Dr Dereje Wakjira, Director for the IGAD Centre for Pastoral Areas and Livestock Development (ICPALD). Credit: Isaiah Esipisu/IPS

By Isaiah Esipisu
NAIROBI, Jul 10 2026 (IPS)

At the 64th sessions of the Subsidiary Bodies (SB64) under the UNFCCC in Bonn, Germany, the Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform (LCIPP) underscored the importance of ethically and equitably incorporating indigenous values and knowledge and local knowledge systems such as pastoralism into climate policies and actions ahead of the 31st Conference of Parties on climate change (COP31).

According to the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA), pastoralism remains the lifeline for well over 20 million people in Eastern Africa, sustaining communities with food, cultural identity, and ecological resilience. Yet, this way of life is under threat. From shrinking grazing lands and land grabs to systemic discrimination, pastoralist communities face mounting challenges that jeopardise both their livelihoods and survival.

In this exclusive Interview, Dr Dereje Wakjira, Director for the IGAD Centre for Pastoral Areas and Livestock Development (ICPALD), explains why pastoralism must be protected and the need for integrated agroecology-driven policies in the East African region.

IPS: How does IGAD define ‘agroecology’ in the context of pastoral and dryland systems?

Wakjira: Dry land covers 60 to 70 percent of the land demands in IGAD countries, and this is the area where huge livestock resources are produced. Agroecology, therefore, is demonstrated when we apply ecological and social principles to manage these rangelands while relying on indigenous knowledge to ensure that we are sustaining the environment, rather than exploiting it.

These rangeland areas receive minimum rainfall, where rain-fed agriculture is not reliable. So communities have adapted to an extensive livestock production system.

This is a production system where land is communally used, and livestock production is done through pastoral and agro-pastoral methods that heavily rely on mobility.

However, land use is not exclusive to livestock production; people use it for various other purposes at different times. Cattle owners might graze and move on to other places with greener pasture, and then camel owners may come and feed on trees and bushes, while some people might only be interested in collecting wild foods, herbs and honey.

IPS: What progress has IGAD made towards harmonising agroecology-related policies across member states?

Wakjira: When IGAD member states established the ICPALD, it was recognition that this production system required regional coordination. There was a need for interdependence and collaboration between member countries because pastoralists cross international borders, which comes with a lot of risks.

Since its establishment, ICPALD has been working to harmonise different policies. For example, we are calling on countries to cooperate in the area of disease control. This is because when people move with their livestock, there is a risk of carrying diseases to neighbouring countries and bringing diseases from those countries. That therefore requires coordination, without infringing on the right to mobility, which itself is the main ingredient of pastoralism.

We have been advocating for the region to recognise pastoral systems. Within the framework of AU pastoral policy, most of the countries have tried to accommodate the transhumance protocol (a legal framework for pastoralists in the Horn of Africa), where an orderly mobility across countries is accepted based on seasons.

IPS: What challenges have you observed in terms of countries adhering to legal frameworks such as the transhumance protocol?

Wakjira: What we have seen over many years is that people look at land through the lens of crop mentality, forgetting that meat is one of the most important components of our diets. Though a huge part of our land is dry land, which is more suitable for livestock production through mobility, we have not been serious in terms of supporting the pastoral system.

Some of the wet-season grazing areas and even dry-season grazing areas have been very productive for pastoralists over the years. But today, due to climate change, the same pastoral land is attracting wildlife, irrigation development projects, and even the local people who want to convert it to agricultural land.

As a result, pastoralists have been losing their core grazing area over the years, and that has been a challenge affecting the productivity of livestock. And occasionally, when you lose your core grazing area, you move to other places, which might also trigger conflict.

That is the kind of awareness we are creating. We need to be as urgent as possible in formalising this communal land-use governance system. When we continue converting pastoral land into other land uses, then we are undermining the potential we have.

IPS: How can agroecology strengthen resilience against droughts and climate shocks for pastoral communities?

Wakjira: All pastoralist regions are drylands, and therefore you need to look at the key components that sustain their production. You need to secure the mobility routes and communal land governance system so that people are not moving in an unplanned way.

For example, when time comes for people to move from Turkana in Kenya to Karamoja in Uganda, it has to be in a particular season. In that process, there are do’s and don’ts, because you have to respect the rule of the land. While pastoralists are in the neighbouring country, they have to be supported to access services for their animal and human health. That is why we require mainstreaming pastoral practices into regional policies.

One big challenge is that we have undermined livestock diseases. As a result, it has hindered us from accessing the prime market for our livestock. That is why we need agroecology support systems to help in controlling animal diseases, land governance and organised mobility systems.

IPS: How is indigenous knowledge being integrated into regional policy frameworks?

Wakjira:  When we talk about the pastoral system and transhumance protocol, it means we are building on a traditional system. The main mobility corridors are based on traditional knowledge. The rangelands they access and their mobility seasons are as well informed by traditional knowledge. Some of the mobility routes are deliberately chosen to escape particular diseases, as well as to access particular resources such as salt. All these are integral parts of agroecology.

IPS: Are there successful country examples that could become regional models?

Wakjira: There is a lot of effort here and there across the countries. For example, in Uganda, a lot of effort has been made to reduce conflicts, which include disarming communities and building supportive infrastructure for livestock production through pastoralism.

For the past 10 years or so, we have also seen a lot of investment in pastoral areas in Kenya and Ethiopia, though not to the extent we wish to be. We are not moving as quickly as we should, especially on communal land governance, where resilience is most needed.

IPS UN Bureau Report

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