This is how nomadic farmers live
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Download2,000 years after humanity domesticated crops and livestock,
some farmers kicked off humanity’s next agricultural innovation: pastoralism.
These pioneering livestock farmers strategically guided animals
to seasonal grazing areas.
Their mobile lifestyle allowed them to develop trade relationships
with communities and farmers along their routes.
And this way of life provided pastoralists with wealth, social status,
and political independence all the way to the 20th century.
Today, there are hundreds of millions of mobile pastoralists,
operating in every continent except Antarctica.
From the Himalayas to the Andes to the Alps,
they keep sheep, goats, cattle, and yaks.
Saami pastoralists work with reindeer in Arctic rangelands.
Van Gujjar pastoralists in northern India keep water buffalo.
And all these communities work sustainably with their environments
to produce food and other animal products.
But in the last century,
political and economic policies have worked against these communities,
impeding their access to basic resources
and making them more vulnerable to climate change.
And one region where these issues are especially apparent is sub-Saharan Africa.
This region is home to millions of pastoralists
who produce the majority of meat and milk consumed across their continent.
Yet throughout the late 20th century,
various programs tried to incentivize these mobile communities
to put down roots.
Governments limited their access to public services
like healthcare and education.
They created designated watering holes
to keep pastoralists in specific regions year-round.
And huge areas of rangeland historically shared by pastoralists
were privatized or converted to wildlife reserves.
The motivation behind these policies varied widely.
Some programs were earnest but misguided efforts
to modernize an ancient agricultural model.
Others were attempts to control what governments perceived
as unmanageable populations.
But the end result was always the same.
By restricting how sub-Saharan pastoralists could use the land,
these communities became poorer,
less sustainable, and less economically resilient.
And in a region that’s relied on pastoralism for millennia,
these changes have had a huge impact.
Historically, sub-Saharan pastoralists helped keep African grasslands healthy
by guiding their livestock to graze specific amounts in specific areas.
Their seasonal migration prevented land from being overgrazed
and their livestock’s fertilizing manure regenerated the soil.
But policies restricting their movement
have made this kind of land management incredibly difficult.
These policies also make pastoralists less resilient to climate change.
While global droughts are increasing as the planet heats up,
pastoralists are experts at following rain and reading the landscape
to know how drought will impact different areas.
Historically, this allowed pastoralists to maintain their herds
regardless of the weather.
But these techniques can’t help communities
confined to drought-stricken lands.
And when their herds become unhealthy, the consequences can be deadly.
Unhealthy herds can cause disease outbreaks
that endanger livestock and humans.
But even without outbreaks, sick herds become unproductive—
limiting what pastoralists have to sell.
Making things worse,
sub-Saharan pastoralists are forced to sell their wares in informal markets
that operate with minimal oversight.
And since these markets function on an international scale,
they pit pastoralist communities against each other,
resulting in sale prices that are generally low and extremely volatile.
This leaves pastoralists with unstable incomes,
and a dependency on intermediaries who charge high transaction prices.
Pastoralists on every continent are facing some version of these issues.
But hopefully the solutions being pursued in sub-Saharan Africa
can inspire global change.
Alongside government groups and NGOs,
grassroots pastoralist movements are advocating
to restore protected grazing reserves and improve public services
like mobile health clinics and schools tailored to pastoral movement.
Some groups are trying to create new market systems
that would establish standards for meat quality and sale price
to prevent exploitation by middlemen.
Others are working to ensure fair prices for female herders,
who already account for 50% of sub-Saharan pastoralists.
And advocates are also working to improve animal health with new vaccines,
accessible veterinary services,
and livestock tagging systems to track disease outbreaks.
But perhaps the most important change would be for governments
to recognize the value of pastoral mobility.
Pastoralism has sustained countless ecosystems and economies for millennia—
and embracing the knowledge underpinning that history
is essential for Earth’s future.
Key Vocabulary (50)
toward
"Go to school."
belonging
"Cup of tea."
also
"You and me."
inside
"In the house."
specific
"That book."
Used to show who is intended to have or use something, or to explain the purpose or reason for an action. It is also frequently used to indicate a specific duration of time.
A preposition used to indicate that something is in a position above and supported by a surface. It is also used to indicate a specific day or date, or to show that a device is functioning.
A preposition used to indicate that people or things are together, in the same place, or performing an action together. It can also describe the instrument used to perform an action or a characteristic that someone or something has.
Used to identify a specific person, thing, or idea that is physically close to the speaker or has just been mentioned. It can also refer to the present time or a situation that is currently happening.
A coordinating conjunction used to connect two statements that contrast with each other. It is used to introduce an added statement that is different from what has already been mentioned.
A preposition used to show the method or means of doing something, or to identify the person or thing that performs an action. It frequently appears in passive sentences to indicate the agent or before modes of transport.
A third-person plural pronoun used to refer to two or more people, animals, or things previously mentioned. It is also commonly used as a singular pronoun to refer to a person whose gender is unknown or to someone who identifies as non-binary.
A possessive determiner used to show that something belongs to or is associated with two or more people or things previously mentioned. It is also commonly used as a singular possessive when a person's gender is unknown or to be gender-neutral.
Who is a pronoun used to ask about the identity of a person or a group of people. It is also used as a relative pronoun to introduce a clause that provides more information about a person previously mentioned.
Used to express physical or mental ability to do something or to show that something is possible. It is also frequently used to ask for or give permission in informal situations.
Description
Dig into the challenges of modern pastoralism, a form of agriculture where farmers guide livestock to seasonal grazing areas. -- For millennia, livestock farmers strategically guided animals...
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