India is home to a thriving community of pastoralists whose lifestyles represent one of the oldest and most sustainable systems. These herders practice mobility, moving their livestock from one climatic region to another every year in search of adequate food, suitable pastures and grasslands. Livestock rearing yields essential resources such as milk, meat, leather and wool, with the latter often being exported.
Remarkably, women pastoralists play a pivotal role in collecting sheep’s wool for producing warm clothing and blankets. Additionally, pastoralists contribute significantly to conserving biodiversity and maintaining domestic animal diversity.
A two-day zonal convention on “Rights of Pastoral Community” under the theme “Sheepherders as Climate Justice Activists!” concluded at the Press Club in Ranchi recently. The gathering was organized by the grassroots civil society group SAMVAD and the ActionAid Association to draw attention to the particular difficulties that pastoral communities in Eastern India confront.
Esteemed speakers, including representatives of pastoral communities, public authorities, and subject matter specialists, gathered to talk about and debate the numerous difficulties that pastoralists confront while also sharing their invaluable insights. These conversations intended to outline a course for solutions that were suited to the particular requirements of these communities.
A pastoralist from Raniganj, West Bengal, named Shankar Bhagat discussed the difficulties he has had raising sheep and the changing demands of the younger generation. The same region's Abhimanyu Bhagat noted the lack of and inadequateness of government incentives as well as how financial difficulty pushed some pastoralists to give up their customary work. Sabar M. Debasi, a pastoralist from Rajasthan, also discussed the difficult situations he faced while tending sheep.
Alarming data about grazing pastures was provided by ActionAid Association Executive Director Sandeep Chachra. He revealed that grazing pastures have decreased by 31% during the previous 15 years. These changes, which influence market conditions and produce inequities for livestock, are being driven by climate change. Sandeep emphasized the necessity for coordinated measures to confront the difficult reality that pastoral communities have to confront as proponents of climate justice. He emphasized the desire to take this program to the village level across states and the need of including young people in the process.
The community-focused aspects of pastoralism were highlighted by Ghanshyam, Director of SAMVAD in Jharkhand. According to him, “pasture is not a caste; it is a community with collective feelings and living patterns. These communities operated based on scientific principles that deserve understanding, recognition and documentation.” The words of Ghanshyam serve as a reminder of the rich cultural heritage that pastoralists bring to society.
Sudhir Pal, an activist specializing in animal husbandry, took the stage to emphasize the significant challenge of pastoralists’ invisibility within policy-making circles. His words drew attention to the unfortunate consequences of this neglect: the lack of policy interventions that could uplift and support pastoral communities. His statement resonated as a stark reminder that pastoralists often find themselves overlooked in policy discussion and formulation. Sudhir’s assertion serves as a call to action for policymakers, urging them to acknowledge the vital role of pastoralists and the urgent need for targeted interventions to empower and uplift these communities.
Key findings from Ms. C. Thakur's study on pastoral communities were presented by the research scholar, who is set to shape the discourse about the rights and problems facing these people. Her commitment to expressing the essence of pastoralism makes a huge contribution to raising awareness and promoting thoughtful discussion of these important issues.
The importance of pastoral communities' contributions to the ecology was emphasized by Debabrat Patra, Zonal Director, East Zone, ActionAid Association. He highlighted the crucial role played by pastoralists in preserving the genetic variety of the roughly 50 million livestock under their care, shedding insight on how pastoral communities increase the yield of soil through the dung of their livestock. Debabrat said that by preserving pastoral communities and appreciating their crucial contributions, we are better able to fight climate change.
ActionAid Association's regional manager for Bihar, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh, Saurabh Kumar, underlined the urgent need to strike a balance between environmental conservation efforts and the space needed for pastoralists' subsistence. In his poignant words, “We can make an elephant corridor – a passage marked by the government to allow the passage of elephants, but we must also ensure adequate space for livestock and the people caring for them.”
In the eastern Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, more than 2.5 million people from diverse communities rely on sheep rearing to sustain their livelihoods. These nomadic pastoralists traverse with their animals, encountering challenges such as limited resources, shifting climatic conditions, and restrictions on entering forest and grazing lands.
Furthermore, pastoral communities are not uniform and experience a myriad of identifications in the state as they are not officially recognized as “pastoralists” by the government. In some states, they are recognized as scheduled castes, while in others, they are deemed as other backward classes. They are marginalized communities with difficulty accessing basic amenities such as drinking water, shelter, medicine, education and health services.
As nomadic communities, they also face problems accessing social security and other entitlement services. Furthermore, pastoralists do not receive grazing rights under the Forest Rights Act, and government veterinary services often do not reach migratory communities.
It was in recognition of the diversity within pastoral communities and the pressing need to make them the true custodians of ecological justice that SAMVAD and ActionAid Association hosted the Zonal Level Convention.
About ActionAid
ActionAid India’s work with these communities is strongly focused on women and children. It was established with a vision to create a world without poverty, patriarchy and injustice in which every person enjoys the right to life with dignity. In 2006, ActionAid Association was registered as an Indian organisation, governed by an independent General Assembly and a Governing Board. Together with supporters, communities, institutions and governments, they strive for equality, fraternity and liberty for all. It works in 24 states and two union territories, with several partners and allied organisations. ActionAid Association is part of a global federation and a full affiliate of ActionAid International, that has presence in over 40 countries worldwide.
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