Contemporary Pastoralism in the Dhofar Mountains of Oman

Lawrence Ball,Mark Moritz,Andrew Spalton,Joseph Tzanopoulos,Hadi Al Hikmani,Douglas Macmillan

doi:10.1007/s10745-020-00153-5

Lawrence Ball, Mark Moritz + Show 4 more

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https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-020-00153-5

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Journal: Human Ecology	Publication Date: May 12, 2020
Citations: 3	License type: open-access

Affiliation: The Ohio State University, University of Kent

Abstract

In the Dhofar Mountains of Oman stakeholders are concerned about the social and ecological sustainability of pastoralism. In this study we used interviews with pastoralists to examine the prevailing drivers of pastoralism and how they are changing. We find that people are committed to pastoralism for sociocultural reasons but also that this commitment is under pressure because of husbandry costs and changing values. We find that capital investment in feedstuff enables pastoralists to overcome the density-dependent regulation of livestock populations. However, high production costs deter investment in marketing and commercialization, and there is little off take of local livestock. Our study reveals how pastoral values, passed down within households, motivate pastoralists in the face of high husbandry costs, modernization and social change.

Highlights

Pastoral systems are under pressure in many parts of the world due to globalization, modernization, marketization, land use and tenure change, population growth, and climate change (Nyberg et al 2015; Robinson et al 2011; Sayre et al 2013; Watson et al 2016)
We present our findings on the drivers of pastoralism in the Jabal Qamar mountain range in Dhofar
We summarise the reasons given by pastoralists for keeping livestock and the problems they face, and present our findings on the drivers of pastoralism, including verbatim quotations of interviewees, under four subsections; pastoral values, household economics, markets, and husbandry

Summary

Introduction

Pastoral systems are under pressure in many parts of the world due to globalization, modernization, marketization, land use and tenure change, population growth, and climate change (Nyberg et al 2015; Robinson et al 2011; Sayre et al 2013; Watson et al 2016). In the oil-rich gulf states of the Arabian Peninsula, pastoralist livelihoods were supported through subsidised supplementary feed and rural infrastructure development (Gardner 2004). Relative to other pastoral systems across the globe, contemporary pastoralism in the Arabian Peninsula is understudied even though it may be considered less sustainable due to factors such as greater climatic variability, higher soil salinity, greater feedstuff provisioning, and low market participation (Peacock et al 2003). New research is required on a regular basis due to the rapid economic development, modernisation, and social change occurring in these small oil-rich gulf nations

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