Photograph: © Steven Wade Adams
Across Africa’s drylands, pastoralist communities manage vast shared grazing lands. When these landscapes are healthy, they support livestock, wildlife, and the long-term stability of pastoral economies.
But restoring degraded rangelands across large landscapes is complex. It requires coordination across communities, reliable information about pasture conditions, and systems that guide grazing decisions over time.
AfriScout Regen works with pastoral communities to meet this challenge.
The initiative combines time-honored grazing practices with digital tools that help communities plan how livestock move across shared landscapes. Satellite data, mobile technology, and emerging AI analysis provide insights into pasture conditions, while local governance systems guide how grazing plans are implemented.
By helping communities coordinate grazing decisions, AfriScout Regen supports healthier grasslands while maintaining productive herds.
Training
The AfriScout team provides a 3-day, intensive training within communities that helps them learn and explore how land has degraded over time and how they, using only their herds, knowledge of the land, and some novel practices, can transform those landscapes back into thriving ecosystems.
Adaptive grazing plans
Communities develop digitized large-scale grazing “paddocks” and plan movements between them in ways that optimize regeneration. These plans are adaptive and can be updated as conditions change.
Real-time pasture monitoring
Pasture conditions are tracked using satellite data, user reports, and emerging AI-informed analysis, providing communities with clearer insight into vegetation health across their landscape.
Digital tools for rangeland managers
A web-based management platform allows local leaders and technical advisors to monitor grazing performance and update plans in real time.
Movement notifications
Pastoralists receive in-app and text notifications about upcoming herd movements. These reminders help communities maintain adherence to shared grazing plans.
Field-based technical support
AfriScout field agents and technical advisors work alongside pastoralist communities to support implementation and strengthen local governance around rangeland management.
Together, these features help communities manage grazing in ways that restore grasslands while sustaining productive herds.
AfriScout Regen has been developed through a large-scale implementation in southern Ethiopia that allows tools and practices to evolve alongside pastoralist experience.
This initiative currently spans:
Communities, field agents, and technical advisors continuously manage and update plans based on their knowledge of the area, changes in conditions, and grazing needs. This ensures the approach reflects both ecological conditions and pastoralist priorities.
Access case study here:
AFRISCOUT REGEN CARBON PROJECT:
Restoring rangelands while building a pathway to climate finance
Early results show measurable improvements in both rangeland management and pastoral livelihoods.
Stronger grazing governance
Improved pasture conditions
Healthier herds
Reduced conflict
Greater livelihood stability
Healthy grasslands play a critical role in storing carbon in soils and vegetation.
When grazing is effectively managed across large landscapes, rangelands can regenerate plant cover, improve soil health, and increase long-term carbon storage.
AfriScout Regen is working to measure and verify these outcomes. By tracking ecological improvements associated with regenerative grazing, the initiative aims to generate high-integrity carbon credits that can help support long-term rangeland restoration.
This approach connects climate finance with pastoralist stewardship and supports both landscape recovery and pastoral livelihoods.
