Herds movement to the summer pasture (Zevarshoev Askarsho)

Herds movement and roaming at different altitude/watershed zone (Tajikistan)

Бурдани чорво ба чарогоххои дур

Description

In this approach community take the opportunity to move their livestock along different pasture resources, which are located at different altitude. This is appropriate in mountains areas, where vegetation period starts in different period and community have access to fresh fodder for their animals. At this time they have the chance to save the pasture close to the village and crop land which they cultivate during summer time.

In the mountain areas of Tajikistan pasture are distributed according to the seasonal use named also accordingly – winter/spring pasture and summer pasture. The winter pasture are usually are located in the upper zone of the watershed, while the winter/spring pasture are the one close to the community. Based on this delineation they are used in different season, because in the early spring, when snow just started melting in the close pasture in the remote pasture it is still covered by snow and not possible go to this areas. In this way community provide balance in use of pasture resource between different types of pasture resources along different altitude.
The approach is applied in a participatory way in agreement with all involved stakeholders, including community members/livestock owners, local government and other involved parties, such as herder from other communities. Community jointly in a village meeting in the early season of grazing plan for herds movements and assign responsible people with support of the village management to organize logistics.
Community is very much in favor to organize in such approach to move their animal to other places when at this period they save fodder and easily cultivate their crops land in the village. The only thing they do not like is that during this period they do not have to the dairy product, which could they get from their animals.

Location

Location: Rasht Vally, Lakhsh District, Tajikistan

Geo-reference of selected sites
  • 70.916, 39.072

Initiation date: n.a.

Year of termination: n.a.

Type of Approach
Livestock roaming in the close pasture before moving to the remote/summer pasture (Ibrohim Boronov)

Approach aims and enabling environment

Main aims / objectives of the approach
The main goal of this approach is to balance the availability of pasture resources availalbe for community to gain maximum benefit from existing fodder source in the surrounding areas.
Conditions enabling the implementation of the Technology/ ies applied under the Approach
  • Social/ cultural/ religious norms and values: this is traditional approach and community members knowledge on this is transferred from generation to generation and does not have any limitation from social/cultural point of view. In fact traditionally the older generation is motivating youth to use the approach in order to use their pasture resource sustainably.
  • Availability/ access to financial resources and services: usually not much financial resource is required to implement the resource. The only this is need to organize community and manage their resource sustainably.
  • Institutional setting: traditional institutions, which deal with natural resource management exist from very beginning. When community motivated to establish their official institutions such as Pasture User Unions this is also enables community to plan according to the approach to move the herd from one pasture area to another during different season.
  • Collaboration/ coordination of actors: traditional all members of community is involved and aware of the approach, and also when official legal institute is established it also bring all stakeholder to plan for pasture grazing in a participatory way
  • Legal framework (land tenure, land and water use rights): in a traditional way when applying the approach community know, which part of the pasture they own and plan accordingly, while when the official legal institute is established, such as PUU they obliged to gain certificate, which recognize their land use rights.
  • Land governance (decision-making, implementation and enforcement): the approach is discussed in a participatory way among community members and agreed to implement accordingly.
  • Knowledge about SLM, access to technical support: this is traditional knowledge which is transfered from one generation to another generation, however when applied in the framework of project special technical team is assigned to support communities with implementation.
Conditions hindering the implementation of the Technology/ ies applied under the Approach

Participation and roles of stakeholders involved

Stakeholders involved in the Approach and their roles
What stakeholders / implementing bodies were involved in the Approach? Specify stakeholders Describe roles of stakeholders
local land users/ local communities community members, livestock owners support with explaining the approach based on their traditional knowledge and provide evidence based information from their experiences
community-based organizations village organization, traditional community structures guide community members and livestock owners on planing and implementing the approach.
SLM specialists/ agricultural advisers project technical team, specialist from respective research institutes, such as livestock institute support with applying the technical aspect of the approach and awareness raising on the approach from science point of view.
local government respective local government departments, such as land committee, forestry department supervise the implementation process and guide in applying the approach within framework
Involvement of local land users/ local communities in the different phases of the Approach
none
passive
external support
interactive
self-mobilization
initiation/ motivation
traditionally community are used to apply approach every time when the season for grazing comes
planning
existing community structure in the mountains areas come together in a community meeting to discuss and develop the plan for pasture use, which entails also applying the approach
implementation
usually community organize gathering dates for moving the herd, assign responsible person and agree with other stakeholders or pasture users from neighbor communities.
monitoring/ evaluation
very passive monitoring is applied in monitoring the approach results and almost no research is involved.
Flow chart

Decision-making on the selection of SLM Technology

Decisions were taken by

  • land users alone (self-initiative)
  • mainly land users, supported by SLM specialists
  • all relevant actors, as part of a participatory approach
  • mainly SLM specialists, following consultation with land users
  • SLM specialists alone
  • politicians/ leaders

Decisions were made based on

  • evaluation of well-documented SLM knowledge (evidence-based decision-making)
  • research findings
  • personal experience and opinions (undocumented)

Technical support, capacity building, and knowledge management

The following activities or services have been part of the approach
Advisory service
Advisory service was provided
  • on land users' fields
  • at permanent centres
government officials usually control the movement of the herd to the remote pasture, especially when there is crop season in the village.
Institution strengthening
Institutions have been strengthened / established
  • no
  • yes, a little
  • yes, moderately
  • yes, greatly
at the following level
  • local
  • regional
  • national
Describe institution, roles and responsibilities, members, etc.
mainly traditional village level structure, which include all community members and leaders to plan for village development. sometime supported by local government to enforce the implementation of the approach in order not to effect the crop production in the village/community.
Type of support
  • financial
  • capacity building/ training
  • equipment
Further details
Monitoring and evaluation
very few monitoring is done, usually by the officials of local government from agriculture department to make sure that the livestock is moved to the remote pasture and there is no grazing applied in the crop lands

Financing and external material support

Annual budget in USD for the SLM component
  • < 2,000
  • 2,000-10,000
  • 10,000-100,000
  • 100,000-1,000,000
  • > 1,000,000
Precise annual budget: n.a.
mainly from community of provision of vehicle and other source for infrastructure development, but some projects are also have contributing in construction of the infrastructure, including Environmental Land Management and Rural Livelihoods Project
The following services or incentives have been provided to land users
  • Financial/ material support provided to land users
  • Subsidies for specific inputs
  • Credit
  • Other incentives or instruments
Other incentives or instruments

development of the community plan, which mobilize and give incentives to implement the approach

Impact analysis and concluding statements

Impacts of the Approach
No
Yes, little
Yes, moderately
Yes, greatly
Did the Approach empower local land users, improve stakeholder participation?

it brings all community members, which own livestock and motivate them join management of their resources.

Did the Approach build/ strengthen institutions, collaboration between stakeholders?

while the approach bring all stakeholders together to plan and manage their resource it also strengthens collaboration among them and improves their institutions.

Did the Approach mitigate conflicts?

the approach enables to agree and communicate the movement of the herd, which does not interfere into the other community areas.

Did the Approach empower socially and economically disadvantaged groups?

the approach is very inclusive and does not discriminate in participation of all groups. Those of who own livestock are equally participate

Did the Approach encourage young people/ the next generation of land users to engage in SLM?

the approach is used to be traditional and both youth and women are involved in promoting and implementing it.

Main motivation of land users to implement SLM
  • increased production
  • increased profit(ability), improved cost-benefit-ratio
  • reduced land degradation
  • reduced risk of disasters
  • reduced workload
  • payments/ subsidies
  • rules and regulations (fines)/ enforcement
  • prestige, social pressure/ social cohesion
  • affiliation to movement/ project/ group/ networks
  • environmental consciousness
  • customs and beliefs, morals
  • enhanced SLM knowledge and skills
  • aesthetic improvement
  • conflict mitigation
Sustainability of Approach activities
Can the land users sustain what hat been implemented through the Approach (without external support)?
  • no
  • yes
  • uncertain

traditionally the knowledge on the approach is transferred from generation to generation, which guarantees the sustainability, in addition local government is involved to control and supervise the herd movement among different pasture types according to the season.

Conclusions and lessons learnt

Strengths: land user's view
  • traditional knowledge, simple and effective in livestock management and increasing production
Strengths: compiler’s or other key resource person’s view
  • compliant to the concept of pasture grazing between different areas
  • supported and motivated by government in order to control both the crop production and livestock production
Weaknesses/ disadvantages/ risks: land user's viewhow to overcome
  • when the livestock is moved to remote pasture the owners does not have access or limited access to dairy product if the pasture infrastructure is well developed it will enable community and also herder to bring the dairy product to the village to sell and process
Weaknesses/ disadvantages/ risks: compiler’s or other key resource person’s viewhow to overcome
  • very few monitoring is applied community capacity should be build to monitor the implementation of the approach
  • research is not involved to recognize the effect of movement collaboration between communities and research institute to establish and support government to mobilize research institutes

References

Compiler
  • Askarsho Zevarshoev
Editors
Reviewer
  • Farrukh Nazarmavloev
Date of documentation: April 12, 2018
Last update: Julie 17, 2018
Resource persons
Full description in the WOCAT database
Linked SLM data
Documentation was faciliated by
Institution Project
Key references
  • Pasture and Livestock Management Plan, Askarsho Zevarshoev, 2014: Free, from compiler
This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareaAlike 4.0 International