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| Pastoralists' Association | |
|---|---|
| Name | Pastoralists' Association |
| Formation | c. 20th century |
| Headquarters | Various regions |
| Region served | Global pastoral regions |
| Membership | Pastoralist communities, herders, pastoral unions |
Pastoralists' Association The Pastoralists' Association is a representative body associated with herding communities and nomadic peoples across multiple regions, engaging with issues related to livestock, grazing, transhumance, rangeland tenure, and pastoral livelihoods. It interfaces with international organizations, regional authorities, nongovernmental organizations, and research institutions to influence policy, advocate for rights, and support community-based resource management.
The Association encompasses networks of pastoralists, herders, agro-pastoralists, and transhumant groups tied to ecosystems such as the Sahel, Horn of Africa, Tibetan Plateau, Mongolian Steppe, Australian Outback, and Andean puna. It engages with institutions like the United Nations Environment Programme, Food and Agriculture Organization, International Union for Conservation of Nature, World Bank, African Union, and regional bodies such as the Intergovernmental Authority on Development and Economic Community of West African States to address rangeland tenure, mobile pastoralism, livestock markets, veterinary services, and pastoralist representation. The Association’s remit includes advocacy before statutory bodies like national parliaments, customary councils, and judicial institutions such as the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights.
The Association traces intellectual and organizational antecedents to colonial-era agencies, missionary organizations, and indigenous councils that mediated between nomadic groups and colonial administrations, including interactions with entities like the British Empire, French Third Republic, and Ottoman Empire. Postcolonial waves of pastoral mobilization drew on models from labor unions, cooperatives, and indigenous rights movements exemplified by the Non-Aligned Movement, Independent State of Papua New Guinea’s customary land reforms, and pastoral advocacy linked to figures such as Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in regional policy dialogues. International conferences such as the World Conservation Congress and initiatives like the Convention on Biological Diversity stimulated cross-border networks, while academic collaborations with universities including University of Oxford, University of Nairobi, Mongolian State University, and research centers like the International Livestock Research Institute helped codify pastoral law, mobility rights, and rangeland science.
The Association typically adopts a federated governance model balancing clan-based assemblies, elected councils, and technical committees on veterinary care, market access, and land-use planning. It interacts with intergovernmental donors such as the European Union, United States Agency for International Development, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, and philanthropic foundations like the Rockefeller Foundation and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to fund programs on pastoralist capacity-building. Decision-making mechanisms often integrate customary institutions like elders’ councils, moot assemblies comparable to the Jirga and Shura, and formal statutes registered with national ministries such as ministries of agriculture or ministries of natural resources. The Association convenes with NGOs including Oxfam, CARE International, Save the Children, and advocacy groups like International Fund for Agricultural Development and Human Rights Watch on rights, displacement, and humanitarian responses.
Members derive livelihoods from livestock species such as cattle, sheep, goats, camels, yak, reindeer, and llamas, linking to commodity chains supplying markets in cities like Addis Ababa, Nairobi, Istanbul, Mumbai, and Dubai. The Association engages with market institutions including livestock auctions, abattoirs, commodity exchanges, feed suppliers, and transport networks connected to corridors managed by organizations like the African Development Bank and Asian Development Bank. Economic strategies include pastoral cooperatives, microfinance partnerships with institutions like the Grameen Bank, and value-chain interventions championed by agencies such as the World Food Programme and International Finance Corporation. It addresses veterinary programs referencing the World Organisation for Animal Health, disease surveillance for pathogens like Rift Valley fever and Foot-and-mouth disease, and pastoral insurance pilots with reinsurers and development banks.
The Association supports cultural preservation of oral traditions, ritual calendars, craft industries, and customary law practiced by groups including the Fulani, Somali people, Mongols, Tibetan people, Sámi people, Quechua, and Aymara. It partners with cultural institutions such as national museums, UNESCO programs like the Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists, and academic projects from institutions like the Smithsonian Institution and British Museum to document songs, migration narratives, and ethnographic records. The Association advocates for pastoralist education models integrating mobile schooling, language preservation with universities such as University of Cape Town and National University of Mongolia, and health outreach collaborating with Médecins Sans Frontières and ministries of health.
The Association promotes community-based rangeland management, rotational grazing, fire management, and biodiverse watershed stewardship in ecosystems including the Serengeti, Murray–Darling Basin, Amazon Basin, and Ethiopian Highlands. It engages with scientific networks such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, conservation NGOs like World Wildlife Fund and The Nature Conservancy, and policy frameworks including the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and Ramsar Convention for wetland grazing. The Association collaborates with land-rights movements, customary tenure registries, and national land commissions modeled on reforms in countries like Kenya, Australia, and Peru to secure mobility corridors, seasonal pastures, and ecological resilience.
Contemporary challenges include sedentarization pressures, land enclosure linked to extractive projects by corporations such as multinational mining firms and agribusinesses, conflict over resources with armed groups, and impacts of climate change documented by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessments. The Association addresses displacement, migration flows interacting with agencies like the International Organization for Migration and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, public health crises influenced by pandemics tracked by the World Health Organization, and legal advocacy using regional human-rights mechanisms like the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights. Other issues include technological change via mobile telephony providers, market volatility shaped by global commodity trends monitored by the International Monetary Fund and World Trade Organization, and gender dynamics engaged with organizations such as UN Women and feminist movements.
Category:Pastoralism