"Who Will Turn Me Away from the Sheep?": Present State and Development Trends of Transhumant Pastoralism in Eastern Herzegovina in the 21st Century (original) (raw)

Recent results from pastoralism research and development practice

In conventional views, pastoralism was classified as a stage of civilisation that needed to be abolished and transcended in order to reach a higher level of development. At the same time interventions in pastoral spaces secured control over vast territories and unexplored resources. In this context, global approaches to modernize a rural society have been ubiquitous phenomena independent of ideological contexts. The 20th century experienced a variety of concepts to sedentarise nomads and to transfer their lifestyles to modern perceptions. Permanent settlements have been the vivid expression of an ideology-driven approach. Modernisation theory captured all walks of life and sub-sequent development packages and programmes tried to optimize breeding techniques, pasture utilisation, transport and processing concepts. The aspect of input-output-oriented cost-efficiency tended to be neglected when the modernisation of animal husbandry was at stake according to a general purpose of increasing animal production yields. 2 New insights into other aspects of pastoralism such as its role as an adaptive strategy to use marginal resources in remote locations with difficult access could only be understood as a critique of capitalist and communist concepts of modernisation. The rejection of input-dominated theories that triggered enhancement of outputs but neglected ecological considerations regarding sustainability opened up a new field for research combining ecology, economy and society. This perception might gain further in importance when mitigation strategies coping with climate change and societal transformation are debated. 3 Pastoralism can be perceived as a flexible strategy to adapt to changing survival conditions, rather than a transitory stage on the path to modern development only. Pastoralism was adopted by people when opportunities arose, when it was economically sound and when the challenges posed by ecological and socio-political environments could be managed. 4 Central Asia poses a unique arena for understanding the spectrum of mountain pastoralism and rangeland management. In a similar ecological environment of desert-steppe conditions, the cases of different communities can be compared in order to illustrate variegating paths of socio-economic and politico-historical developments that are the result of inner-communal dynamics and external interventions. The societal and political transformations during the 20th century significantly modified the economic frame conditions, possibilities of political participation in decision-making processes, and cross-border exchange relations. Former commonalities among the studied communities have been transformed by inner-societal processes and by external linkages in response to decoupled exchange options. 5 The Tibetan Plateau is a huge ecological arena perfectly predisposed for mountain pastoralism. Debates about pastoral practices, common property regimes and rangeland management have gained pace in recent years since the environmental challenges and economic returns have been discussed in the framework of climate and global change. Initially the remote lifestyles of Tibetan nomads in peripheral regions were highlighted on account of sustenance from their own produce and subsistence economies. Even then mountain pastoralists were embedded in a network of mutual exchange relations that enabled them to survive in remote mountain plateaux and valleys. Their command of yak-breeding, their abilities to adapt to harsh environmental conditions and to cover huge distances between extensive natural pastures and market centres brought admiration from outside observers. Their “traditional lifestyle” seemed to be the perfect adaptation to environmental conditions.

The future of pastoralism: an introduction

Revue Scientifique et Technique de l'OIE, 2016

Two-thirds of the agricultural land on planet Earth is grassland on which no other crops can be grown, either because of limited rainfall, high altitude or mountainous conditions. Most of these semi-arid and high-altitude pastoral ecosystems are used by livestock husbandry systems with various forms of mobility and are not in competition with crop production for human nutrition. By devoting an issue of its Scientific and Technical Review to pastoralism, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) is encouraging debate on this important topic and helping to shape the future of pastoralists and their livestock. Pastoralism is a complex system, driven by interacting ecological, social and economic factors that cannot be adequately addressed by one discipline or sector alone. For its future development, we must engage with local knowledge systems and with all stakeholders. This issue of the OIE Review endeavours to take a broad view and provide a synthetic vision for the sustainable use of pastoral ecosystems, with innovative ideas for livelihoods, economic development, sustained ecosystem services and social and institutional development as the context for animal and human health and wellbeing.

Review of ‘The Ecology of Pastoralism’ edited by P. Nick Kardulias

Pastoralism, 2016

This book presents a rich collection of case studies exploring the ecology of pastoralism. Its aim is to examine the ways in which pastoralism operates as a highly flexible system, through the adaptations of both the domestic animals and the socioeconomic strategies of human groups to different environments and contexts. The volume achieves this through taking a comparative approach, drawing together a range of case studies from Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas, and importantly through including both present and past perspectives on pastoral societies.

Stumbling Transhumance Pastoralism in the Shadow of Globalization and the State

Contemporary Social Science, 2019

Pastoralism used to be one of the most lucrative livelihood and a high status profession in human society. However, after industrialization and establishment of markets, people’s livelihood option has also shifted from traditional to market base. In such, the livelihood of transhumance pastoralist1 have also shifted from traditional such as sheep herding to market based occupation. The main stirring factor for such change is globalization and state policies, almost in every country. On the one hand, grazing land is shrinking as the state introduced community forest program and sedentarization program. Later, the impact of such shrinking in grazing land led to decreasing transhumance pastoralism. On the other hand, globalization is presenting diverse livelihood options to such pastoralist and dragging them away from their traditional profession. This paper details on how once the most dominant transhumance pastoralism is shrinking in the shadow of greenery project, sedentary community and globalization. Keywords : Transhumance Pastoralism, Globalization, State policies, Sedentarization

Socio-political and ecological stresses on traditional pastoral systems: A review

Journal of Geographical Sciences, 2019

Pastoralism is a viable socioeconomic system-shaped by landless and agro-pastoral communities in many pastoral regions of the world. This system is mainly based on seasonal migration of pastoralists and their livestock herds between upland and lowland pastures. Traditionally pastoral activities make significant contributions to mountain livelihood subsistence, regional economies and environmental sustainability. However, the pastoralist's lifestyle and their economies are increasingly confronted to various socio-political, economic and ecological stresses from the last few decades. Extensive literature reviewed on this subject with the aim to explore the current emerging challenges faced by pastoral communities in different pastoral regions. It has been revealed from literature that the prevalent socio-political and economic stress on pastoralism caused by modernization, insecure land tenure, integration of market economy, civil insecurities and pastoralist's exclusion in states policies while ecological stress on pastoral activities emerged with increasing focus on nature conservation in pastoral regions and climate change induced hazards and disasters. As a consequence of these challenges, pastoral households are abandoning livestock herding-as a traditional way of life and are in continuous transition to transform their pastoral practices and institutions. Thus, the attention and consultation of key stakeholders are needed toward pastoral resource development that improve and sustain traditional pastoral practices in a socio-politically and ecologically stressed environment of the world.

Transhumant pastoralism in Poland: Contemporary challenges

Pastoralism: Research, Policy and Practice, 2018

Since the mid-2000s, transhumant pastoralism and the production of artisanal sheep's cheeses have experienced a revival in the Polish Carpathians. This revival has largely coincided with Poland's accession to the European Union in 2004, leading to a re-valuation of extensive livestock production from an economic and environmental liability to a form of 'High Nature Value' farming. Supported by Common Agricultural Policy CAP European Union subsidies, Polish pastoralists have been reclassified from being producers of livestock and agricultural products to suppliers of environmental and ecosystem services. Despite these changes, however, they continue to face significant systemic challenges which are rooted in the marked decline of the communist-era pastoral economy in the late 1980s and a subsequent increasing competition for land and labour under market conditions. Based on anthropological fieldwork conducted in Poland's Carpathian Highland region during the 2015, 2016, and 2017 pastoral seasons, this article provides insight into four sets of challenges deemed most important by working shepherds today: recruiting qualified labour, gaining access to pasture, gaining access to markets, and working within a Polish policy environment which fails to recognise the particular conditions and requirements of pastoral agriculture.