In a world searching for solutions to the interconnected climate, biodiversity and land degradation crises, rangelands and pastoralists are part of the answer: FAO animal production and health expert
Figure: A woman member of Samburu pastoral community in Kenya. ©FAO/Luis Tato
The United Nations has designated 2026 as the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists to spotlight the vital role that rangelands and pastoralist communities play in sustainable food production, ecosystem stewardship, and climate change mitigation and adaptation.
In an interview with FAO Newsroom, Thanawat Tiensin, FAO Assistant Director-General and Director of the Animal Production and Health Division, explained what rangelands are, where they are found, how pastoralist systems function, and why protecting and investing in them is essential for building more sustainable, resilient and inclusive agrifood systems worldwide.
1. What are rangelands and why are they a vital part of the world’s land systems?
2. What are some examples of rangelands? Where are they found?
3. Who are pastoralists and how does mobility shape their livelihoods, cultures, and food systems?
The seasonal movements are often called transhumance and can involve distances over 800km in the driest areas. This mobility and way of life, coexisting with livestock, has had a profound impact on pastoralist cultures, and is reflected in pastoralist stories, songs, beliefs and food systems. As such, much of traditional pastoralist cuisine is based on meat and dairy products, as well as on the collection of wild plants. Following the requests from two groups of European countries, UNESCO recognized transhumance as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, and more countries have already shown their interest in joining this recognition.
4. How do rangelands and pastoralism contribute to global food security, biodiversity, and ecosystem health?
5. What are the main threats facing rangelands and pastoralists today?
6. How is climate change affecting rangelands and pastoralist communities?
7. In what ways do pastoralists act as custodians of rangelands? How do they use traditional and Indigenous knowledge to manage land sustainably?
8. How do healthy rangelands help address climate change, water regulation, soil protection, and resilience to extreme weather?
9. Why are land rights, governance, and inclusion—especially of women and youth—central to the future of pastoral systems?
10. What does sustainable rangeland management look like in practice, and can restoring rangelands also improve livelihoods and food systems?
11. Why did the UN declare 2026 the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists, and why should people everywhere care about their future?
The International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists 2026 was declared following a request from the Government of Mongolia to the Committee of Agriculture of FAO. People should care about rangelands and pastoralists because, in a world searching for solutions to the interconnected climate, biodiversity, and land degradation crises, rangelands and pastoralists are part of the answer.
12. What is FAO’s role for this Year? What is FAO already doing to protect rangelands and pastoralists?
Over the past few years, FAO has already been at the forefront of promoting rangelands and pastoralism within global and national policy frameworks. It has improved advocacy for rangelands and pastoralism within policy processes, notably through its Pastoralist Knowledge Hub, a global gateway for discussing pastoralist and rangeland issues. In partnership with governments and pastoralist organizations, the hub collects data on pastoral systems and helps quantify the contribution of pastoral systems to the Sustainable Development Goals, advocating for better investment in these systems. This recognition was further enhanced by the inclusion of several pastoralist-based systems as Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS). FAO has also developed adapted tools and guidelines such as the Participatory Rangelands and Grasslands Assessment (PRAGA), the RECSOIL protocols, the Technical Guide on Improving Governance of Pastoral Lands, the Livestock Sector Investment and Policy Toolkit (LSIPT), or the feed balance assessments that improve decision-making in rangeland and pastoralist systems. FAO supports pastoralists on the ground by improved social services and innovation, including through Pastoralist and AgroPastoralist Field Schools, participatory extension approaches, and targeted capacity development for women, youth, and community organizations that depend on rangelands. FAO has also played a significant role on promoting approaches that integrate pastoralism with forestry and optimize the use of woody vegetation in drylands. As such, the Working group on dryland forests and agrosilvopastoral systems of the Committee on Forestry is supporting countries to develop pastoralist-friendly policies and supporting silvopastoralism as a critical strategy for the sustainability of the world’s drylands. We hope that this Year will be an opportunity to celebrate rangelands and pastoralists, to listen to their voices, to value their knowledge, and to translate this understanding into better policies and investments that will have a lasting positive impact on these communities and ecosystems well beyond 2026.
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