This activity consists of:

• mapping resources for planning with a focus on identifying land for grazing, farming, and tourism;
• supporting the preparation and implementation of participatory rangeland management plans to rehabilitate degraded grazing lands;
• supporting private sector involvement in commercial livestock fodder and feed production for domestic and export markets.

COMMENTARY

1. Not on the basis of pastoral systems. The title of this implementation activity promises ‘range development’ but the description includes an aim to ‘Identify … farming lands and tourist attraction sites’ (p.35). There is no reference to pastoral mobility. One of the measures envisaged is to ‘Recognize land use right of customary institutions [i.e. the customary land tenure system] … and establish a system of fair access to resources’. But neither ‘recognize’ nor ‘fair’ are explained. In absence of explanations, this measure can be fulfilled by simply replacing the customary land tenure system with a formal system based on titling. In principle, land-use rights of customary institutions could be preserved even through such a process, but the explanation of this activity does not mention this intention.
2. Unclear reasons for ‘resource mapping’. This activity includes the intention to ‘conduct resource mapping’ for land-use plans. This could offer an entry point for supporting systematic participatory natural resource mapping within pastoral communities, aimed at including their perspective (and their use of the environment) in planning processes. It is unclear why resource mapping in pastoral areas is not envisaged as being an implementation activity in its own right instead of only receiving a passing mention in an activity focusing on feed production and range development. Possibly this is an area for further development at the level of regional states.

d. Increase market and input provision (p.36) »