Participatory rangeland and grassland assessment (PRAGA) methodology
Participatory rangeland and grassland assessment (PRAGA) methodology

Author: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.

Published: 2022-09-08

Total Pages: 146

ISBN-13: 9251365822

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This participatory grassland and rangeland assessment (PRAGA) methodology was developed for the assessment of rangelands and grasslands in selected project countries. It was developed through the project “Participatory assessment of land degradation and sustainable land management in grassland and pastoral systems”, financed by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and executed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The methodology was piloted in five countries – Burkina Faso, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Niger and Uruguay – to test its effectiveness and value. Necessary revisions were made to the methodology, based on lessons learned from its application. This document contains background information on global grasslands and rangelands and describes the need and the guiding principle for rangeland health assessments and practical guidance on how to conduct cost-effective assessment. It is divided into two parts: Part I: Background information on grasslands and rangelands Part II: Guidance for the preparation, assessment and monitoring of grasslands and rangelands at the local level The methodology has been designed with enough flexibility to adapted to specific contexts and countries along the nine steps laid out in the document.

Application of the participatory rangeland and grassland assessment (PRAGA) methodology in Kyrgyzstan
Application of the participatory rangeland and grassland assessment (PRAGA) methodology in Kyrgyzstan

Author: Sharpe, N., Mwangi, P., Isakov, A., Onyango, V.

Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.

Published: 2022-09-29

Total Pages: 165

ISBN-13: 9251360227

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As rangelands support one-seventh of the world’s population and occupy one-third of its land area, there is increasing focus on their economic, environmental and nutritional roles together with a growing understanding of their potential in climatic regulatory systems and biodiversity conservation. However, rangelands and grasslands are complex, dynamic systems, which make assessment and management difficult given the many interacting biophysical elements, drivers and objectives of those that use them. Facilitating and developing tools to monitor rangeland and grassland complexity and clearly demonstrate how management influences ecosystem processes is an important component of improving rangeland management practices, r egulatory systems and economic development. The project “Participatory assessment of land degradation and sustainable land management in grassland and pastoral systems”, funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), was developed with the primary objective of strengthening the capacity of local and national stakeholders in pastoral and agropastoral areas comprising of grasslands and rangelands to assess land degradation (LD) and make informed decisions to promote sustainable land management (SLM) in a way that preserves the diverse ecosystem goods and services provided by rangelands and grasslands . This report represents a synthesis of activities in development and testing of the participatory rangeland and grassland (PRAGA) methodology in Kyrgyzstan, including a national and regional baseline review, large-scale assessment & remote sensing, participatory mapping and indicator selection, field assessment results and validation workshops held to verify data and resulting conclusions that feed into next steps and technical and policy recommendations.

Terminal evaluation of the project "Participatory assessment of land degradation and sustainable land management in grassland and pastoral systems"
Terminal evaluation of the project

Author: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.

Published: 2022-02-10

Total Pages: 78

ISBN-13: 9251357536

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The project ‘Participatory assessment of land degradation and sustainable land management in grassland and pastoral systems’ was implemented from 2017 to 2021 in Burkina Faso, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, the Niger, and Uruguay. The project successfully developed and tested a participatory rangeland and grassland assessment methodology (PRAGA); providing a practical tool for collecting data and information on rangeland and grassland health, thereby contributing to enable informed decision-making for sustainable rangeland and grassland management – thus aligning with UNCCD and SDG 15 (Life on Land). The evaluation provides five recommendations: i) develop strategies for facilitating the use by national stakeholders of remote sensing and GIS; ii) strengthen the gender dimension; iii) refine and promote PRAGA as a tool for monitoring of national CBD and UNFCCC commitments; iv) integrate more PRAGA assessments in interventions that invest in tangible rangeland management improvements; and v) establish an institutional home in FAO for rangeland and grassland management.

Sustainable land management in rangeland and grasslands
Sustainable land management in rangeland and grasslands

Author: Onyango, V., Masumbuko, B., Somda, J., Nianogo, A., Davies, J.

Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.

Published: 2022-08-08

Total Pages: 54

ISBN-13: 925136592X

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This participatory grassland and rangeland assessment (PRAGA) methodology was developed for the assessment of rangelands and grasslands in selected project countries. It was developed through the project 'Participatory assessment of land degradation and sustainable land management in grassland and pastoral systems', financed by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and executed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The methodology was piloted in five countries – Burkina Faso, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Niger and Uruguay – to test its effectiveness and value. Necessary revisions were made to the methodology, based on lessons learned from its application. This report documents the good practices of rangeland management as a way to inform decisions on rangeland management; and raise awareness about the importance of locally identified management practices. It highlights the fact that these rangeland management practices do not necessarily align with practices as defined by scientists/ecologists. The target audience of this working paper includes decision-makers, land managers, other land users, and scientists.

FAO publications catalogue 2023
FAO publications catalogue 2023

Author: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.

Published: 2023-10-10

Total Pages: 148

ISBN-13: 9251380570

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This catalogue aims to improve the dissemination and outreach of FAO’s knowledge products and overall publishing programme. By providing information on its key publications in every area of FAO’s work, and catering to a range of audiences, it thereby contributes to all organizational outcomes. From statistical analysis to specialized manuals to children’s books, FAO publications cater to a diverse range of audiences. This catalogue presents a selection of FAO’s main publications, produced in 2023 or earlier, ranging from its global reports and general interest publications to numerous specialized titles. In addition to the major themes of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, it also includes thematic sections on climate change, economic and social development, and food safety and nutrition.

Land degradation neutrality
Land degradation neutrality

Author: Onyango, V., Davies, J., Sharpe, N., Maiga, S.I., Ogali, C., Perez-Rocha, J., Isakov, A.

Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.

Published: 2021-09-17

Total Pages: 75

ISBN-13: 9251348057

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In rangelands and grasslands, land degradation has an immediate and local impact by disrupting ecosystems from functioning, threatening livelihoods and negatively affecting social cohesion. It also threatens productivity while dovetailing with the threats of climate change in these ecologically fragile areas. The understanding of land degradation in rangelands and grasslands is weak, which is attributed to a lack of robust data and a misunderstanding of management objectives. The day-to-day management of land by pastoral communities is intricately linked to local and traditional knowledge that needs to be taken into account when monitoring the health of ecosystems and designing management interventions. Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 15 Life on land includes Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) as a target, which requires that the process of degradation is halted and reversed. This publication presents a rationale for participatory approaches to achieve LDN in pastoral areas while showing how this can be achieved using the Participatory Rangelands and Grasslands Assessment (PRAGA) that has been piloted in Kenya, the Niger, Burkina Faso, Uruguay and Kyrgyzstan.

Vegetation Science Applications for Rangeland Analysis and Management
Vegetation Science Applications for Rangeland Analysis and Management

Author: P.T. Tueller

Publisher: Springer

Published: 1988-10-31

Total Pages: 664

ISBN-13:

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Natural grasslands, pastures and meadows are among the vegetation types most frequently investigated with phytosociological methods. This was one of the reasons why volume 13, Application of vegetation science to grassland husbandry and agriculture, edited by W. Krause, appeared as one of the first volumes of this handbook. It appeared under the chief editorship of Prof. R. Tiixen and in his time main emphasis of the handbook was placed on Ziirich-Montpellier methods and the European vegetation. When we redesigned the handbook we felt the need to include other methods and aims of grassland analyses as well as a more global coverage of grasslands. Especially the natural dry and semidry areas of the world needed to be covered. was very fortunate in getting Prof. Tueller of the University of Reno I Nevada as an editor for this volume. He and the colleagues he motivated to compile volume 14 on Application of vegetation science to rangeland analysis and management have created a truly global coverage of the topics interesting for vegetation analyses in natural grasslands. Since volume 13 covered the problems of anthropogenically created grasslands, this topic was not expressly treated in order to avoid duplication. For the same reason no specific attempt was made to get more papers from Europe and the temperate forest region in general. The cooperation with Dr. Tueller has been very rewarding for me.