India

Read more about the article We need pastoralists! How herders and farmers sustain fertile landscapes

We need pastoralists! How herders and farmers sustain fertile landscapes

A dossier by LPP, DITSL, FES and MISEREOR in collaboration with the editors of Welt-Sichten This 20-page dossier, published by Misereor in collaboration with the League for Pastoral Peoples, DiTSL, the Foundation for Ecological Security and Welt-Sichten, focuses on how herders and farmers collaborate to sustain fertile landscapes. An estimated half a billion people worldwide depend on pastoralism for their livelihoods. Pastoralists keep around one billion animals, accounting for around half of the world’s livestock. They make a significant contribution to food security and the economiy by supplying milk, meat, hides, skins, and live animals for both domestic consumption and export.. Their mobile livestock production system enhances biodiversity on rangelands and sustains their function as carbon sinks. Articles Recognising Pastoralists’ Contributions; Pastoralists and Their Changing Relationship with Farmers: Camilla Toulmin The ABC of Pastoralism: Saverio Krätli On the Move: How Indian Pastoralists Sustain Food Production and Biodiversity: Ilse Köhler-Rollefson and Bhavana Kuchimanchi Poop to Pour Over! How Livestock Manure Helps Grow a Perfect Cup of Coffee: P.S. Madappa and Bhavana Kuchimanchi Beyond the Headlines: The Untold Story of Farmer-Herder Cooperation in Nigeria: Julia Krojer and Morenike Onaolapo ‘Our Cows and Your Crops Are Children of the Same Rain’: How Farmers and Herders Remained United: Andrew Msami and Dule Thadei Call to Action: Report on The African Pastoralist Gathering in Nairobi, January 2026: Saverio Krätli Pastoralists in Distress: What Needs to Be Done?: Rufo Roba Compagnone, Sabine Dorlöchter-Sulser, Ilse Köhler-Rollefson and Bhavana Kuchimanchi Download English German

With camelids into a sustainable future

The importance of camelid herders for the conservation of our world's rangelands is increasingly recognized internationally. To mark the International Year of Camelids, this thematic dossier introduces camelid pastoralists, how they sustainably manage rangelands in the Andean highlands, East Africa and Mongolia, and why the global community should support camelid pastoralism for a resilient future of our planet. Contents Allies for a green future - Igshaan Samuels and Maryam Niamir-Fuller Camelid husbandry worldwide - Bernard Faye Where in the world are camelids? - Paul Mundy New market opportunities in the Andes - Cecilia Turin and Mariana Quiroga Mendiola Camels as far as the eye can see - Piers Simpkin and Jacob Wanyama Proud to be a camel herder - Interview with Shariin Juu Participatory research for diversity - Ilse Köhler-Rollefson and Cecilia Turin The future of camelid husbandry - Ilse Köhler-Rollefson, Ann Waters-Bayer, Sabine Dorlöchter-Sulser and Cecilia Turin This dossier, co-published by Misereor, the League for Pastoral Peoples and DITSL, includes articles co-authored by LPP's Ilse Köhler-Rollefson, as well as several other articles by long-term collaborators with LPP. The centre spread is a poster showing the worldwide distribution of the seven camelid species (alpacas, Bactrians, dromedaries, llamas, guanacos, vicuñas and wild Bactrians (which have been recognized as a separate species from the domesticated Bactrians). This map is based on LPP's world Pastoralist Map. Download in English (from Misereor or LPP) or German (Misereor or LPP).

World map of pastoralists poster (A1 portrait)

This poster shows the locations of over 800 pastoralist groups around the world, and highlights pastoralist systems from the Arctic to Australia. The poster is DIN A1 size (59.4 x 84.1 cm or 23.4 x 33.1 inches). The poster is based on the World map of pastoralists, prepared for the 2026 International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists. Visit www.pastoralpeoples.org/pastoralist-map/ to see the full interactive map with details of each group.

Read more about the article Accounting for pastoralists: Why it is important and how to do it?

Accounting for pastoralists: Why it is important and how to do it?

Ilse Köhler-Rollefson / League for Pastoral Peoples and Endogenous Livestock Development / 2020 Pastoralism is a way of raising animals in association with nature. It entails the movement of people and herds across landscapes, making use of natural vegetation and crop by-products. Pastoralism corresponds to public demands for high animal welfare and environmentally friendly methods of livestock production. If we want to make the livestock sector more sustainable, this production system requires strong policy support. But we currently do not know how many pastoralists there are either globally or within each country. This is due to the absence of data collection and because pastoralism is not a distinct category in livestock censuses. Outdated colonial concepts and one-sided focus on the “efficiency” of livestock systems have prevented the recognition of the benefits of pastoralism as a solar-powered, biodiversity-conserving food-production strategy. In order to monitor the situation and provide a basis for policymaking, FAO should lead a global initiative to define pastoralism and record data by production system.