralists’ responses in the IGAD region

The report “Equipped to adapt? A review of climate hazards and pastoralists’ responses in the IGAD region” (2022, 40pp) by Cory Rodgers, draws on the most recent literature on pastoralism, mobility and climate change in the IGAD region. It points to the climate hazards facing pastoralists in the years ahead, and identifies strategies for promoting their resilience in the face of unpredictable environmental change.

It highlights that pastoralism is a productive, profitable and sustainable form of food production in the IGAD region and is resilient and adaptable to climate change. Indeed, in future, pastoralism may become even more crucial for regional food security, sustainable livelihoods and economic development.

The report argues that climate-resilience policies should focus not only on promoting specific adaptations but rather on providing long-term support for adaptive capacity, referring to pastoralists’ ability to respond successfully to evolving challenges as well as emerging opportunities. This relies heavily on optionality: having a range of strategies for response. An important example of optionality is the ability to move herds quickly and flexibly to access water and pasture as they become available at different places and times. Restriction of movement diminishes optionality and thus reduces pastoralists’ capacity to adapt. Optionality can be enhanced by facilitating cross-border mobility, encouraging diversification of pastoralists’ economic profiles, and enhancing effective participation of pastoralists in policymaking processes.

The report was published by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and ICPALD, the IGAD (Intergovernmental Authority on Development) Centre for Pastoral Areas and Livestock Development.

Posted on 23 October 2022 in Pastoralism & Climate Change, Pastoralism & Natural Resources, Pastoralism, Mobility & Land Tenure