Toolkit: Engaging with pastoralists – a holistic development approach

Pastoralism is a way of life based on territorial mobility, adopted in response to the challenges faced by human communities living in harsh or difficult environments.

Communities such as these need specific forms of social organization and institutions capable of regulating access to natural resources in appropriate ways, with solutions that differ radically from those that are suitable for settled farmers. In addition to experiencing environmental marginality, in many areas pastoralists have been excluded from decision-making and from access to services, making them the most vulnerable category among rural communities.

For over a decade, IFAD strategic frameworks have listed ”pastoralists” among the vulnerable,
marginalized, excluded or poorest groups.

The pastoral development toolkit provides IFAD’s country programme managers, project design teams and implementing partners with guidance on how to engage in appropriate interventions in support of pastoralists.

The toolkit consists of three documents:

• The Teaser describes IFAD’s comparative advantage in pastoral development.
• The Lessons Learned reviews successful interventions in pastoral areas.
• The How to do Note provides practical guidance on addressing pastoral development programmes and projects.