Pastoralism

Pastoralism is broadly defined as a land use system where communities raise livestock, such as camels, goats, cattle, sheep, llamas, or yaks, to make a living. It involves herding on natural pastures and implies that animal husbandry is the dominant strategy in an economic and cultural sense. In reality, pastoralism is more complex to define due to the diversity of pastoralist systems as adaptations to local conditions. The composition of herds, management strategies, and social organization vary significantly between regions. Pastoral societies include the Maasai in eastern Africa, Bedouin in the Middle East, Navajo in North America, Raika in India, Chukchi in Siberia, and Mongols in northcentral Asia. There are an estimated 100 million pastoral people worldwide, while Africa has the largest pastoral population with ...