CGIAR News;  May 5, 2023

On 7 March 2023, the CGIAR Research Initiatives on Livestock and Climate and Climate Resilience, along with the CGIAR Hub for Sustainable Finance, organized a multi-stakeholder session at the Global Landscapes Forum 6th Investment Case Symposium in Luxembourg. The session, titled ‘Sustainable livestock value chain investments for rangeland restoration’, presented two investment cases supported by the CGIAR initiatives which highlight the importance of rangelands and their restoration.   

Moderated by Chris Magero, Senior Programme Officer at IUCN, and ILRI’s Fiona Flintan, the session began with a short video describing the extent, diversity and value of the world’s rangelands. The importance of global rangelands is perhaps best illustrated by the recent declaration of 2026 as the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists, an initiative headed by the Government of Mongolia.   

Advancing sustainable cashmere value chains

Despite the growing attention to rangelands, investments in improving rangeland productivity and restoration are still lacking. To demonstrate how finance can be harnessed for rangeland restoration, Flintan called on Una Jones, CEO of the Sustainable Fibre Alliance (SFA). ‘SFA represents a global alliance of supply chain actors, stakeholders and industry experts, all working to minimize the environmental impact of cashmere production, safeguard livelihoods and ensure high animal welfare standards’, explained Jones. SFA’s certification initiative works across the cashmere supply chain to connect livestock herders to brands and retailers in the global fashion industry, all while ensuring adherence to 5 key sustainability principles: biodiversity and sustainable land use, goat welfare, decent work, fibre quality improvement and effective management. By infusing these principles into the global cashmere market, SFA is building sustainable and resilient value chains that are ‘better for the environment, herders and their communities’, said Jones.   

Private sector investment has been vital to SFA’s success, fueling SFA’s growth across 11 countries and 5 continents during the last 7 years. Moving forward, future investments will be crucial in helping SFA achieve its strategic priorities. ‘Our goal is for SFA certified fibre to represent 25 per cent of the global market by 2025’, said Jones. As SFA scales its operations, Jones ‘looks forward to working with new and existing partners to continue empowering herders around the world to produce sustainable cashmere’.  

See more https://www.cgiar.org/news-events/news/cgiar-initiatives-highlight-sustainable-livestock-investments-for-rangeland-restoration-at-global-landscapes-forum/