Across the African pastoralist landscape, shepherds are the powerhouse of sustainability of pastoralism, supporting mobility, household food security, and market systems. They play a vital role in ensuring income, nutrition, and resilience for their families and communities. Yet most youth in East and Horn of Africa depend on pastoralism, small-scale farming, or informal businesses all highly sensitive to climate shocks and shifting policy environments.

Despite their potential, pastoralist youth are often excluded from governance and decision-making spaces. This is not due to lack of capacity but weak institutional mechanisms for meaningful participation. As a result, climate policies rarely reflect their needs, reinforcing inequality and reducing effectiveness. Yet, within these challenges, lie opportunities to harness pastoralist mobility and role of shepherds as a form of resilience, adaptation, and sustainability lever to empower young people who are driving innovations of the traditional food system, and locally adapting to innovations and technologies in energy, water and rangelands value chains. Continue to read the article here