The Future of Pastoralism Conference was an international conference held in Addis Ababa on 21-23 March 2011. The organizers write: "The future of pastoralism in Africa is uncertain and radical changes are affecting Pastoralist areas in terms of access to resources, options for mobility and opportunities for marketing. These changes bring new possibilities for making pastoralist livelihoods stronger but many questions remain about the sustainability of these changes: Is there opportunity for a productive, vibrant, market-oriented livelihood system or will pastoralist areas remain a backwater of underdevelopment, marginalisation and severe poverty?" The conference has produced an edited volume and a website with lots of useful information. I will be reviewing the book for the journal Pastoralism: Research, Policy and Practice and I look forward to reading it.