Rethinking policies for pastoralists – governing the rangelands

Abstract

Policies and governance arrangements are relevant in shaping livelihoods in the pastoral regions of the world. Institutions and rules that enable access to land, markets and investment for pastoralists and those that regulate their participation in the political arena are critical in fostering or constraining livelihoods and the capacities to respond adaptively to uncertainties. Decades of misconceived narratives leading to distorted policies around pastoralism have significantly undermined the capacity of formal institutions, state agencies and development organisations to deal with the complexity of pastoral systems and eroded their legitimacy vis-à-vis herding communities. Despite more recent scientific and policy debates, new generations of civil servants, local authorities and development agents firmly believe that dismissing the pastoral lifestyle is the necessary prerequisite for a transition to modernity. This in turn nurtures patterns of marginalisation, grievance and instability. As pastoral regions have become the focus of new economic interests and competing socio-political agendas, these tensions can be easily manipulated. This paper assesses the political framework in pastoral areas in four regions, with the aim of understanding how this affects the livelihoods of local communities and the implications for local decision-making and the broader political arena.