You are surrounded by rolling grasslands˳ Far in the distance, foreboding mountains tower far above the grasses˳ The wind blows across the plains, and you are struck by the haunting beauty of the steppe˳ You notice, well in front of you, a group of people riding horses˳ People live here! But wait a second—no farms? No supermarket? How do they eat?
Welcome to the world of the pastoral nomads˳ Pastoral nomads subsist by maintaining large groups of domesticated livestock, which they herd from pasture to pasture˳ Grab a horse: we’re going to take a look at the advantages and impacts of such a lifestyle˳
Pastoral Nomadism Definition
Nomadism is a lifestyle in which a community has no fixed or permanent settlement˳ Nomads continuously move from place to place˳ Nomadism is often associated with a form of livestock agriculture called pastoralism˳ Most modern livestock agriculture confines domesticated animals to a small—or at least, relatively small—enclosure, but pastoralism allows livestock herds to graze upon wide open pastures˳
The main reason for pastoral nomadism is to keep herds of domesticated livestock—the food source—continuously moving to new pastures˳ The livestock stays fed, which in turn keeps the nomads fed˳
Not all nomads are pastoralists˳ Many historical nomadic cultures sustained themselves through hunting wild game rather than maintaining domesticated livestock˳ In fact, one of the original causes of nomadism for many cultures was to follow the migratory patterns of wild animals˳
Pastoral nomadism is sometimes also called nomadic herding or nomadic pastoralism˳
Pastoral Nomadism Characteristics
Pastoral nomadism is characterized by transhumance: moving herds from place to place with the changing of the seasons˳ This is because the quality and availability of pasture (and the severity of the weather) change in different locations throughout the year˳
Transhumance also prevents overgrazing˳ For example, if the herd were to be forced to remain in desert scrubland for an entire year, they might eat all the greenery and deplete their own food supply˳ Keeping things moving allows plant life to regenerate˳
Pastoral nomadism precludes the construction of most permanent settlements or other structures˳ Instead, nomads rely on encampments, temporary camps made up of tents, or similar living arrangements that can be easily disassembled and packed when it’s time to get on the move again˳ Perhaps the most iconic nomadic structure is the yurt, used throughout central Asia˳ Nomadic peoples from the Great Plains of North America used tipis, though tribes such as the Sioux, the Pawnee, and the Cree generally practiced hunting rather than pastoralism˳
Fig˳ 1 – A modern yurt in Mongolia
Pastoralism is a type of extensive farming˳ Extensive farming requires little labor relative to the available land˳ By comparison, intensive farming requires much more labor relative to the available land˳ For example, planting, growing, and harvesting 25,000 potatoes on a single acre of land is intensive farming˳
Advantages of Pastoral Nomadism
So, we’re shepherding our herd from pasture to pasture, letting them eat as they please, and butchering them as needed to feed ourselves and our families˳ But why? Why practice this lifestyle instead of sedentary agriculture? Well, it has a lot to do with the limitations of physical geography˳
Pastoral nomadism is often practiced in regions that cannot support either crop-based agriculture or other types of livestock agriculture˳ Perhaps the soil simply cannot support wide-scale crop growth, or the animals cannot access enough food if they are confined to small plots of fenced pasture˳ This is particularly true in northern Africa, where pastoralism is still somewhat widely practiced; the soil is often too arid for most crops, and the simplest way to produce food is to lead hardy goats to different pastures˳
