Restoring vegetation in low rainfall areas is difficult and urges the need to design an effective and low-cost method of vegetation restoration. This study was undertaken in the lowlands of northern Ethiopia to: (1) investigate how exclosure age affects restoration of degraded native plant species richness, diversity and aboveground standing biomass, and (2) identify soil characteristics, which affect effectiveness of exclosures to restore degraded native vegetation.

La Politique cadre pour le pastoralisme en Afrique, présentée dans ce rapport, est la première initiative de politique à l’échelle d’un continent ayant pour but de sécuriser, protéger et améliorer la vie des pasteurs africains. Les pasteurs effectuent des contributions cruciales – mais souvent sous-estimées – aux économies africaines, grâce à leurs systèmes de production, leur culture, ainsi que leurs ressources animales et végétales. Pourtant, les indicateurs de développement humain et de sécurité alimentaire dans de nombreuses zones pastorales sont parmi les plus bas du continent.

Livestock production is the main source of livelihood in the arid and semi-arid lands in Africa. However, desertification characterized by vegetation degradation and soil erosion is a major threat to the sustainability of land-based production systems. Native rangeland forage species Cenchrus ciliaris L. (Buffel grass/African foxtail grass), Eragrostis superba Peyr. (Maasai love grass) and Enteropogon macrostachyus (Hochst. Ex A. Rich.) Monro ex Benth. (Bush rye grass) have been used to combat desertification.

Rangelands provide numerous goods and services that have great economic, social, cultural, and biological value. Inhabitants of rangelands have engineered pastoral, hunter-gatherer, and farming systems that have sustained their livelihoods in these usually dry environments for centuries. Primarily, rangelands are grazing-dependent systems, characterised by dry periods and droughts. However, these characteristics should not be a barrier to development and can be managed through careful planning and management of resources.

The objective of this study is to integrate socioeconomic, biophysical, and remote-sensing information to enhance the understanding of climate change, agriculture and food security within and between CCAFS sites. The purpose is to assess the agricultural production system in the CCAFS site Katuk Odeyo, Nyando (Western Kenya) to explore potential indicators that can be long-term monitored. Ecosystem health determines energy supply and demand by sustaining the productive capacity of the landscape.

The imGoats project (imgoats.org) seeks to investigate how best goat value chains can be used to increase food security and reduce poverty among smallholders in India and Mozambique. Funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Research (IFAD), the project is led by researchers from the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in collaboration with the BAIF Development Research Foundation in India and CARE International in Mozambique. On 2-6 July 2012, the imGoats project held a learning and reflection workshop in Udaipur, India.

Biomass production costs and dry matterkilogram cost were evaluated in kikuyu grass (Kikuyuocloa clandestina), perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) and African stargrass (Cynodon nlemfuensis), along one year, in 8 dairy farms located in Cartago (2), San José (2) and Alajuela (4) provinces. Average dry matter yield per cycle was 3395 kg.ha-1 DM for the three grasses. Annual yield is influenced by the regrowth period of each species, with values of 40 170, 38 731 and 28 995 kg.ha-1 DM for African stargrass, kikuyu grass and perennial ryegrass, respectively.

Over the years, PINGOs Forum has been concerned with the future of Pastoral and HunterGatherer communities with regard to changing patterns of traditional land use and livelihoods options. The information gathered from the past studies have risen much concern on the side of PINGOs Forum that perhaps climate change may have a serious bearing in the land use patterns and livelihoods of Pastoralists and Hunter-gatherers. As a result of this concern, PINGOs Forum decided to embark on a study to observe changes that have occurred in land use patterns in recent years.