The International Land Coalition (ILC) this week joined the FAO-led Pastoralist Knowledge Hub to support pastoralist communities. ILC is a coalition of 207 organisations in 64 countries. It promotes secure and equitable access to land for rural people through capacity building, knowledge sharing and advocacy.

Over 200 million pastoralists worldwide manage drylands and pastures that cover over one-third of the Earth’s land surface. Many of the challenges faced by pastoralists relate to land, such as the loss of rangeland and the disruption of their migration routes.

ILC will bring in a new perspective into the Hub, one that is more focused on land-related issues. For instance, ILC’s Rangeland Initiative, based at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in Kenya, will now work together with the Hub on land and pastoralism.

ILC and the Hub share a people-centered approach at the regional and international level, and both work closely with civil society constituencies and organizations. Pastoralists are included in ILC’s charter, declarations and work programming as a priority.

“The contributions that pastoral production systems make to food production, environmental management, mitigating climate change and cultural heritage are significant yet grossly undervalued –  as are the challenges pastoralists face in maintaining these under severe pressure to their lands and natural resources”, says Michael Taylor, director of the coalition’s secretariat.

The Pastoralist Knowledge Hub, a coordination and knowledge platform launched in April 2015, was created upon the request of pastoralist civil society organizations. The Hub brings together international organizations to coordinate their work and knowledge on pastoralism.

Other strategic partners of Hub include the European Union, the World Bank, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the World Alliance of Mobile Indigenous Peoples, and SlowFood.