Implement

If H4H is to be implemented in a wildlife-open area, professional herders will require all the necessary resources, as well as a management plan for the safe operation and layout of a tented base camp in the rangelands near the mobile predator-proof bomas. The guidelines provided in the toolkit cover the key points of proper camp layout to prevent carnivore entry, safe handling of flammable materials, regular safety briefings, proper hygiene practices, well-stocked first aid kits, safe water sources and storage, regular tent maintenance, designated common areas, and effective waste disposal. Regular training, maintenance, and monitoring to ensure the health and safety of camp occupants, with provisions for adapting to local conditions and continuous improvement is essential.

Fieldwork carries inherent risks, and each H4H site should use a risk register to identify and manage these risks. This includes assessing and categorising risks, developing mitigation and response strategies, and monitoring them. Focus areas usually include environmental risks (like droughts, lightning, and floods) and personal safety risks (such as encounters with dangerous animals), but there is a myriad of other risks that should be identified and mitigated against. Each project should address specific risks for their context and regularly consult the Field Health and Safety Guidelines.

For basecamp setup, follow guidelines for health, hygiene, and safety. Assign someone to handle emergencies, ensuring they are well-trained and equipped with an Emergency Response Procedure. Familiarise yourself with local emergency services and medical facilities and consider options for emergency evacuation, if needed. The toolkit provides helpful guidelines and emergency protocols that can be applied or adapted for specific contexts.

Good livestock management is vital for food security, economic sustainability, animal welfare, and rangeland conservation. Proper care of livestock health, reproduction, and nutrition can lead to higher calving rates, better yields, and higher-quality meat. This helps rural farmers access markets and earn more income. Good management also improves animal welfare, as healthy and well-cared-for animals are less stressed and more productive. Additionally, responsible livestock practices in line with a grazing plan can reduce environmental impacts, like greenhouse gas emissions and overgrazing, and aid in restoration. The toolkit provides information and guidelines to farmers and herders on ways to improve herd structure, manage their herds and animal health using herd health plans, as well as templates for record-keeping to enable smooth entry to market. Meat Naturally has a list of Market Readiness FAQs that guide farmers to plan accordingly, and improve herd health, to increase their chances of being able to access market.

Grazing management should be implemented through proper collaboration with stakeholders to plan annual events like grazing rotation, kraaling and herding, using maps and organised in a calendar. A grazing plan typically includes four key components:

1. Adaptive management options

2. Calculated stocking rates (appropriate to the local area and calibrated to the animal types that frequently graze the area), and

3. Grazing approaches (appropriate to the local area)

A grazing plan involves planning, monitoring, and adjusting grazing approaches based on real-time data and changing environmental conditions to optimise livestock production, maintain rangeland health, and enhance ecological resilience. The toolkit provides templates for calculating stocking rates, including forage production, and guidelines for developing grazing plans. To promote vegetation growth in degraded areas, additional and locally appropriate restoration activities like planned burns, bush thinning, or creating fire breaks can be included in the grazing plans. Implementing a basic restoration plan alongside grazing and fire management can speed up the rehabilitation of degraded areas. This can involve identifying areas for targeted restoration using the same maps and community-led initiatives to implement restoration activities (e.g., alien plant clearing). These practices should be managed by the Grazing Area Committees and implemented by herders and community members, making sure to include women and youth.

A well-structured fire management plan for rangelands is essential for protecting lives, property, and ecosystems, while promoting sustainable land practices. It should be adaptable and based on records of past fire events and is best developed and implemented by a fire management committee consisting of members from the local community. While not all rangeland types need a fire management plan; for instance, arid shrublands usually lack fuel for burning, grassy rangelands can certainly benefit from having a plan. The toolkit contains guidelines for conducting a fire risk assessment based on the fire ecology and understanding of the area's fire regime, weather monitoring, wildlife and habitat. A basic plan should follow the five ‘R’ strategies:

1. Readiness

2. Reduction

3. Response

4. Recovery

Other elements to community-based fire management includes firefighting training, equipment, legal frameworks, community engagement, public awareness, health and safety measures, data collection, communication and collaboration.

For more information about community-based fire management, contact

It is crucial for subsistence livestock farmers in Africa to have a drought mitigation strategy, which should accompany a Water Plan, because they often rely on small-scale farming as their primary source of food and income, and they are highly vulnerable to climate-related risks like drought. Subsistence farmers depend on their crops and livestock for daily sustenance. Drought can lead to crop failure or livestock loss, cutting off income sources and pushing families into poverty. Drought affects water availability and pasture quality, making it harder to feed livestock and grow crops. This can lead to reduced productivity, poor animal health, and soil degradation, creating long-term agricultural challenges. With climate change increasing the frequency and intensity of droughts, having a drought mitigation strategy helps farmers adapt to these shifts, ensuring they can continue to manage, feed and water their herds even in unfavourable conditions. A good strategy helps farmers use water, soil, and other resources efficiently during drought periods. This can help buffer against further environmental degradation during dry periods and protect vital ecosystems. In areas where livestock farming is the backbone of rural communities, drought can lead to conflict over resources and increased vulnerability to external shocks. Therefore, it is important that communities take collective action to implement drought mitigation strategies that will benefit all.