The region of northeast Africa covered by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) has the highest density of camels in the world and is the largest producer of camel milk and meat, with export of live camels being of major economic importance. The IGAD Centre for Pastoral Areas and Livestock Development (ICPALD) and the African Union Interafrican Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) collaborated in producing the 2023–2032 Camel Resources Management Strategy for the IGAD Region (Dec 2022, 26pp) in order to guide development of the camel sector in an equitable and climate-resilient way.
Major challenges are increasing fragmentation of camel grazing and browsing areas and migratory corridors, as well as lack of health services and supportive trade infrastructure and logistics. Five strategic priority areas for action are: i) Camel herding, breeding and production; ii) Camel health and welfare; iii) Camel product value chains and food security; iv) Camel advocacy and education; and 5) Camel research and extension.
Posted on 25 July 2023 in General Policy Documents, Pastoralism & Marketing, Value of Pastoralism