Strengthening Legal Frameworks for Pastoralism: FAO Advances New Diagnostic Tool
As pastoral communities face increasing social, economic and environmental pressures, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), together with key partners, has taken a major step toward transforming how laws support pastoral mobility and access to natural resources.
From 21 to 22 May 2025, FAO convened legal experts, development practitioners, and pastoralism stakeholders in Rome to refine and validate a pastoralism-specific legal diagnostic tool. The initiative forms part of the Water and Food Security Initiative for Africa 2 (IESA 2) and is co-financed by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) and the German Ministry of Agriculture. It reflects FAO’s growing focus and commitment to ensure equitable governance for rangelands and mobile livestock communities.
Developed by FAO’s Animal Production and Health Division (NSA), its Development Law Service (LEGN), the Rural Transformation and Gender Equality Division (ESP), and the Centre de coopération internationale en recherche agronomique pour le développement (CIRAD), the tool is designed to formulate recommendations, assess gaps, inconsistencies, and strengthen national legal and policy frameworks affecting pastoralists. While currently piloted in the Sahel region, it is intended for global deployment, with upcoming plans for use in Niger and other countries.
Pastoralism remains a vital livelihood system around the world, yet legal recognition of pastoralist rights remains uneven. Communities face barriers to resource access, mobility, and market participation, compounded by increasing land fragmentation, climate shocks, and tensions with other land users.
The FAO tool combines two methodological pillars:
Analytical Review
A structured legal assessment aligned with international frameworks such as the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure (VGGT). It addresses six core themes:
- Pastoral resources
- Mobility and transhumance
- Livestock market access
- Animal health and welfare
- Environmental management and natural risks
- Conflict prevention and management
Consultative Approach
Grounded in stakeholder interviews and focus groups, this component examines how legal provisions are applied and experienced on the ground—offering insight into the gap between legislation and practice.
Insights from the tool’s pilot in Mauritania—presented by the legal expert and national consultant Hafsa Ahmedou —highlighted legal ambiguities in resource governance and reinforced the need for participatory analysis. Field consultations revealed that while laws may exist on paper, their implementation often falls short, especially in remote pastoral regions.
Over two days, participants engaged in thematic breakouts. Legal and technical experts examined the tool’s structure, clarity, and operational relevance across varied pastoral settings.
Key feedback focused on:
- Improving the formulation of legal questions
- Avoiding thematic overlaps and identify eventual restructuring needs
- Identifying key missing thematic areas
Discussions also underscored the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration—linking legal, technical, and customary systems to ensure the tool reflects both regulatory principles and indigenous knowledge.
The initiative is timely: it aligns with the International Year of Camelids (2024) and builds momentum toward the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (2026). By providing legal teams and policymakers with a practical, context-sensitive tool, FAO aims to mainstream pastoralism into national legal agendas and support its long-term sustainability.
"Our ambition is simple: to offer a tool that is useful—for lawyers, policymakers, practitioners, and above all, pastoral communities themselves," said Guido Acquaviva, FAO Deputy Legal Counsel. "We must translate the lived experiences of pastoralists into legal language and bridge the gap between law and practice."
Next Steps
Following the workshop, FAO and CIRAD will integrate the consolidated feedback to finalize the tool. In the future, the tool will be made available for adaptation and deployment across countries seeking to improve governance of pastoral systems.
With strong stakeholder engagement and technical rigor, this tool represents a major step forward in legal empowerment for pastoralists—supporting mobility, access to natural resources, and climate resilience through law.