The interdependence between pastoralists, breeds, access to the commons, and livelihoods This book by Ilse Köhler-Rollefson and the LIFE Network focuses on a key threat to the survival of pastoralists and their livestock breeds: the loss of access to grazing and water. Pastoralists are losing their traditional pasturelands for many reasons - new restrictions on grazing in nature reserves, the expansion of irrigated agriculture, expropriation by settled villagers, and the elimination of fallow land because of intensified cropping. Less grazing land means that pastoralists cannot maintain a herd large enough to be economic. Many are forced to give up livestock production altogether. That does not just mean the loss of livelihoods for the pastoralists themselves. It also means settled villagers can no longer rely on the hardy stock from pastoralists to pull their ploughs and provide them with meat and milk. And it spells doom for many valuable livestock breeds and the gene pool they represent. Based on years of research in rural India, this book has wide applicability to other parts of the world where pastoralism is important. It forms a valuable input to the First International Technical Conference on Animal Genetic Resources, to be held in Interlaken, Switzerland, in September 2007. Download: Complete book 1257 kb, 80 pages Text only 355 kb, 70 pages Cover 996 kb Photos 324 kb, 8 pages

The April 2007 issue of the People and Livestock newsletter focuses on endogenous livestock development. The newsletter is now published by the Endogenous Livestock Development Network, www.eldev.net. LPP is a founding member of this network. Read online or download 158 kb, 9 pages

An alternative vision of livestock development for the poor This discussion paper by Ilse Köhler-Rollefson criticizes the dominant approach to livestock development, which focuses on cash and productivity, and focuses on the animals rather than on the people who keep them. It offers an alternative, "endogenous" approach, basing development on livestock keeper's own knowledge and resources, with appropriate inputs from outside. The paper concludes that following in the tracks of Northern livestock development may be disastrous for developing countries that cannot absorb rural poor into the urban labour force. Download 255 kb, 23 pages

Pastoralists present a statement to Dr DK Sadana, Director of the National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources Lobbying by LIFE-Network India, an alliance of NGOs and pastoralist groups, is beginning to bear fruit as policy changes that benefit indigenous livestock and rural livelihoods. For example, the scope of the “Recognition of Forest Rights Bill 2005”, that originally only gave rights to forest-dwelling tribes, was expanded to include the grazing rights of nomadic and settled pastoralist communities in forests. This legislation was passed by parliament on 7 December, 2006. The National Draft Policy on Farmers emphasises the close relationship between livestock keeping, sustainable livelihoods, and access to grazing land. It spells out the need for securing pastoralists’ forest grazing rights, including in national parks and other protected areas. An increasing number of Indian government actors are starting to take notice of the role of pastoralists as custodians of livestock breeds and their role on conserving biodiversity. Further details 27 kb