The December issue of Farming Matters aims to inform pastoralist communities, practitioners, researchers, civil society, policy makers and others about the practices and policies best fitted to strengthen pastoralist societies. Articles should be submitted before September 1.

Pastoralist communities provide meat, hide, dairy, and manure fuel, supporting about 200 million households in places of the globe where rain-fed agriculture is not possible. For millennia, pastoralists have managed rangelands in the planet’s harshest environments: from the highlands of Asia and South America to the drylands of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. However, in spite of their importance as stewards of nature, ancient cultures and livestock-based production, pastoralists are often marginalised in policy and development practice.