Nomadic herding or pastoral nomadism is a primitive subsistence activity, in which the herders rely on animals for food, clothing, shelter, tools and transport.
Main Features -
• They move from one place to another along with their livestock, depending on the amount and quality of pastures and water.
• Each nomadic community occupies a well-identified territory as a matter of tradition. A wide variety of animals is kept in different regions. In tropical **, cattle are the most important livestock, while in Sahara and Asiatic deserts, sheep, goats and camel are reared.
• In the mountainous areas of Tibet and Andes, yak and llamas and in the Arctic and sub Arctic areas, reindeer are the most important animals.
• Movement in search of pastures is undertaken either over vast horizontal distances or vertically from one elevation to another in the mountainous regions. The process of migration from plain areas to pastures on mountains during summers and again from mountain pastures to plain areas during winters is known as transhumance.
• In mountain regions, such as Himalayas, Gujjars, Bakarwals, Gaddis and Bhotiyas migrate from plains to the mountains in summers and to the plains from the high altitude pastures in winters. Similarly, in the tundra regions, the nomadic herders move from south to north in summers and from north to south in winters.
Commercial Livestock Rearing is more organised and capital intensive. Commercial livestock ranching is essentially associated with western cultures and is practised on permanent ranches.
Main Features-
• These ranches cover large areas and are divided into a number of parcels, which are fenced to regulate the grazing. When the grass of one parcel is grazed, animals are moved to another parcel.
• The number of animals in a pasture is kept according to the carrying capacity of the pasture. This is a specialised activity in which only one type of animal is reared. Important animals include sheep, cattle, goats and horses.
• Products such as meat, wool, hides and skin are processed and packed scientifically and exported to different world markets.
• Rearing of animals in ranching is organised on a scientific basis. The main emphasis is on breeding, genetic improvement, *** control and health care of the animals.
• New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, Uruguay and United States of America are important countries where commercial livestock rearing is practiced.
