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The recent IPCC report once again sounds the alarm on climate change but doesn't put forth solutions (they're forthcoming next year.) For the Savory Global Network, that's no problem as we already know the work that needs to be done.

Read on to see how that's translating into action in and around the Network.

NETWORK NEWS
NSW AUSTRALIA HUB
Videos now online from ‘Farming Matters’ Conference
Rescheduled from March 2020, the NSW Australia Hub recently held their 'Farming Matters' Conference, and videos of all presentations are now available to watch.
Watch »

LAND TO MARKET
Megan Meiklejohn joins Land to Market as SVP of Supply Chain Innovation
After helping to cultivate Eileen Fisher’s line of "regenerative wool", Meiklejohn spent a year at Ralph Lauren and now joins Savory's Land to Market program to innovate supply chains across both fashion and food.
Read More »
MISSOURI HUB
Podcast: Stacking Sheep & Solar Energy
In this podcast, Savory Hub leader Trent Hendricks discusses the opportunities for land management to deliver multiple outcomes, especially when land and resources are scarce. One of his solutions? Grazing sheep under solar panels.
Listen »
WHAT WE'RE READING
THE GUARDIAN
Defending Beef with Nicolette Hanh Niman
Why a long-time vegetarian has become one of beef’s biggest champion.
Read »
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY
Plant Diversity in Grasslands
New research shows that multi-species swards outperform single species, even in drought conditions
Read »
SYDNEY MORNING HERALD
Scientists Unite with HM Farmer to Stop Donkey Kill Order
Kachana Station has been managing holistically for decades, but may now be forced to cull wild donkeys despite ecological benefits.
Read »
DIGGING IN
ONE TOPIC IN DETAIL EACH MONTH
Holistic Management in a Communal Context
For more than a decade, Savory Institute and our Zimbabwe Hub, the Africa Centre for Holistic Management, have been at work on the development of a curriculum for communal farmers and pastoralists – those who manage their land in common.

It has been used to train hundreds of communal trainers in Africa to in turn train communities in Holistic Management. Over that time, we have modified the materials a great deal as we’ve learned in practice what does and doesn’t work. In the last two years, we’ve worked to make them more easily adaptable to multiple contexts.

We’ve named the communal curriculum Holistic Land and Livestock Management (HLLM) to distinguish it from the standard curriculum and because it is a name that resonates with the funders, NGOs, and governments who sponsor HLLM programs.

We currently have 12 educators accredited in our communal curriculum, all but one based in Africa, and we hope to add more in the next year so that we continually add to this ever-growing knowledge base.

Our communal curriculum was designed to meet the unique needs of communities since they often operate with the following conditions, which differ significantly from the typical commercial farmer:

  • Communities do not own the land they live on and manage. Rather, it is held in common and usually owned by the state. Communities may or may not have a tradition of cooperation and collaboration in managing their land and animals, and it is critical that they develop these skills. (The training materials and planning procedures focus on this aspect.)
  • Communities farm crops as well as livestock (agro-pastoralism) and tend to produce at a level sufficient only for their own consumption (subsistence) rather than producing a surplus for commercial trade.
  • Livestock are herded on foot, which requires more herders than if communities make use of herding dogs and horses, and requires mastery of low-stress herding and handling skills.
  • Communities are located in brittle environments where lack of water is a defining issue, bare ground is abundant, and droughts – both pastoral (human-caused) and natural – are becoming increasingly frequent.
  • Livestock are placed in an enclosure at night for protection from predators or thieves. Ideally, this enclosure (called a kraal or a boma) is movable so that it can be used to create “animal impact” where it is needed—such as on cropfields and on bare ground in grazing areas.
  • No fencing is used to demarcate paddocks. This enables us to simplify the grazing planning.

This is not the reality everywhere, so we’ve designed the materials to make it easier to adapt to other situations by focusing on core principles. The Facilitator planning guides in the communal curriculum include more info from the standard/commercial curriculum, which the educator can decide to incorporate as the community is ready (in some cases, that applies on day one.)

To learn more about the HLLM curriculum, including specifics on how it differs from the traditional Holistic Management curriculum, or where to find training, head over to Savory's blog to read the full post: Holistic Management in A Communal Context.


GLOBAL NETWORK · SEP 7 · ONLINE

Find Your Path to Savory Accreditation | Monthly Meet-Up

ATA LAND (NEW ZEALAND HUB) · SEP 7 · ONLINE

Ecological Outcome Verification Webinar

AFRICA CENTRE (ZIMBABWE HUB) · SEP 13-24 · IN-PERSON

12-Day Community Facilitators Training, Zimbabwe

TRUQUEST (SOUTH AFRICA HUB) · SEP 15-19 · IN-PERSON

5-Day Holistic Management Workshop, South Africa

AUSTRALIAN HM CO-OP (NSW AUSTRALIA HUB) · SEP 21 - NOV 17 · IN-PERSON

Holistic Management Course, NSW Australia

GRASSFED SUSTAINABILITY GROUP (TEXAS HUB) · SEP 24-25 · IN-PERSON

Holistic Financial Planning, Texas

JEFFERSON CENTER (N. CALIFORNIA HUB) · SEP 27-29 · IN-PERSON

Ecological Monitoring Fundamentals, California

DOUBLE P RANCH (OKLAHOMA HUB) · OCT 3-12 · IN-PERSON

Holistic Management Comprehensive, Oklahoma

Savory Institute, 885 Arapahoe Ave., Boulder, Colorado 80302, United States

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