Rethinking policies for pastoralists – governing the rangelands

Policies and governance arrangements shape livelihoods in pastoral areas. Institutions that enable access to land, markets and investment for pastoralists and regulate their political participation are critical in fostering or constraining their resilience. Decades of misconceived narratives leading to distorted policies around pastoralism have undermined the capacity of government and development agencies to deal with the complexity of pastoral systems. Despite recent scientific and policy debates, new generations of civil servants and development agents still believe that settling pastoralists is a prerequisite for modernisation. As pastoral regions have recently become the focus of new economic interests and competing sociopolitical agendas, the tensions can be easily manipulated.

The article “Rethinking policies for pastoralists – governing the rangelands” (2023) by Michele Nori and Ian Scoones, published in The Rangeland Journal 45 (2): 53–66, doi.org/10.1071/RJ23010, assesses the political framework in pastoral areas in four regions – sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, North Africa and the Middle East, and Europe – with the aim of understanding the impacts on pastoralist livelihoods and the implications for decision-making locally and in the broader political arena.

Posted on 26 September 2023 in Pastoralism, Policy & Power, Pastoralist Livelihoods & Nutrition