Strengthening One Health through rangelands stewardship

HEAL community rangeland health workers presented at the 33rd Annual Conference of the Ethiopian Society of Animal Production

From the 18–20th September 2025, the Ethiopian Society of Animal Production (ESAP) hosted its 33rd Annual Conference in Mekelle, Tigray Region in northeastern Ethiopia under the theme “Livestock Development at the Crossroads of Climate Change, Commercialization and One Health.” The event brought together researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and development partners to explore new solutions for Ethiopia’s livestock and pastoral systems; systems that face growing pressures from climate change, conflict, land degradation, and emerging health risks.

Among this year’s highlights was a presentation from the HEAL (Human, Environment, Animal and Livelihood) project. The project is implemented by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Vétérinaires Sans Frontières Suisse and Amref Health Africa. It is funded by the Swiss Development Cooperation, which supports the implementation of local One Health Units in pastoralist areas of Oromia and Somali regions. The project works around three pillars namely, environmental health, rangelands health, and human health.

Bringing Rangelands into One Health: Introducing Community Rangeland Health Workers
Rangelands are central to Ethiopia’s pastoral economies yet lack a dedicated government or community-level extension system to support the improvement of their health and management. While health extension workers (HEWs) and community animal health workers (CAHWs) serve human and livestock health respectively, no parallel structure exists for the environment or rangelands.

To address this gap, ILRI is piloting a system of community rangeland health workers (CRHWs). Currently CRHWs are trained to i) raise community awareness on invasive species and their spread; ii) monitor rangeland conditions and degradation trends; iii) establish appropriate feed, fodder and fruit tree nurseries and encourage planting near homesteads; iv) establish income-raising activities that also benefit rangelands health e.g. honey production; v) support the implementation of participatory rangeland management.

Dr Abule Ebro is a consultant working for ILRI to establish CRHWs. Together with ILRI staff members Bedasa Eba and Mohammed Said, they presented a paper introducing the CRHW concept and progress to date. The presentation highlighted how CRHWs can contribute to national One Health coordination, including through generating rangeland data for early warning and surveillance systems, linking community-level monitoring with scientific assessments; and supporting cross-sector collaboration between rangeland, livestock, and health woreda expert teams.

The CRHW concept was well received, with one participant noting that spotlighting rangeland health is not just valuable, it is essential and should be formally embedded within Ethiopia’s One Health units to ensure a truly integrated approach. The presentation insights reinforced a central message of the conference: that without rangeland health, One Health implementation in pastoral regions remains incomplete.

Contributing to the 2025 ESAP 11-Point Roadmap
An 11-Point Livestock and Rangeland Development Roadmap was developed by the conference participants, aiming to be a nationally relevant agenda that synthesizes research and policy priorities emerging from the conference. The main points of the roadmap are:
1. Reverse drought and conflict-related damage to rangelands and livestock
2. Conserve and improve indigenous breeds
3. Prioritize livestock and rangelands in national reconstruction
4. Modernize and sustainably manage rangelands
5. Build climate resilience in livestock and feed systems
6. Strengthen tax systems for livestock and feed development
7. Improve livestock product quality and safety
8. Integrate livestock, rangelands, human, and ecosystem health
9. Enhance research–education–development coordination
10. Expand financial services for livestock sectors
11. Improve land administration for sustainable livestock resource use
The CRHW model directly contributes to Point 8, and indirectly to many others. Now in its second phase of a three-phase project, HEAL, through ILRI is strengthening the CRHW model including how to ensure its sustainability. This includes increasing the number of women CRHWs (now dominated by men), developing a CRHW training curriculum for national use and gaining greater national support for its integration into a formalized One Health extension structure.

Looking Ahead
The 33rd ESAP Conference highlighted Ethiopia’s growing leadership in integrated livestock and rangeland management, with the CRHW model illustrating how scientific-driven innovations can offer practical and meaningful solutions on-the-ground strengthening pastoralist’s resilience to drought and other crises. As the country looks toward 2026 and the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists initiatives like HEAL and the CRHWs provide space for well-evidenced innovation development that foster an increasingly integrated national One Health system.

Acknowledgement
The HEAL project is a “One Health” initiative for Humans, Environment, Animals and Livelihoods in pastoralist and agro-pastoralist areas of East Africa (Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia). Its goal is to improve the well-being and resilience of vulnerable communities by providing integrated human and animal health services, promoting sustainable natural resource management, and building local capacity through coordinated action across different sectors. This project is funded by the Swiss Development Cooperation and implemented by Vétérinaires sans Frontières Suisse, Amref Health Africa, and ILRI. Additional support is provided by the Ballmer Foundation and the CGIAR Science Program on Multifunctional Landscapes. The Program thanks all donors and organizations which globally support its work through their contributions to the CGIAR Trust Fund.