Good Day Professor Savory,
I have had the pleasure of working and living in the Kyrgyz Repermies, and I still have family there. The elevations are extreme and the majority of people are nomadic herders. The country is transitioning from one that is predominantly a herding nomadic economy to one that is attempting to become agrarian. For all intent and purposes grazing is accomplished in the mountain valley's with small ruminant herds (goats, sheep etc.), with cattle making up a relatively small portion of all grazing animals.
Valley grazing in the mountains is relatively stable; but the mountainous grazing zones are markedly deteriorating, and here comes the catch, because of alleged over grazing taking place in these zones. I have been in quite a number of discussions relative to this type of situation and I am having difficulty convincing my family, clan and neighbors about the benefits of aggregation of animals and the gains it would provide for their herds, as well as for the improvement in the sustainability of the deteriorating environment.
My two questions are the following:
1. How would you approach a situation where folks are adamant in placing the blame for the deterioration of the mountainous grazing zones and their apparent ossification and desertification on overgrazing. How could I facilitate a discussion that would provide the foundation upon which we could develop consensus from a micro trial, and then once this trial is successful, than move onto a larger or macro trial? Most grazing land is either family and clan owned or rented land.
2. Given the relative small size of herds in Kyrgyz, and taking into account that goats are not really grazers but are rather browsers, how would you seek to begin rehabilitating a small area to demonstrate the effectiveness of your techniques with a mixed herd consisting of goats, sheep and a very small number of cows (1- 2 animals) + a horse that is generally used by the shepherd/s?
Thank you for your consideration,
Alan
