<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
    <rss version="2.0">
      <channel xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/">
        <title>Pastoralism: Research, Policy and Practice | New and Recent Articles</title>
        <link>https://www.frontierspartnerships.org/journals/pastoralism-research-policy-and-practice</link>
        <description>RSS Feed for Pastoralism: Research, Policy and Practice | New and Recent Articles</description>
        <language>en-us</language>
        <generator>Frontiers Feed Generator,version:1</generator>
        <pubDate>2026-05-13T12:56:34.416+00:00</pubDate>
        <ttl>60</ttl>
        <item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontierspartnerships.org/articles/10.3389/past.2026.15834</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontierspartnerships.org/articles/10.3389/past.2026.15834</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Assimilation of indigenous nomadic pastoralist knowledge in the Public Governance of Sámi Reindeer Husbandry]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-05-13T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Review</category>
        <author>Inger Marie G. Eira</author><author>Mathis P. Bongo</author><author>Mia Carina E. Jægervand</author><author>Anni M. Magga-Eira</author><author>Inger Ellen J. E. Gaup</author><author>Anders Oskal</author><author>Marina Tonkopeeva</author><author>Rauna Triumf</author><author>Ravdna Biret Marja E. Sara</author><author>Svein Disch Mathiesen</author>
        <description><![CDATA[This article examines how Norwegianization and subsequent governance reforms have reshaped Sámi reindeer herders’ understandings of sustainable reindeer husbandry as a nomadic pastoral system operating under non-equilibrium Arctic conditions. While assimilation’s effects on language and identity are well documented, its consequences for pastoral learning systems, household governance, and adaptive capacity remain less systematically analysed. Drawing on interdisciplinary research, policy documents, and testimonies to the Norwegian Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the article provides a thematic synthesis of how state rationalization, educational restructuring, and administrative standardization have reconfigured Sámi Indigenous pastoral knowledge. The analysis shows that assimilation operates through governance mechanisms that translate Sámi professional language, siida-based organization, gendered earmark rights, and place-based ecological knowledge into standardized administrative categories. Reforms introduced from the 1970s onward privileged equilibrium-oriented and production-based indicators, marginalizing flexible, mobility-centered pastoral logics. Over time, these governance transformations have interacted with globalization, infrastructural expansion, land fragmentation, and climate change, intensifying pressures on seasonal mobility, pasture access, and the annual cycle central to nomadic pastoral adaptation. These processes have weakened intergenerational knowledge transmission, narrowed learning arenas, and redefined land-use competence as regulatory compliance rather than adaptive navigation of variable socio-ecological systems. Under accelerating climate change and land-use fragmentation, the resilience of Sámi reindeer husbandry depends on restoring coherence between language, mobility, household-siida organization, and practice-based learning. The article argues that seanadit, reconciliation grounded in institutional and epistemic realignment, is a prerequisite for robust pastoral governance in the Circumpolar North.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontierspartnerships.org/articles/10.3389/past.2026.15646</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontierspartnerships.org/articles/10.3389/past.2026.15646</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Participatory livestock movement routes and resource mapping in pastoral areas of Oromia and Somali Regions, southern Ethiopia]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-05-06T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Dagim Gebresilassie Berhanu</author><author>Yasin Getahun</author><author>Solomon Gizaw</author><author>Barbara Wieland</author><author>Samuel Tefera</author><author>Theodore Knight-Jones</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Pastoralism is both a way of life, and a livelihood strategy for millions of people around the world and for more than four million people in Ethiopia. Better understanding of pastoralist routes allows improved delivery of services, contributing to sustainable development, and poverty reduction. Livestock routes and resource mapping was conducted from December 2019 to December 2022 using participatory mapping approaches in key pastoral areas of the Somali region and Oromia region in southern Ethiopia. In total, 96 livestock routes, 14 livestock markets, 49 animal health posts, 44 human health posts, and 142 livestock watering and salt lick points were identified and mapped by participants in the study areas. Just under 10% (n = 9) of mapped livestock routes were non-functional at the time of mapping because of poor provision of services and lack of security along the routes, limiting access to grazing resources and precipitating over-grazing in accessible rangelands. Mapping, servicing, and protecting livestock routes and resources in pastoralist areas is vital for delivering development activities tailored to the pastoral community. This research provides essential information on the location and status of livestock routes and resources for the government and other stakeholders, and the methods presented can be applied to serve other pastoralist systems.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontierspartnerships.org/articles/10.3389/past.2026.15619</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontierspartnerships.org/articles/10.3389/past.2026.15619</link>
        <title><![CDATA[From margins to markets: overcoming stakeholder and information barriers in south Omo’s pastoral livestock trade, Ethiopia]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-05-04T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Rahmeto Abebe</author><author>Abate Yesigat</author><author>Nigussie Afesha</author><author>Akalewold Fedilu</author><author>Mulye Girma</author><author>Yaynabeba Abayneh</author><author>Haile Welearegay</author><author>Mebratu Mulatu</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Livestock marketing plays a vital role in Ethiopia’s economy, especially in pastoral regions such as South Omo, where it supports livelihoods, income generation, and market integration. This study examined stakeholder coordination, broker dynamics, market information access, and governance in four districts (Benatsemay, Dasenech, Nyangatom, and Hamer) using qualitative methods, including key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and market observations. The findings indicate that, although informal institutional arrangements, such as steering committees and role definitions, are in place, their practical effectiveness is constrained by weak coordination, fragmented communication, and inconsistent implementation. This situation appears to create governance gaps within which brokers play a central but dual role. While they facilitate transactions by linking buyers and sellers, their influence, reinforced by limited market information and weak regulatory oversight, enables them to shape price formation and information flows. Access to reliable and timely market information was found to be limited, with pastoralists largely relying on informal sources and intermediaries. This contributes to information asymmetry, which may weaken their bargaining position and affect market outcomes. The livestock marketing system is further characterized by a multi-layered and partly informal structure, with a significant proportion of transactions occurring outside formal market settings. Overall, the findings suggest that market inefficiencies are associated with the interaction of weak coordination, information asymmetry, and informality, rather than the absence of institutional frameworks. Strengthening the implementation of existing coordination mechanisms, improving regulatory enforcement, and enhancing access to reliable market information are critical areas for improving pastoral market participation and outcomes.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontierspartnerships.org/articles/10.3389/past.2026.15989</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontierspartnerships.org/articles/10.3389/past.2026.15989</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Beyond pastoralism: challenges and strategic solutions in Iranian sheep farming]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-04-28T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Farbod Naghshbandi</author><author>Enayat Abbasi</author><author>Ali Maghsoudi</author><author>Aliakbar Masoudi</author><author>Rasoul Vaez Torshizi</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Sheep farming in Iran has a long and significant history, and the country is widely recognised as one of the centres of sheep domestication. However, the structure and practices of sheep farming have undergone substantial changes over the past two decades, the underlying drivers of which have not yet been systematically examined. Therefore, this study investigates the major challenges facing the Iranian sheep industry and proposes strategic solutions to promote its sustainable development. To address these issues, this study employed the Delphi method to collect and synthesise expert perspectives in order to identify key areas requiring intervention and improvement. The findings highlight the need to strengthen rangeland management practices, implement genetic improvement programmes to enhance livestock resilience, and provide greater educational and technical support to farmers. The proposed policy framework emphasises the establishment of cooperatives to empower farmers through collective resource management, knowledge sharing, and improved market access. In addition, it advocates for supportive policies focused on the sustainable management of pasture and forage resources and the expansion of targeted training programmes for sheep farmers. These strategies aim to enhance the resilience, productivity, and long-term viability of the Iranian sheep sector, enabling it to adapt effectively to contemporary environmental, economic, and social challenges. Moreover, the proposed framework could serve as a reference model for other regions experiencing similar livestock management constraints, underscoring the value of shared learning and collaborative approaches to sustainable agricultural development. By comprehensively addressing structural and operational challenges, this study contributes to strengthening the sustainability of the Iranian sheep industry while supporting national food security and rural livelihoods.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontierspartnerships.org/articles/10.3389/past.2026.15978</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontierspartnerships.org/articles/10.3389/past.2026.15978</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Farmers’ knowledge of, and attitudes towards oxpeckers in the Salambala Conservancy, northeastern Namibia]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-04-28T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Michael S. Lukubwe</author><author>Adrian J. F. K. Craig</author><author>Charles Byaruhanga</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Oxpeckers (Buphagus spp.) are obligate avian mutualists that feed on ectoparasites of large mammals, including cattle. Despite their ecological significance, few studies have examined local perceptions of oxpeckers in communal pastoral systems where chemical tick control is prevalent. This study assessed livestock farmers’ knowledge, attitudes, and experiences with oxpeckers in the Salambala Conservancy, northeastern Namibia, where Red-billed Oxpeckers and Yellow-billed Oxpeckers co-occur with managed cattle herds. Structured interviews were conducted with 200 randomly selected farmers. The respondent perceived oxpecker impact (positive or negative) on cattle farming was evaluated using scores from six impact responses. Data analyses were conducted to determine the association of predictor variables (participant socio-demographics, knowledge, attitude and perceptions) with perceived oxpecker impact using descriptive, random forest and linear modelling, univariate and multivariable statistics. Awareness of oxpeckers was high (99.5%). Tick control was practiced by 78% of farmers, primarily using synthetic pyrethroids and organophosphates (52%), while some farmers applied traditional practices (20.5%), or did not control at all (21.5%). Positive oxpecker perceptions predominated (79.5%), mainly linked to tick removal, although 29% reported negative impacts such as wound aggravation and blood-feeding. The final multivariable analysis revealed that respondents who applied oxpecker control measures had significantly lower impact scores (more negative oxpecker attitude) compared to those who did not (p < 0.0001). Conversely, respondents who wished for increasing oxpecker populations had significantly higher impact scores (more positive oxpecker attitude, p = 0.029). Suggestions to increase oxpecker populations were through conservation programs and captive breeding (29% respondents) and re-introduction of oxpeckers from other areas (19.5%). These findings highlight the importance of integrating ecological knowledge with socio-economic realities to promote coexistence. Strengthening integrated tick management approaches that reduce chemical control and keep ticks to acceptable numbers can enhance community-based conservation initiatives, which are critical for sustaining oxpecker-livestock interactions.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontierspartnerships.org/articles/10.3389/past.2026.15977</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontierspartnerships.org/articles/10.3389/past.2026.15977</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Analysis of property rights practice contradictions and typical models in grassland pastoral areas: a field survey based on Abaga Banner, Xilingol League, Inner Mongolia]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-04-23T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Xiaoning Zhang</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Based on 81 household interview data collected from Honggor Gol Town, Abaga Banner, Xilingol League, Inner Mongolia, this study systematically analyzes four core contradictions in the practice of property rights in desert rangeland pastoral areas: rangeland right certification contradictions, rangeland tenure contradictions, property rights dispute resolution contradictions, and contradictions between ecological policies and property rights implementation. By refining the operational guidelines of T-B’s “Hoof and Leg Theory” and “Four-Point Balance” model, combined with cost-benefit analysis, this study proposes an optimization path of “collaborative right certification, standardized tenure allocation, professional mediation, and differentiated ecological policies.” Responding to Ostrom’s common-pool resource governance theory and context dependence theory, this research fills the gap in micro-level studies on property rights practice in ecologically sensitive desert rangeland areas, providing empirical evidence and theoretical support for the improvement of rangeland property rights systems in pastoral areas.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontierspartnerships.org/articles/10.3389/past.2026.15770</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontierspartnerships.org/articles/10.3389/past.2026.15770</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Pastoralists as peacebuilders: lived experiences from conflict-affected communities in northern Nigeria]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-04-23T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Emmanuel Ojo</author><author>Van Crowder</author><author>Austen Moore</author><author>Olusola Isola</author>
        <description><![CDATA[This study explores the lived experiences of herders in Adamawa State, Nigeria, who participated in peacebuilding interventions implemented by Catholic Relief Services in response to recurrent farmer-herder conflict. Using a hermeneutic phenomenological approach, the research centers herders’ voices to examine how they interpret, negotiate, and internalize peacebuilding efforts within their socio-cultural and relational contexts. Data were collected through focus group discussions across Shelleng and Yola South Local Government Areas. Findings indicate that herders perceive peacebuilding not merely as the cessation of violence, but as an ongoing process of restoring dignity, gaining social recognition, and reducing the fear of exclusion. Participants emphasized community dialogues, symbolic inclusion by local leaders, and the rebuilding of intergroup trust as crucial indicators of meaningful peace. Importantly, these narratives reveal how pastoralists challenge dominant, sedentary-oriented intervention models by redefining peace as relational and embedded in everyday agrarian life. By foregrounding the agency of a historically marginalized group, this study contributes to pastoralism and peacebuilding scholarship, underscoring the need for development strategies attuned to the realities of mobile pastoralist communities and the power relations that shape their inclusion and exclusion.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontierspartnerships.org/articles/10.3389/past.2026.15739</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontierspartnerships.org/articles/10.3389/past.2026.15739</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Feasibility analysis of livestock protection implementation on alpine pastures]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-04-10T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Isabella E. Faffelberger</author><author>Felix Knauer</author>
        <description><![CDATA[In a changing world, large carnivores are making a significant comeback in Europe. Despite this success for conservation and ecosystem functioning, the coexistence of humans with such species is a challenge for societies worldwide. One of the main conflicts is attacks on livestock by wolves and brown bears. To protect livestock, practices are recommended that have been used successfully in countries where large carnivores have never become extinct. Sheep and goats are the most vulnerable livestock species to large carnivore attacks. In Austria, they are particularly at risk on alpine pastures, where they tend to graze unattended and unprotected. In this study, we developed an algorithm that can predict suitable prevention measures against large carnivore attacks on sheep and goats for each individual alpine pasture in the Austrian Alps. The prevention measures considered are electric fencing and shepherding with herding dogs, livestock guard dogs and night pens. We show that all sheep and goats on the Austrian alpine pastures can be protected by these measures, but this includes moving some of the animals to other pastures. This algorithm was validated by field visits to 22 alpine pastures. These results show firstly that damage prevention is possible in Austria, even on alpine pastures. However, these results are based solely on technical feasibility, such as terrain, land cover and capacity, rather than operational and institutional feasibility, such as labour, agreements, acceptance and costs. These results also show that it will require major changes, because these measures are costly and, perhaps more importantly, will break with some local traditions, because some of the sheep and goats will have to be moved to other alpine pastures. Public support must therefore include not only subsidies for the prevention measures themselves, but also technical and logistical support to make this change feasible.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontierspartnerships.org/articles/10.3389/past.2026.15827</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontierspartnerships.org/articles/10.3389/past.2026.15827</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Introducing a special issue: What lessons to be learnt from reindeer-herding research in Russia?]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-03-31T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Review</category>
        <author>Joachim Otto Habeck</author><author>Kirill V. Istomin</author>
        <description><![CDATA[This introductory paper outlines the aim and tasks of the special issue “Reindeer herding research: Crossing disciplinary and regional borders of biology and social science”. After presenting the content of the special issue, the article illustrates the importance of overcoming political and disciplinary borders by focusing on one aspect of Soviet/Russian reindeer-herding research which is little discussed in the other contributions to the issue: zootechnics. In particular, reindeer zootechnics include functional types, herd structure, pasturing techniques, slaughter strategy, and productivity indicators. Attention is paid to tracing how this research was received, deliberated, and utilized in Fennoscandia, and to its role in developing the so-called Røros Model. It is demonstrated that Soviet reindeer-related research as perceived in Fennoscandia can best be understood as a (partial) traveling model. Similarly, it can be suggested that Fennoscandian experiments with fenced herding were perceived by Soviet specialists in a similar manner. Finally, it is shown how expert scientists gradually came to acknowledge reindeer herders’ own knowledge, thus shifting from “recommendation” mode towards more mutual knowledge exchange.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontierspartnerships.org/articles/10.3389/past.2026.15869</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontierspartnerships.org/articles/10.3389/past.2026.15869</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Rinderpest eradication and the resilience of African pastoralism]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-03-25T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Review</category>
        <author>Luciano Venturi</author><author>Fabio Ostanello</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Rinderpest eradication is often presented as a landmark in veterinary public health; less systematically examined are its medium- and long-term implications for pastoral systems that rely on mobility and collective rangeland use. This narrative review synthesises historical and contemporary evidence on (i) how rinderpest shocks interacted with pastoral livelihoods during the African pandemic and subsequent outbreaks, and (ii) how eradication-era approaches to surveillance, vaccination logistics and field delivery shaped later models for controlling transboundary animal diseases. It is argued that the same features underpinning pastoral resilience–mobility, flexible herd management, and social networks–may also increase disease exposure and hinder sustained access to veterinary services, particularly where service delivery models remain campaign-centred and externally financed. Although the eradication of rinderpest produced substantial welfare gains, these benefits were uneven and were often limited by the ongoing burden of other infectious diseases (e.g., peste des petits ruminants, foot-and-mouth disease) and by under-resourced routine animal health systems. Lessons for current eradication initiatives can be drawn: credible surveillance needs to be embedded within locally legitimate institutions; vaccination strategies should be aligned with seasonal mobility and market networks; and enabling environments for Community Animal Health Workers are essential to sustain coverage beyond time-limited programmes. These insights help reposition rinderpest eradication as both a success story and a cautionary case for designing equitable, durable animal health services in pastoral settings following a One Health approach.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontierspartnerships.org/articles/10.3389/past.2026.15693</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontierspartnerships.org/articles/10.3389/past.2026.15693</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Enteric methane emission factors for sheep in Mongolian extensive grazing systems: a Tier 2 approach]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-03-20T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Altantsetseg Lkhamaachin</author><author>Lkhagvatseren Sukhbaatar</author><author>Nyamsuren Nyam-Osor</author><author>Otgondemberel Galaaraidii</author><author>Yanfen Cheng</author><author>Togtokhbayar Norovsambuu</author><author>Choikhand Janchivlamdan</author><author>Munkhtuya Amarsanaa</author><author>Baasanjalbuu Bayaraa</author><author>Jigjidpurev Sukhbaatar</author><author>Ming-Zhi Zhang</author><author>Otgonpurev Sukhbaatar</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Methane emissions from livestock are a significant contributor to agricultural greenhouse gas outputs, yet region-specific emission factors are often lacking for nomadic pastoral systems. This study determined annual enteric methane emission factors for sheep across three major agro-ecological zones of Mongolia: Desert-steppe, steppe, and forest-steppe, considering animal sex and age categories. Animal performance data were collected for adult males (>3 years), adult females (>3 years), young sheep (1–2 years), and lambs (<1 year). According to the IPCC Tier 1 methodology, the default emission factor for adult sheep is 5 kg CH4/head/year, while lamb values are estimated at approximately 2 kg CH4/head/year. Nevertheless, these generalized values fail to capture country-specific differences in animal productivity, diet quality, seasonal feed availability, and grazing management, thereby introducing significant uncertainty into national greenhouse gas inventories. Results showed that females consistently exhibited higher emission factors than males, with values ranging from 6.0 to 6.1 kg CH4/head/year, compared to 5.40–5.45 kg CH4/head/year for males. Young sheep emitted between 4.3 and 4.9 kg CH4/head/year, while lamb emissions were lowest at 1.6–1.8 kg CH4/head/year. These findings provide updated, region-specific methane emission factors for Mongolian sheep, supporting the refinement of national greenhouse gas inventories and climate change mitigation strategies.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontierspartnerships.org/articles/10.3389/past.2026.16426</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontierspartnerships.org/articles/10.3389/past.2026.16426</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Correction: Characterization of goat production systems in the Amazonian dry tropical forest of Peru through multivariate analysis]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-03-20T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Correction</category>
        <author>Aníbal Rodríguez-Vargas</author><author>Lucinda Tafur-Gutiérrez</author><author>Emmanuel Alexander Sessarego</author><author>Gudelio Alva</author><author>Katherine Castañeda-Palomino</author><author>José Antonio Haro-Reyes</author><author>José Ruiz-Chamorro</author><author>Cecilio Barrantes-Campos</author><author>Juancarlos Alejandro Cruz</author>
        <description></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontierspartnerships.org/articles/10.3389/past.2026.15551</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontierspartnerships.org/articles/10.3389/past.2026.15551</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Rethinking pastoralists’ development from their perspective of disasters-averted]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-03-16T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Perspective</category>
        <author>Emery Roe</author>
        <description><![CDATA[By identifying the specific disasters and crises pastoralists successfully avert on the ground and in real time, we move beyond a reductive or otherwise partial view of their real-time activities. While the chronic challenges of inequality, marketisation, precarity, marginalisation, and the climate emergency are well-documented, they represent an incomplete and, as such, misleading picture. I argue that the implications of these avoided disasters are critical to local development yet remain largely overlooked in current pastoralist policy, management, and their critiques.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontierspartnerships.org/articles/10.3389/past.2026.15700</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontierspartnerships.org/articles/10.3389/past.2026.15700</link>
        <title><![CDATA[A scoping review of national legislative frameworks governing rangelands in Kenya, with implications on community-based rangeland governance]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-03-13T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Review</category>
        <author>Vicky Betty Chepkorir</author><author>Bessy Kathambi</author><author>Raphael G. Wahome</author><author>Charles Odhong</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Rangelands in Kenya are significant ecosystems that encounter various challenges including increasing livestock, demand for land and changes to traditional governance systems. Governance plays an important role in environmental management and conservation with the implementation of policies at both national and county levels in Kenya, influencing the governance structures used in rangeland management. This review aimed at analyzing current policy, institutional and regulatory frameworks governing rangelands at the national level in Kenya, and provides a summary thereof. The review adopted PRISMA guidelines for conducting and reporting systematic reviews utilizing the PRISMA flow chart and the PRISMA reporting checklist. Policies were identified using searches of government online repositories and researchers’ knowledge. The review is organized per rangeland thematic areas and types of rangeland resources, to illustrate relevant legislations, institutions and policies. Findings indicate that rangeland governance in Kenya is fragmented and operates under resource-specific policies and laws clustered in 10 broad aspects/themes of; national planning, land, forests, wildlife, pasture, water, climate change and carbon, crops, livestock, food security and rangeland management, rather than through a comprehensive approach. Additionally, the institutional framework functions at national, county, and community levels, with coordination among entities found to be limited. In total, besides the Constitution of Kenya, the Kenya Vision 2030, and the Executive Order No. 1 of 2023, there are 10 policies, 9 legislations, 14 regulations and strategies and plans, 30 national institutions and 9 community-based institutions, each providing for different aspects of rangeland management. The multiple institutions including the community-based natural resource management institutions function independently, and lack clarity regarding the integration of traditional governance systems. Some policies articulate varied objectives but lack supporting legislation for legal enforceability. The frameworks’ fragmentation, multiplicity and absence of a coordination framework occasions both cooperation and conflict. It undermines the sustainable management of resources, necessitating targeted reforms to enhance integration, incorporation of traditional systems and community engagement to safeguard rangeland resources and livelihoods. The article discusses options for enhancing the sustainability of rangelands through more integrated governance strategies.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontierspartnerships.org/articles/10.3389/past.2026.16015</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontierspartnerships.org/articles/10.3389/past.2026.16015</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Beyond victims and saviors: gendered and intersectional vulnerabilities and the efficacy of adaptation strategies in Hamer pastoralists of South Omo, Ethiopia]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-03-13T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Alebachew Adem Nurye</author><author>Desalegn Yayeh Ayal</author><author>Meskerem Abi</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Climate change poses a severe threat to pastoral communities in the Horn of Africa, but its effects are mediated through deeply gendered power relations. This paper goes beyond the simplistic view of women as either victims or saviors and interrogates how social institutions shape differential vulnerability and adaptation capacity in the Hamer district of Ethiopia. The paper aims to challenge the homogenizing narratives, disentangling the institutional landscape of vulnerability quantitatively, and document adaptive practices that exist across the gender spectrum. Using a mixed methods design, cross-sectional surveys of 384 female and male-headed households, we applied the Simplified Vulnerability Model to quantify vulnerability across six domains, regression analysis, and assessed the effectiveness and sustainability of adaptation strategies using the Sustainability Score Framework. Our analysis indicates female-headed households (V = 78), women with disabilities (V = 0.76), women in polygamous unions (V = 0.73) are most vulnerable, while male-headed households (V = 0.42) are least. The findings show how intersecting social positions produce a continuum of risk, challenging binary and homogenizing portrayals of women as vulnerable groups. Building equitable and sustainable resilience requires going beyond protecting the most vulnerable to enhancing their resilience capacity by removing the institutional obstacles that limit their agency.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontierspartnerships.org/articles/10.3389/past.2026.15665</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontierspartnerships.org/articles/10.3389/past.2026.15665</link>
        <title><![CDATA[High reliability professionals and networks in pastoral areas of northern Kenya and southern Ethiopia: a new approach to development?]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-03-05T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Rahma Hassan</author><author>Ian Scoones</author><author>Elizabeth Stites</author><author>Jackson Wachira</author><author>Hussein Wario</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Seeing pastoralism as a “critical infrastructure” consisting of networks of “high-reliability professionals” has the potential to support and sustain resilient pastoral livelihoods. In this article, we examine cases from northern Kenya and southern Ethiopia where reliability is generated through deliberating on early warning systems; gaining access to grazing and water resources; creating fodder reserves; managing complex value chains and market exchanges; providing small-scale credit and generating peace and security. We argue that approaches that focus on local practices, relationships, processes, and unique knowledges are best placed to build resilience in the face of external shocks. We find that high reliability professionals and their networks engage in active and deliberate processes that assemble multiple actions to support the larger system during and between crises. These individuals work across social and economic realms, through markets and across regional and national borders to respond in real time to unfolding and variable conditions, continuously averting disasters. Working together with external agencies, local networks of high reliability professionals offer an alternative approach to humanitarian and development response in pastoral areas that is locally embedded and less reliant on externally imposed projects and aid finance. The implications for development interventions in pastoral areas are significant.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontierspartnerships.org/articles/10.3389/past.2026.16020</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontierspartnerships.org/articles/10.3389/past.2026.16020</link>
        <title><![CDATA[The impact of pastoral outposts in the occupied West Bank: a comprehensive analysis of land control mechanisms, displacement, and humanitarian consequences]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-03-02T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Perspective</category>
        <author>Amin Abu-Alsoud</author><author>Ameur Mehrez</author><author>Houcine Bchini</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Pastoral outposts are an effective and rapid tool of settler colonialism in the occupied West Bank. The paper provides a thorough analysis of these seemingly innocuous livestock farms, revealing them as a strategic instrument for expropriation of vast grazing areas, the fragmentation of Palestinian territories, and the displacement of local communities. The main limitation of this paper is its dependence on a vast, yet secondary, body of literature. However, the analysis reveals a systemic agenda of dispossession driven by coordinated state and non-state actors. Our findings confirm the establishment of over 270 such outposts, representing a 114 percent increase between January 2023 and May 2025. This expansion has profound long-term geopolitical and humanitarian implications, undermining the viability of a future Palestinian state. While international law deems these settlements illegal, this paper argues that current policy responses are insufficient to counteract the institutional state power propagating their growth. We conclude that a critical engagement with the realities of settler colonialism is necessary to address the root causes of this phenomenon and protect the rights of the Palestinian people.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontierspartnerships.org/articles/10.3389/past.2026.15417</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontierspartnerships.org/articles/10.3389/past.2026.15417</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Livestock production resource assessment, mapping and suitability analysis in the pastoral areas of Bale and East Bale Zones, Southeastern Ethiopia]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-02-27T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Girma Defar</author><author>Behailu Legesse</author><author>Derara Kumbishu</author><author>Tesfaye Amene</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Livestock production system and productivity are increasingly constrained by climatic variability, disparities in available production resources, and livestock population challenging pastoral livelihoods. These burdens accelerate loss of climate-resilient, and eco-friendly livestock diversities, and limit productivity enhancing interventions. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess the availability, and spatial distribution of livestock production resources, and to evaluate land suitability for major livestock species in the pastoral districts of Bale, and East Bale Zones of Ethiopia. Multi-stage sampling procedures were followed to select target kebeles (mini administrative units) for data collections on forage availability, water sources, veterinary services, and livestock market infrastructure. Data were collected through focus group discussions, key informant interviews, field observations, and GIS-based spatial analysis. The study showed that resources for livestock production are limited, and unevenly distributed, resulting in a substantial mismatch between livestock requirements, and available resources, thereby constraining the productivity, and sustainability of pastoral livelihoods. The estimated annual biomass yield (DM) from the existing land use surpasses the annual feed requirement (DM) for livestock body maintenance. Though surplus annual biomass, it is constrained by dense unpalatable vegetation, rugged terrain, early forage drying, and seasonal variability. Only 57.1% of animal health centers, and 41.0% of livestock markets are functional, concentrated in nearby towns and mixed-farming border, make the area undeserved. Suitability analysis revealed that only small proportions of the landscape are highly suitable for cattle, sheep, goats, and camels (3.4, 2.6, 1.4, 5.5%), respectively. The finding discloses a significant gap between livestock needs, and resource availability. The study emphasizes the urgency for focused forage and water development, increased veterinary and market services, and better resource management. Further, it helps stakeholders, and policymakers to support resilient pastoral systems that are subject to socioeconomic, and environmental stresses as well as sustainable livestock production.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontierspartnerships.org/articles/10.3389/past.2026.15576</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontierspartnerships.org/articles/10.3389/past.2026.15576</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Relational approach to the climate narratives and pastoral conflicts: an analysis of 2004–2013 Samburu-Pokot conflict]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-02-16T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Shinya Konaka</author>
        <description><![CDATA[The relationship between climate change and violent conflict, particularly climate-induced conflict grounded in neo-Malthusian environmentalist assumptions, has been debated since the end of the Cold War. This debate has been prominent in drought-affected regions such as the Sahel and the Horn of Africa, where pastoralists have been central. This study examines the link between climate change and conflicts among pastoralists, focusing on the clashes between the Samburu and Pokot in North-Central Kenya in 2004. A relational approach was employed. Fieldwork was conducted to analyse 129 cases from 2004 to 2013 and to assess their relationship with rainfall data for the same period. The analysis revealed a general correlation: more severe conflicts occurred during periods of heavier rainfall. Monthly aggregated data further indicated that conflict intensity decreased during dry periods. Contrary to dominant climate narratives—which suggest that drought-induced scarcity escalate violence—the findings support earlier studies highlighting a higher risk of conflict during wetter periods. Annual data analysis suggests that the motivation for conflict may centre on territorial acquisition, politically incited by elites exploiting climate narratives, rather than livestock raiding. In conclusion, greater emphasis should be placed on understanding pastoralists who construct dynamic hybrid networks of environment, politics, and pastoralism, rather than applying universal climate narratives indiscriminately. Pastoralists do not simply accept a linear path from scarcity to violence but implement risk-reduction strategies, avoiding conflicts during dry periods. Policies should support pastoralists’ potential as reliability professionals while minimising political incitement exploiting climate narratives.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontierspartnerships.org/articles/10.3389/past.2026.15673</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontierspartnerships.org/articles/10.3389/past.2026.15673</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Spatio-temporal distribution and impacts of Prosopis juliflora: an application of remote sensing and experiential ecological knowledge in a semi-arid rangeland of Kenya]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-02-06T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Haron Akala</author><author>Oliver Vivian Wasonga</author><author>Josephat Mungoche</author><author>Davis Ikiror</author><author>Charles Gachuiri</author><author>George Gitau</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Prosopis juliflora species was introduced in the Kenyan drylands as part of an afforestation program to rehabilitate rangelands and supply fuelwood in the 1980s. However, the species has since spread beyond areas of intervention, altering ecosystem integrity and threatening the livelihoods of pastoralists. This study analysed the spatial and temporal dynamics of P. juliflora in Cherab Ward, Isiolo County, to provide empirical evidence for the management and utilisation of this species. High-resolution satellite imagery was used to assess land-use and land-cover changes between 2017 and 2024, complemented by participatory socio-ecological approaches to elicit pastoralists’ local knowledge of the species' invasion patterns and impacts. The results show that P. juliflora cover increased by approximately 706.1 km2 between 2017 and 2024. Equally, shrubland and crop land declined by approximately 414.9 km2 and 122.8 km2, respectively. Bare land decreased by 397.4 km2, whereas built-up land increased slightly by 26.2 km2. These trends were corroborated by maps generated through participatory approaches with communities, which showed that P. juliflora invaded riverine and roadside areas, making it difficult for livestock to access pasture and water in the affected area. These results imply both ecological and socioeconomic consequences, with expected negative impacts on livestock production in the study area. The observed rate of spread of P. juliflora (103%) from 2017 to 2024 indicates that, if the invasion continues unabated, grazing resources in the area will diminish, leading to the loss of ecosystem services and, consequently, impacting pastoral livelihoods. These findings highlight the need for context-specific, co-developed management approaches that integrate spatial evidence with local knowledge to ensure the sustainable control and exploitation of the species, thereby maximising ecological and economic benefits.]]></description>
      </item>
      </channel>
    </rss>