pastoralism
Roaming with livestock
Pastoralism is a way of life centered on herding livestock—sheep, goats, cattle, camels—typically involving movement across grazing lands.
The term appears in anthropology and economics to describe societies organized around animal husbandry rather than settled agriculture: Nomadic pastoralism has shaped Central Asian cultures for millennia.
In literary criticism, pastoralism refers to the tradition of idealizing rural and shepherd life in poetry and art.
One who tends flocks
- grazingFeeding on pasture
- flockAnimals gathered together
- cattleDomesticated bovines kept commercially
- sheepWoolly farm animal
goats · herder · livestock · yak · alpaca · llama · reindeer · camel
Treeless herb-covered ecosystem
- meadowGrassy field for grazing
- rangelandLand for grazing animals
- steppeTreeless Eurasian grassland
- savannaTropical grassland, sparse trees
veldt · pampas · prairie · paddock · commons · hillside · upland · lowland
Movement to new territory
- yurtsPortable circular tent homes
- steppeTreeless Eurasian grassland
- BedouinMiddle Eastern nomadic herder
- TuaregSaharan Berber ethnic group
Maasai · Mongol · caravan · seasonal · mobile · encampment · ger · tent
Managing animal groups
- breedingReproductive cultivation of organisms
- milkingExtracting animal dairy fluid
- shearingCutting away fleece
- castrationExcision of reproductive glands
dehorning · vaccination · culling · fattening · weaning · docking · penning · corralling
Idyllically rural
- idyllTranquil rural tableau
- rusticRural and unrefined
- countrysideRural area beyond towns
- ruralOf the countryside
village · agrarian · halcyon · romantic · Virgil · eclogue · simplicity · innocence
Administering territory and resources
- overgrazingExcessive pasture consumption
- soil healthGround's biological vitality
- carrying capacityPopulation an environment sustains
- regenerativeAble to renew itself
conservation · desertification · erosion · biodiversity · ecosystem · carbon sequestration · sustainable
shepherd
One who tends flocks
sheep · goats · herder · livestock · yak · alpaca · llama · reindeer · camel · milking
grassland
Treeless herb-covered ecosystem
savanna · veldt · pampas · prairie · paddock · commons · hillside · upland · lowland · grazing land
migration
Movement to new territory
- yurtsPortable circular tent homes
- steppeTreeless Eurasian grassland
- BedouinMiddle Eastern nomadic herder
Tuareg · Maasai · Mongol · caravan · seasonal · mobile · encampment · ger · tent · dromedary
herding
Managing animal groups
- breedingReproductive cultivation of organisms
- milkingExtracting animal dairy fluid
- shearingCutting away fleece
castration · dehorning · vaccination · culling · fattening · weaning · docking · penning · corralling · branding
bucolic
Idyllically rural
- idyllTranquil rural tableau
- rusticRural and unrefined
- countrysideRural area beyond towns
rural · village · agrarian · halcyon · romantic · Virgil · eclogue · simplicity · innocence · golden age
land management
Administering territory and resources
- overgrazingExcessive pasture consumption
- soil healthGround's biological vitality
- carrying capacityPopulation an environment sustains
regenerative · conservation · desertification · erosion · biodiversity · ecosystem · carbon sequestration · sustainable
- livelihoodsjob, career, work, income, profession
- nomadic lifenomads, yurt, wanderers, tent, Bedouins
- pastoral lifeshepherds, shepherding, herders, herding, herdsmen
- anthropologyanthropology, fieldwork, ethnography, social anthropology, cultural anthropology
- MongoliaGobi Desert, Inner Mongolia, steppe, Mongols, nomads
- Bedouinsnomads, camels, tents, desert life, tribes
pastoralismcrop cultivation
Growing food plants deliberately
agrarianism · horticulture · tillage · grain farming · intensive agriculture
pastoralismsedentarism
Habitual physical inactivity
sedentary lifestyle · urban dwelling · rootedness · village life · homesteading
pastoralismindustrialism
Factory-based economic system
industrialization · urbanism · commercialism · capitalism · mercantilism