Issue #4 IDDRSI: An emerging revolution for sustainable development in the Horn of Africa region

The IGAD region covers an area of approximately 5.2 million km2. It has a population of about 240 million people and is endowed with a considerable range of natural resources, providing huge potential for wealth and progress. Despite this great potential, the region is challenged by harsh ecological circumstances and climate variability. Seventy percent of its area is categorised as arid and semi-arid land (ASAL), which receives less than 600mm in annual rainfall and is characterised by recurrent droughts, advancing desertification, land degradation and other climate change-related phenomena. These conditions have been linked to diminished productivity, persistent food insecurity, extreme poverty and chronic vulnerability, which have severely affected the pastoralist and agro-pastoralist communities inhabiting the region.