New Research Confirms: SAWC trained herders Deliver Economic Superiority & Rangeland Restoration

By: Pieter Nel

The Scientific Mandate for Professional Herding

The Southern African Wildlife College (SAWC) Herding Academy’s role in the Herding and supervised managed herds, has been validated by a four-year case study published by Mudongo et al. (2025). This paper serves as a scientific mandate for our approach, proving that strategic management offers clear economic superiority and powerful ecological benefits over conventional free-roaming (FR) pastoralism. A special mention to the implementing partner, and long time client, CLAWS for the support to the local communities.

Part 1: The Core Conclusion: Economic Gain and Sustainable Herd Retention

The research clearly shows that while the intervention of night time kraaling may have slight disadvantages (such as fewer calves and slightly lower body condition due to reduced nighttime grazing), the gains are overwhelmingly superior:

• Loss Reduction: Effective herding and strategic corralling drastically minimize losses due to predation, disease, and straying. This allows the herding participants to retain a slightly higher net herd size compared to the un-supervised system, which suffers significant losses from unmanaged factors.
• Revenue Generation: The herding program generates substantially more revenue through improved market access (the BMC-CBT pilot), offsetting any biological disadvantages. The conclusion emphasizes that supervised herding success lies in its ability to offset disadvantages and provide better overall economic gains and sustainable herd retention.

Part 2: Ecological Value: The Rangeland Restoration Engine

The ecological benefits are just as crucial as the financial gains. Planned grazing under management significantly increased herbaceous biomass and improved rangeland conditions.

• This is not simply mitigation; it is active ecological restoration and regeneration
• The study found that the abandoned corrals (kraals) became areas of peak biomass and nutrient enrichment from dung fertilization, acting as regenerative hotspots that enhance vegetation recovery far more effectively than unmanaged systems. This success is magnified during high rainfall years, demonstrating a powerful synergistic effect between managed grazing and favorable climatic conditions.

Part 3: Recommendations for the Future of Herding and the SAWC

The paper’s recommendations provide a critical roadmap for the SAWC Herding Academy and its partners moving forward:

1. Adaptive Management for Animal Health: We must combat challenges like low body condition and reduced calving rates by refining grazing plans. This includes prioritizing extended grazing hours during cooler periods to mitigate heat stress and implementing robust bull management, nutrition, and basic reproductive monitoring to significantly raise calving rates.
2. Infrastructure and Feed Resilience: Since forage and water are rarely co-located, infrastructure investments (like boreholes or reservoirs) are needed to reduce travel distances. Furthermore, herders must implement what the Team Leaders are taught at the Herding Academy to budget for and utilize forage in a planned fashion to combat the devastating impacts of drought.
3. Enhancing Market Access & Governance: To solidify the economic gains, the focus must shift to market sustainability. This requires establishing sustainable local meat-processing facilities (mobile or stationary abattoirs) and facilitating access to premium markets through Wildlife-Friendly Beef and other certification programs. Finally, the success depends on clear governance, consistent income for herders, and robust training that elevates the herder’s status through enhanced veterinary skills.

The SAWC Herding Academy continues to work with the CLAWS, including those acknowledged in the paper – to implement these strategic recommendations and ensure herding interventions is both sustainable and replicable across the SADC region.