Climate-Smart Investments in Rangelands:
Climate-Smart Agriculture Training for Asia
Development Bank, Bangkok
Presented Remotely via Skype on 26th November 2019
Fiona Flintan, ILRI

Rangelands cover a significant proportion
of the world’s surface including in Asia
University of Idaho/SRM

Potential of rangelands
• Millions directly gain their livelihoods from
extensive livestock production but with the right
support and investment more can do so;
• 2 billion people derive additional indirect
benefits including animal protein, water, fibre,
pharmaceuticals;
• Significant potential for raising productivity of
rangelands and rangelands restoration where
needed
• Carbon sequestration
• Raising productivity of livestock

Characteristics of rangelands and land use
systems found there
Temporal and spatial variability of natural resources
and environmental conditions - ’high’ and ‘low’
productivity hotspots – high diversity driven by
variable and low rainfall, temperature fluctuations etc.
Photo credit: Barbara Wieland/ILRI

Characteristics of rangelands and land use
systems found there
Unpredictable climate with frequent stresses and
shocks
https://site.extension.uga.edu/climate/2018/08/droug
ht-impacting-cattle-producers-around-the-globe/
https://www.nationalgeographic.com.au/tv/
australias-great-flood/
https://eurasianet.org/mongolia-government-struggles-to-
cope-with-winter-disaster

Characteristics of rangelands and land use
systems found in rangelands
Nested land governance/tenure, and management -
layers of rights and responsibilities

Characteristics of rangelands and land use
systems found in rangelands
Often remote and not easily-accessible with a
sparsely distributed human population

Characteristics of rangelands and land use
systems found in rangelands
Social landscape is very strong – and the connectivity
and reciprocity held between people is an asset to
build on
Photo: Kelley Lynch/CARE

Development and investment in
rangelands
Development and investment in rangelands demand a
different approach:
• Landscape-level planning
• Facilitate (not block) mobility of livestock/people
• Both processes and outputs such as infrastructure
need to be able to cope and manage stresses and
shocks – climate smart, risk management
• High quality, low maintenance infrastructure
• Communities at forefront of development (reverse
dependency syndrome)
• Integrated approaches e.g. “one health”

Participatory rangeland management in
Ethiopia and Mongolia
For more information see: Flintan and Cullis (2010) https://hdl.handle.net/10568/99430

Strong foundation for rangeland
investments – improving productivity
Clearance of invasive species
https://www.revolvy.com/page/The-Prosospis-Juliflora-blessing?stype=videos&cmd=list&sml=2zFoNdHjDVI

Strong foundation for rangeland
investments – harnessing variable water
Water-spreading weirs. (Photo credit: Fiona Flintan/ILRI)

Strong foundation for rangeland investments –
facilitating mobility not blocking

Conclusions
• Rangelands have been marginalized from
mainstream development and investment
• With appropriate development and investment
focused on improving livestock and land/resource
production they have significant potential
• Local people including pastoralists need to be at
the centre of development processes – challenging
but opportunities to build on
• Landscape approach for planning and management
• Climate smart investments that can cope/manage
stresses and shocks.

This presentation is licensed for use under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence.
better lives through livestock
ilri.org
ILRI thanks all donors and organizations who globally supported its work through their contributions
to the CGIAR system