Managing risks related to climate variability in rangeland-based livestock production: What producer driven strategies are shared and prevalent across diverse dryland geographies?

Authors: Espeland, Erin; SCHREEG, LAURA - Us Agency For International Development (USAID); Porensky, Lauren

Submitted to: Journal of Environmental Management
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/18/2019
Publication Date: 12/26/2019
Citation: Espeland, E.K., Schreeg, L., Porensky, L.M. 2019. Managing risks related to climate variability in rangeland-based livestock production: What producer driven strategies are shared and prevalent across diverse dryland geographies? Journal of Environmental Management. 255:109889. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2019.109889.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2019.109889

Interpretive Summary: Rangeland-based livestock production (RBLP) primarily occurs in drylands where variation in rainfall and high temperatures directly and indirectly affect economies, plant primary productivity (forage production), and livestock reproduction and mortality. Producers have a breadth of strategies to reduce weather- and climate- related risks. We review risk management activities related to three decision frameworks: income source, land use, and herd management. Diversification within each of these decision frameworks reduces risks of losses. A set of four common factors are in widespread use in a range of economies and rangeland systems. These factors are: social networks, dynamic management, increasing foraging area size rather than selling livestock, and exploiting off-range income. Each of these factors has circumstances under which it is less effective, for example, large landholders already buffered to risk via landscape diversity benefit less from livelihood diversification. Obstacles to employing risk management strategies also vary, for example, seed stock or required labor may be unavailable for some herd diversification activities. In general, producers do not maximize short-term profits but instead prioritize land resilience, large herd sizes, and lifestyle goals. The current literature on drylands suggests that regional control is more sustainable than a global approach to development, yet the four common factors identified in this review -- social networks, dynamic management, increasing foraging area size rather than selling livestock, and exploiting off-range income -- show valuable areas in which research can support problem solving at a global scale.

Technical Abstract: Rangeland-based livestock production (RBLP) primarily occurs in drylands where interannual variation in rainfall and high temperatures directly and indirectly affect economies, plant primary productivity (forage production), and livestock reproduction and mortality. Tight ecological and economic links to climate variation constrain development in dryland systems, but producers have a breadth of strategies to reduce climate- related risks and maintain RBLP. We review the evidence for risk management activities related to three decision frameworks: income source, land use, and herd management. We find that diversification within each of these decision frameworks reduces risks of losses. A set of four common factors play a strong role in risk management in multiple decision frameworks and are in widespread use in a range of economies and rangeland systems. These factors are: social networks, dynamic management, increasing foraging area size rather than selling livestock, and exploiting off-range income. Each of these factors has circumstances under which it is less effective, for example, large landholders already buffered to risk via landscape diversity benefit less from livelihood diversification. Obstacles to employing risk management strategies also vary, for example, seed stock or required labor may be unavailable for some herd diversification activities. The set of common factors for risk management in RBLP we gather in this review support its inclusion in a ‘drylands syndrome’: socially, ecologically, economically, and politically marginalized producers that operate within a highly variable and tightly linked human-environment systems. In general, producers do not maximize short-term profits but instead prioritize land resilience, large herd sizes, and lifestyle goals. The current literature on drylands syndrome suggests that regional direction is more sustainable than a global approach to development, yet the four common factors identified in this review -- social networks, dynamic management, increasing foraging area size rather than selling livestock, and exploiting off-range income -- show valuable areas in which empirical research can support problem solving at a global scale.