Nomadic Pastoralism

Nomadic pastoralism, also called nomadic herding or pastoral nomadism, is a form of pastoralism in which livestock are herded in search of fresh pastures rather than following the fixed seasonal pattern of transhumance, though in practice the term nomad is often applied to both and the regularity of historical movements is frequently unknown. Herded animals include cattle, water buffalo, yaks, llamas, sheep, goats, reindeer, horses, donkeys and camels, often in mixed herds, and the practice is most common in regions with little arable land, especially the steppe lands north of Eurasia's agricultural zone; pastoralists often trade meat for grain with settled farming communities, though raiding has also occurred historically. Of an estimated 30 to 40 million nomadic pastoralists worldwide, most live in central Asia and the Sahel region of North and West Africa, among peoples such as the Fulani, Tuareg and Toubou, with others in the Middle East, including traditionally the Bedouin, and elsewhere in Africa such as Nigeria and Somalia. Increased fencing and enclosure of land has reduced the area available for the practice, and rising herd sizes can lead to overgrazing and desertification when land is not given time to recover between grazing periods.