NEWS
Since September 28 , the Committee on Agriculture of the United Nations ’ Food and Agriculture Organization has been conducting its 27 th session virtually . For this session , people from across the world have come together to petition the UN to declare 2026 an International Year for Rangelands and Pastoralists ( IYRP ).
Pastoralists push for recognition at the UN
A call for an International Year for Rangelands and Pastoralists is an effort to better recognise half of the world ’ s land and the people who have historically taken care of it – and would particularly benefit communities in South Asia
Rosamma Thomas
Reprinted From : https :// bit . ly / 36Yharv
Nearly half the land area of the Earth is classified as rangeland . The proposal states that an IYRP would “ raise awareness on the importance of rangelands and pastoralists for livelihoods , healthy ecosystems and other relevant dimensions of sustainable development .” The decision could also pressure governments to implement policies that stop pastoralists ’ political marginalisation , and ensure they are consulted on management of the land .
The government of Mongolia took the lead , and the governments of Ethiopia , Afghanistan and Spain have sent letters in support of the proposal . So far , 12 governments and 133 organisations have supported it . In South Asia , groups of pastoralists are mobilising behind the idea . Voting on the proposal was scheduled for October 1 .
Figure 1 : Herders ride their ponies to work in Kashmir © Alamy
“ Pastoralism is just not recognised ,” said Hanwant Singh Rathore , director of the Lokhit Pashu-Palak Sansthan ( Society to Aid Pastoralists ) based in the Pali district of the Indian state of Rajasthan . He has been working with the camelherding Raika community for 30 years and has observed that governments behave as though the herders do not exist .
In 1988 , the Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary was created in Rajasthan over about 600 square kilometres of land . When the Raika moved with their herds along the routes they had been taking for generations , they were told they could no longer allow their animals to graze in those lands – the forest area
Figure 2 : Yurt belonging to semi-nomadic pastoralists in the Pamir region in Kyrgyzstan © Alamy
39 Grassroots Vol 20 No 4 December 2020