India, Sept. 3 -- All in all, it's been a good year for a sector that has remained largely invisible. After decades of neglect, the issues facing pastoralist communities and grasslands have finally come into sharper global focus - 2026 has been declared the International Year for Rangelands and Pastoralism, with the goal of improving land governance, encouraging investment in the ecosystems that make pastoralism productive, and strengthening market linkages. For India's nearly 60 pastoral castes and ethnic groups, this is a real morale boost.

The just-concluded United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP17) in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, followed up with commitments, including a $1.3 billion finance package for land restora...