Maldhari Rural Action Group
History of SAPA

In 2015, SAPA came into existence as a result of the regional activities of the World Alliance of Mobile Indigenous Pastoralists (WAMIP), with support from the FAO. During a meeting in South Asia, pastoralists, both individuals and groups, recognized the need for a regional platform at the South Asian level to amplify their voices and address regional issues. Thus, SAPA was formed with the long-term goal of fostering collaboration and sustainability among its members. Since 2016, the International Land Coalition (ILC) has provided its support to SAPA through global rangeland initiatives.

Vision

SAPA envisions contributing to the safeguarding of diverse land tenure systems, securing pastoralists' rights to rangelands, and emphasizing pastoralists' role in environmental sustainability by strengthening and amplifying their collective voices.

Objectives of the Organization
  1. Establish and Strengthen Alliances: aims to create and bolster alliances among pastoralists, collaborate with partners, and take action to support pastoralists at the South Asian level.
  2. Capacity Development: focuses on enhancing the capacity of its members to mobilize and engage with stakeholders and decision-makers to highlight pastoralists' contributions to environmental sustainability.
  3. Policy Influence: seeks to influence policies and legislation to protect and secure rangelands and preserve the traditional diverse tenure systems of pastoralists.
Areas of work

SAPA operates in the following South Asian countries:

  • India
  • Nepal
  • Bangladesh
  • Afghanistan
  • Bhutan
Strategies

SAPA's strategies are built upon five pillars:

  1. Alliance Building and Strengthening: provides support to its member countries in forming and strengthening pastoral alliances to address the challenges they face.
  2. Networking: The organization identifies like-minded groups, alliances, and organizations to collaborate with, both nationally and internationally, to promote pastoralism and secure rangelands.
  3. Knowledge Hub: creating a knowledge hub for South Asia to share information among pastoralists, dispel misconceptions about pastoralism, promote women's participation, and facilitate information sharing.
  4. Strengthening Governance: believes that a transparent and democratic decision-making process with increased ownership of the Steering Group is vital for the organization's sustainability.
  5. Policy Influence: engages with various stakeholders, policymakers, and influencers at provincial, national, and regional levels to advocate for policy changes that support pastoralism.
Achievements made by the organization listed out

SAPA has achieved several milestones, including:

  • Expanding its presence to four countries, with plans for further expansion.
  • Drafting a national policy in India and a national plan for implementing rangeland legislation.
  • Gaining more than 25 member organizations.
  • Securing access and control of 7,600 acres of rangeland in India and protecting 3,000 hectares of rangeland in Afghanistan.
  • Establishing two provincial and one national alliance of pastoralists in India and 39 rangeland associations in 15 provinces in Afghanistan.
  • Conducting renewed rangeland activities in four provinces with plans for expansion.
Structure

SAPA's structure ensures effectiveness and accountability:

  1. Members: The core constituents and beneficiaries of SAPA.
  2. Steering Group: Responsible for guiding SAPA's strategic direction.
  3. Resource Group: Provides expertise and resources for SAPA's activities.
  4. National Committees: Engage at the country level to address specific issues.
  5. Secretariat (Focal Person): Manages administrative functions.
  6. Focal Person at the Country Level: Represents SAPA's interests within individual countries.