In our recent fieldwork, we mapped the migration routes of mobile pastoralists in Turkey, collected data on traditional ecological knowledge, and examined the ecological benefits of this system. We found that mobile pastoralism, unlike industrial systems, relies minimally on high-carbon-footprint feed, supporting healthier livestock and ecosystems. Special thanks to the Sarıkeçililer Survival and Solidarity Association…
In our new fieldwork, we set out to map the migration routes of mobile pastoralism in Turkey, collect data on the traditional ecological knowledge of the community, and understand the production and consumption mechanisms of this way of life and production within the framework of ecological values!
One of the most important issues raised during the interviews we conducted on the first day of our fieldwork was how high the annual feed consumption of nomadic livestock would be if they were raised in closed, industrialised systems. If they do not graze in open areas – which is not possible, the animal does not stop! – a goat herd of 200 individuals would require about 182.5 tonnes of feed per year!
Mobile pastoralism has been going on for thousands of years without creating a burden on nature, with a form of production based on feeding animals with natural plants in open areas instead of fodder with a very high carbon footprint.
Part of what we talked about in our interviews was animal health, food safety and the nutritional value of these foods. Unlike closed systems, animals fed from nature with free grazing are not given medicines such as antibiotics unless they are very sick. In cases such as injuries, if possible, the first intervention is done with traditional methods.
In consideration of animal welfare, milking of mother goats is only done for a short period after the kids are weaned.
Difficulties in accessing pastures and the lack of vegetation due to the climate crisis force the Sarıkeçililer to rely on fodder during the winter months, the birth period of the kids. This feed utilisation is still almost negligible compared to closed systems. In 2021, our laboratory analyses show that the animals fed by Sarıkeçililer in nature are more nutritious in many respects compared to animals raised in industrial livestock farming!
We visited 14 tents for 5 days in order to calculate the ecological footprint of the traditional production methods of the Sarıkeçililer, to evaluate their products in terms of healthy and reliable food systems, to vectorially map their migration routes and the areas where they set up their wintering sites, to learn how these play a role against the consequences of the climate crisis, especially fire, and to investigate whether predator species such as wolves are affected by this large herbivore mobility that can reach 350 kilometres in a year.
We would like to express our gratitude to the Sarıkeçililer Survival and Solidarity Association and its president Pervin Savran, and Geççi and Oğuzhan Çoban, with whom we conducted our fieldwork.
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