Pastoralism

As people learned to tame animals, many took up animal rearing. In harsh climates, where farming is difficult, herding became a way of life.

Nomadic herding (pastoral nomadism) is a subsistence activity: herders depend on their animals for food, clothing, shelter, tools and transport. They move with their herds from place to place in search of pasture and water. Each region has its own animals: sheep, goats, camels and cattle in the dry lands, yaks and llamas in the high mountains, and reindeer in the Arctic.

The core region of nomadic herding stretches from the Atlantic coast of North Africa across Arabia to Mongolia and central China. It is also found in the tundra of Eurasia, and in south-west Africa and Madagascar.

Many herders move seasonally: up to mountain pastures in summer and down to the plains in winter. This is transhumance. In India, the Gujjars, Bakarwals, Gaddis and Bhotiyas of the Himalayas follow this pattern.

The number of pastoral nomads is decreasing: political boundaries now cut across their old routes, and many governments run programmes to settle them.

Commercial livestock rearing, or ranching, is very different. It is organised and capital-intensive. Ranches cover large areas divided into fenced parcels, and the grazing is carefully managed. Usually one type of animal is reared (sheep, cattle, goats or horses), using scientific breeding, disease control and health care. The products (meat, wool, hides, skin) are processed and packed for world markets. It is practised in New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, Uruguay and the USA.