Year 2020, Volume 5, Issue 3
| Year : | 2020 |
| Volume : | 5 |
| Issue : | 3 |
| Authors : | Hamid EL BILALI, Gianluigi CARDONE, Francesco BOTTALICO, Giovanni OTTOMANO PALMISANO, Roberto CAPONE |
| Title : | PASTORALISM IN THE MAGHREB: A REVIEW ON ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIO-CULTURAL, ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL ASPECTS |
| Abstract : | Pastoralism is a livelihood system based on extensive production of livestock (e.g. cattle, sheep, goats, camels) mainly on marginal lands. It is a traditional activity in the Mediterranean in general and the Maghreb (viz. Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia) in particular. This review casts light on research regarding pastoralism in the Maghreb. In particular, the paper analyses the benefits of pastoralism as well as the challenges faced by pastoralists in the region from the environmental, socio-cultural, economic and political points of views. A search performed in July 2020 on the Web of Science yielded 113 documents and 68 of them were included in the systematic review. The analysed literature emphasizes the negative impacts of pastoralism and the challenges faced by pastoral communities in the Maghreb. These include climate change, land degradation and desertification, poverty and livelihood vulnerability as well as the ongoing erosion of pastoral culture and traditions. Doing so, scholars question the future of pastoralism in the region and highlight the need for its adaptation and transformation through, among others, moving towards agro-pastoral systems. There is a dearth of articles that highlight the positive impacts and benefits of pastoralism in the Maghreb. However, the literature shows that pastoralism has a long tradition and is an integral part of the Maghrebi culture and history, and values the traditional knowledge of pastoralists as well as their adaptive capacity. The review shows that there is a gap in research on pastoralism in the Maghreb especially regarding economics. In this context, regional projects such as PACTORES (Pastoral ACTORs, Ecosystem services and Society as key elements of agro-pastoral systems in the Mediterranean) result crucial to bridge the current knowledge gap and foster the sustainable development of pastoralism in the Maghreb and the Mediterranean at large. |
| For citation : | El Bilali, H., Cardone, G., Bottalico, F., Ottomano Palmisano, G., Capone, R. (2020). Pastoralism in the Maghreb: a review on environmental, socio-cultural, economic and political aspects AGROFOR International Journal, Volume 5. Issue No. 3. pp. 105-118. DOI: 10.7251/AGRENG2003105E |
| Keywords : | agro-pastoral systems, sustainability, Mediterranean, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco. |
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ISSN 2490-3434 (Printed)
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ISSN 2490-3442 (Online)
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