Climate resilience: What can we learn from pastoral systems in Africa’s drylands?

This policy brief aims to draw attention to the lessons pastoral systems offer in the face of climate change. Exploring the key factors enabling and hampering the resilience of pastoral systems to climate change, it indicates how the challenge of sustainable and resilient food systems could be tackled under increasingly unpredictable climate conditions.As global temperatures continue to increase, food systems are facing a double burden: while emitting over one third of global greenhouse gases, they are jeopardised by climate change at the same time.

Increasing energy inputs to stabilise production from rising climate variability also increases global warming. A fundamental rehaul of global food systems is needed with an alternative approach to climate resilience, with low emission strategies at the core.Pastoralism in Africa’s drylands offers valuable lessons for climate resilience. Pastoralists in highly variable environments are professionals in adapting to change and dealing with uncertainity while not relying on energy-intensive pro cesses that have caused climate change in the first place. Key factors supporting pastoralists’ resilience include strategic mobility, diversity of assets, adaptive resource management strategies, and strong customary institutions.