A significant proportion of Africa is constituted by rangelands, with about 21% of the African population directly depending on rangeland resources. Given the ecological conditions, crop production is not viable in these areas, making livestock production and wildlife conservation the main economic activities.

Furthermore, the rangelands hold immense potential as a carbon sink. For example, rangelands make up 83% of Kenya's landmass and support over 70% of the country's livestock and 85% of wildlife populations. However, this ecosystem is under threat from climatic (increasing severity and frequency of droughts, rising temperatures) and non-climatic (land privatization, fragmentation, eroding traditional systems) drivers of change, necessitating interventions that support its resilience and contribution to low-carbon development.

Participatory Rangeland Management (PRM) provides a comprehensive approach to planning and decision-making through the involvement of diverse stakeholders across the landscape. Through this approach, stakeholders collaborate to set up and strengthen rangeland management institutions, develop and implement rangeland management plans, and monitor and evaluate the success of their efforts. ILRI in collaboration with local and international partners has been piloting and scaling PRM in various countries including Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania.