Pastoralism and Rangeland Management on the Tibetan Plateau in ...

2.2 The weak link of traditional livestock production
The biggest drawback of traditional livestock production is its weakness in the
face of disaster. When a disaster strikes, livestock die. It is well known that
nutritional imbalance across the four seasons exists. Although the death of
livestock in summer <strong>and</strong> autumn is rare, their frailty in winter <strong>and</strong> spring may
cause their demise if snow storms or strong winds occur <strong>and</strong> herds cannot graze
for two or three days, with no forage from which to feed them.
Spring is also the calving season. Most adult <strong>and</strong> young cattle die at this time
of the year. The events of two or three days in this period can determine the
life of a herdsman for one or two years. When the herders look helplessly at the
death of their future, they underst<strong>and</strong> that no matter how hardworking they
are, they cannot reverse fate. Poverty alleviation <strong>and</strong> development departments
of the government usually provide compensation to households with fewer than
40–50 sheep units. However, with the arrival of another winter season, tragedy
once again repeats itself. This kind of assistance model often makes officials
regret the perceived lack of effort from the recipient pastoralists, but it does not
raise enough doubt about the validity of our assistance approach.
In fact, the most vulnerable period of the herd’s growth cycle is from February
to May when for a few days outdoor grazing is impossible. The most vulnerable
time of an animal’s life cycle is when there are a few days of heavy snow <strong>and</strong>
winds. During these fateful days, if they can be provided with effective help,
the poor herders will be able to have stable livelihoods, which is the foundation
for building a harmonious relationship between man <strong>and</strong> nature.
3 Causes of Poverty in pastoral Communities
In Tibet, the calculation of household income or wealth shows that pastoralist
households are often richer than their counterparts in agricultural communities.
However, in terms of quality of life, the situation is reversed. Even within
the pastoral communities, development is far from balanced. Some wealthy
herdsman may own 2,000 sheep, while most low-income herdsmen own less
than 100 sheep. In terms of the utilization of rangel<strong>and</strong> resources, it is “winner
takes all” for the rich <strong>and</strong> vulnerable livelihoods for the poor. How does
pastoral poverty happen? Let’s take a look at Table 2.
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