International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists 2026 preparations take off

The build-up activities towards the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP) 2026 have begun in earnest with a series of youth consultations kicking off next month starting in Kenya.

The call for application to take part in the first in a series of youth consultations to develop a Vision Pastoralist Youth 2026 is open!

Atiokam Divine, the Founder and Executive Director of Climate Smart Agriculture Youth Network Global (GCSAYN) one of the organisers in partnership with IYRP, International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), and Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research’s Livestock, Climate System Resilience unit, said announced yesterday that the first in a series of these consultations will be held at Lukenya University, Makueni Kenya from 27-29 September 2022.

“The first in a series of these visioning consultations will be held at Lukenya University, Makueni Kenya from 27-29 September 2022. Participants will be those working and living in pastoral areas in Kenya, Tanzania, and Ethiopia. Participants are expected to fully participate for the three days, sharing experiences, knowledge, and skills, whilst also being open to learning from others including practical examples in the field to equip participants with climate change mitigation strategies and adaptation options. It will also be a space to talk about challenges and opportunities of pastoralism among youth, building up rapport and critical mass, with an opportunity to join CSAYN (Climate Smart Agriculture Youth Network) and the IYRP international support group after the event,” Ntiokam said.

The consultation will also be an opportunity to develop a statement on the future of pastoralism in face of climate change that will be presented at an official side event at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change COP27 to be held in Egypt, Sharm El-Sheikh, 7-18 November 2022.

This series of consultations is being organised by ILRI, CSAYN, and PROCASUR as a contribution to the One CGIAR initiative on Livestock, Climate and System Resilience (LCSR). Full costs of the event and participants attending including transport, accommodation (camping or in a university hostel), three meals per day, and travel insurance will be covered by ILRI through CSAYN.

Criteria for applicants include:

1. Be between 18-35 years old from a pastoral society and/or be closely working with pastoralists in Ethiopia, Kenya, or Tanzania
2. Be willing to represent pastoralist youth in national and global forums, with some leadership experience
3. Be willing to share experiences, skills, and knowledge with fellow participants and also be open to learn
4. Have a good command of English
5. Have a valid passport in hand (given short time for the consultation in September).

Female youth are particularly encouraged to apply. Consultations in other regions of the world will follow.

Please apply using the attached form and send it to: info@csaynglobal.org, ntiokam.divine@csaynglobal.org and ntiokam2@gmail.com with the subject line “VISION PASTORALIST YOUTH: KENYA 2022” and a copy of the biodata page of your passport by 22^nd of August 2022.