Production of livestock and dairy products in Sub-Saharan Africa has not kept pace with growing demand. The potential exists to close this gap in a climate-friendly way through the introduction of improved forage varieties of the Brachiaria genus.

Consumption of contaminated livestock products is one of the risk factors for the transmission of Rift Valley fever (RVF) in humans. In pastoral communities, livestock is the main source of livelihood providing nutritional, economic and cultural services hence zoonotic diseases tend to be more prevalent in such communities.

West Africa (WA) is among the most food insecure regions. Rapid human population growth and stagnating crop yields greatly contribute to this fact. Poor soil fertility, especially low plant available phosphorus (P) is constraining food production in the region.

Ecological restoration through exclosure establishment has become an increasingly important approach to reversing degraded ecosystems in rangelands worldwide. The present study was conducted in northwestern Ethiopia where policy programs are aiming to restore degraded lands. Changes in soil properties following establishing exclosures on communal grazing lands were investigated.